What do you consider

[HGFarm]

Crittercountry, I would not consider you in what we call a backyard breeder.

Nootka, well said and thought out. I agree- a much more in depth reply than mine, but my feeling exactly.

 

[love_casper]

To ME, it means someone is breeding not great quality, but doesn't neccessarily know that. They haven't done the research to know what they should be breeding for. They often just breed "to have a little foal" rather than producing something that will better the breed.

Ignorance is most of the problem.

I see so many who have less than average quality horses (I guess I'd call them "fuglies"), some of which aren't even registered, and then they breed the heck out of them and get 10+ foals a year. breeding pets, and lots of them. There's nothing wrong with having a pet quality horse, but breeding them "to have a little foal" or worse, to sell the foal and get some extra cash, is what bothers me. What really gets at me is that these people claim to know what they are doing, claim their horses are conformationally perfect.

Ways to find a backyard breeder:

Their "stallion" is hardly pet quality

They have pintos and don't know what LWO is

Don't have papers on a single horse, yet breed them all

Breed for color, regardless of how badly conformed the animal was...

I could go on forever....

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Thanks Liz, you took the words right outta my mouth! OH!

 

[Relic]

Wow you guys sure know how to put down backyard breeders...what some of you call backyarders for me means a producer. A producer knows or cares little but likes to come across like they know more then others because the producers bottom line is exactly that the money..like used car salesmen...JMFO

 

[Shortpig]

OMG! I am a backyard breeder. They live in my back yard. Get rich from them not unless they get their fat little butts out and get jobs. I have asked them several times. They could go mow lawns. They could gently and carefully clean unwanted weeds from flower beds. They could easily eradicate dandelions from the neighborhood. But will they "NOOO" they prefer to stand and stare at me thru my dining room window begging for more treats. Looking as pathetic as possible. Sell the foals. I laugh! the last two

are out their begging for treats with the rest. I would sell but who wants a spoiled rotten little brat that

doesn't want to work. Has no work ethic. They prefer to have me support them. Oh! don't get me wrong

I love them. But to sell them they have to go to the most perfect of home. Duckie wouldn't know what to

do if she couldn't stand and stare at Shorty (pot bellied pig) and make him squeal that she is looking at him.

Get the pun there! Ariel spends her days trying one more time to figure out how to get the snap out of the lock and the chain undone from the gate. I'm sure the day will come when I have to weld that dang gate

shut just to keep her in. Let her figure that one out. Oh and by the way thats the horses. I won't even

get into the dogs theres a worthless group of mutts who have no concept as to what the word work really

means. Okay getting down off my soapbox now! Just thought I would add my fifty cents worth. Inflation and all.

 

[misfitminis]

Yikes! This can be a touchy subject.

My opinion:

I've seen a few backyard breeders. From me this means about 20 minis in a small paddock -mares, stallions, whatever together to "see what will happen". Nobody knows when the mares were bred or who bred them. It is more or less like a used car lot. In my book they are "rescue producers". It is sick. This time of year they are looking to clear out their horses and sell them for cheap. They usually have ads up year round for suckers. They don't care who they sell what to. Their homes are usually extremely run down and barns and paddocks dangerous. I have a long list of the ones I have seen. This really bothers me. There really isn't anything that can be done with these people until they present with something reportable.

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

To me someone who breeds JUST for the money without care for quality or individual quality of life would be more like a "puppy mill" breeder - let's just call 'em "mill breeders"! Then there are the "hoarders" - who breed and collect, collect and breed... again without care for quality or quality of life.

Again to me, a "backyard breeder" is someone who just breeds whatever they happen to have around as pets - regardless of registration, quality, etc. They may be ignorant enough that their horses aren't as well cared for as they could be, but generally they do care ABOUT their pets.

Kinda like an ex neighbor of mine who said she was buying two golden retriever puppies from a friend and keeping the male whole "so we can make some money off him", since he and his full sister came with registration papers. I asked her when she ws going to start showing him or working him in trials - she'd never heard of such a thing. I told her about getting health checks and OFA certifications for hip, elbows, patellas, etc. Again, all this was news to her. Then I launched into inbreeding!

These were people who let their female mixed breed stand in the middle of the street and bark all night every time she was in heat. They were amazed that I told them she was pregnant BEFORE her 3rd litter of puppies! They had finally gotten her fixed after that, but then thinking if they got a "stud dog" and his sister that they'd make money. Argh. They did end up getting one male puppy from the litter, and had him fixed. So they were and would have been backyard breeders, IMHO - but were willing to be educated and aware that they didn't need to go into breeding.

Then there are "Responsible breeders" - those who work to educate themselves... breed to better the breed as well as their own horses, and do it all with care for the individual quality of life not ONLY for their animals but also for themselves... breeders who can keep every foal that they produce until the proper home comes along - no "must sell to buy hay" or worse... "must sell to make room for new foals"! (I'm not talking about people who hit bad times or bad health and need to sell - just the folks who have "dispersals" 2 or 3 times a year!)

 

[ChrystalPaths]

ShortPig, we don't hear from you often enough BUT when you come along you are great! Gotta clean the red wine off my screen now! I hate that term too, mine live in the front yard..hmmmmmm.

 

[Equuisize]

I have my 'backyard breeder' story'

Some 30 years ago, we were raising kids and showing Arabs....locally.

At that time geldings were the BOMB..only 'qualified breeders'

were pumping out babies and you bought stallion quality

colts to develop your dream performance horse. You always

hoped you could get a 'good' one for a price you could actually afford

and not sacrifice your kids college education funds for him. You couldn't

have given me a mare.

We had an aquaintance. She was renting some property with a big barn.

She started aquiring mares, of decent? quality. Then she was

given a stallion, not so decent but she thought he was the greatest thing

since marshmellows. She was now a stallion owner!! It was suggested by

a number of folks she get him evaluated before using him for breeding...

She made an appointment, borrowed my horse trailer to take this fellow for

evaluation.....to a breeder that most anyone in Arabs would recognize his name.

I was really excited to hear what he'd had to say when she returned from her road

trip, with my trailer.....

What'd she say..??? "I don't care what he said.......I'm going to breed 4H horses!"

And along with a lot of others doing the same, about that time.....there went the hayday

of the Arab industry...... Really sad......

Seems to me, about that time, a lot of backyard breeding was going on...not just horses

but dogs, cats - any species that became popular fell prey to it.....wages were good for

the time, people paid BIG bucks for an animal and some just felt they HAD to re coup

the purchase price of the animal....to the detriment of the breed.....

That's what I consider backyard breeding.....even if you've 50 acres...

 

[Reijel's Mom]

As has been said, BYB of course doesn't really have to do with your backyard - lots of BYB's raise litters of animals INSIDE their houses.

2 examples of people I know that I consider to be BYB's (and yes I'm talking about dogs in these examples but you can substitute any critter in there):

Person #1: Raise a litter of mixed breed pups each year and sell them at the local market with no care as to who they sell them to so long as the money changes hands. And if one of your breeding pair gets sick, and there is a need for medical care - the person, even though they claim they "love" their animals - can't or won't afford it. Never mind that those dogs have been making them a tidy little profit each year.

Person #2: Raises English Bulldogs. Believes that having AKC registered dogs means that they are high quality and should be bred. Loves her bulldogs, treats them very well. Has "rescued" a couple of bulldogs from bad situations, and breeds these dogs, too, even though she knows nothing about their background. Had a puppy with a lot of problems in a recent litter. I asked if she had talked with the vets to find out if the defects were genetic, and she assured me that no, they hadn't, but it was ok because they wouldn't breed that one. I explained that I understood that, but wondered if the parents genetics had caused the "defective" pup. Answer "oh, no, that couldn't be, because all of the other puppies were normal".

 

[Shari]

They really need to rename that term. Most of us breed our animals... in our backyards.

How about "Uniformed Breeders" or "Not so smart breeders" or "there is no such thing as a poorly breed horse breeders"?

Sure someone else could come up with a catchy frase.

OMG Marie that is too funny!!!

 

[Miniv]

"Backyard Breeder" is obviously a poor choice of words.........BUT........I have only scanned some responses.

So, my thought on the phrase has probably been mentioned already.......

For me, it's when someone gets a miniature filly or a mare (or a COLT for that matter!) without really learning about the "breed"........and then jumping in and saying, "Oh! Wouldn't it be neat to have a baaabbbbeeee"!"

This is with no thought to conformation of the dam or sire, no thought to registration, bloodlines, nothing.

And THEN, they have a pregnant mare, and start worrying about stuff..........And THEN, they start asking about problems with pregnancies, foaling out, what to do with the registry, etc.....etc....

Sorry, if I stepped on anyone's toes......BUT.......That's what I call a "backyard breeder".

I WILL say that I have seen people like I've described above realize that there is a lot more to foaling and breeding minis, than having a litter of barn kitties.........and they are willing to LEARN. Kuddos to them! But some don't learn and just continue..........(Shame!)

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I'm tired and I don't feel like being diplomatic.

MA

 

[Danielle_E.]

To me the term "backyard-breeder" means someone who (all of these would apply as a whole together)

1) gives the absolute minimal care to their animals (usually quite thin horses -long hooves are the norm, minimum feed, no worming program, no yearly vaccinations, etc)

2) breeds every mare they have every year no matter what

3) Breeds horses with major comformational issues

4) has more horses than they can afford or give time to

5) doesn't give any additional care to the mares when in foal (no added grain, vitamines, etc)

6) expects mares to foal outside unattended births

7) horses live in very unsanitary conditions

8) sells their foals for very little money and when they can't sell them routinely takes them to low end auctions.

BACK-YARD BREEDER to me means "puppy mill" type breeding.

 

[Marty]

What do you consider, a backyard breeder?

Mostly every guy in my neighborhood

 

[Jill]

Being very easily amused, this morning I'm giggling thinking "Well, DunIT's done it in my back yard, so............................."

 

[Miniequine]

I'm a backyard breeder. We all have to start somewhere.

I have mentors and do ask lots of questions, attend shows,

always have a critical eye when looking at my horses.

Jill got me laughing... funny *newbie* story.....

Early one morning... IT's time to breed Little John to

the mare I picked for him. Hand breeding, I thought would be the best, safest..

I have the mare tied, bring Little John in..

Just then, my tiny, little puppy runs into the paddock.

I freak, Little John is dancing all over, the mare is not so patiently waiting..

I'm trying to catch the puppy and hold Little John, who seems ready but he hasn't

got his 'tools' ready... I trip over the puppy and FALL DOWN! Then, a tooth comes

flying out of Little John's mouth!! OMG....

I took Little John back to his paddock, put the mare away, put my puppy safely back

and went to work, trying to forget that ridiculus scene! hahaha

Yep,, I think I'm a backyard breeder.....

~Sandy

 

[K Sera]

Sandy ... I'm glad I didn't have my coffee in my hand after reading that! I pictured the whole thing happening as I read it! At the time, I know it wasn't funny, but one of those things we can look back on and LAUGH! Thanks for sharing! It has made me think back to an event that happened to me as I layed on the ground with weanlings running around me! OH!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

FHOTD just put up a description of a BYB that I think is very telling.

I can't remember the exact wording but the basis is this

Good Breeders attempt to improve the breed.

Whilst "fugly" foals can happen to anyone, if you are not breeding with the improvement of the breed as your purpose then you are essentially and irrespective of where your establishment is placed, a "BYB"

 

[runamuk]

Backyard breeder, puppymill, horsemilll, etc....all are terms used to further animal rights agenda's.

Sadly these terms have become common language to describe "anyone who doesn't breed the way I think it should be done"

OH!

I prefer responsible vs irresponsible...............

Responsible breeders care about pedigrees, performance/show records, homes the animals are placed in, offer guarantees and return clauses, and consider breed improvement.

Irresponsible breeders breed because they can, often do not care where the animal goes so long as it is paid for, and rarely offer guarantees or return clauses.

A responsible breeder can breed minimally or alot, they may make money or it may be a hobby.

The irresponsible breeder puts dollars ahead of the animals whether they breed minimally or in abundance.

This is just my opinion

 

[CritterCountry]

I kind of became the way I am, because my first mare was pregnant when I got her. I did not choose to have her bred and was not looking for a pregnant mini per sey. When she had her foal I was hooked. I read everything I could get on foaling, even though I have read lots of stuff on it before. I had never attended a live foaling before, only watched hundreds on webcams. And I am constantly trying to better my girl's physical and emotional health. I think most people on this forum are not backyard breeders or they wouldn't be here seeking advice. Most backyard breeders I guess would be not inclined to care.

Both my minis have both come from so-called backyard breeders. Their conformation is not horrible, but neither were registered and were not handled at all. Just thrown in a field to breed endlessly with the stallions. My first mare's owner was so clueless that when I asked when she was due, and how I would know it was time, he said "Usually I look out the window and there is a foal there." Both of my mares were virtually wild when I got them. Both were bred at two years of age because no one bothered to separate them from the herd. That is what I think most people think of when they use the term.