To breed or not to breed Ebony... that is the question that is driving me crazy...
I'm reading that horse breeding has dropped significantly over the years and that horse breeders are now only breeding the best mares to the best stallions. Why? Because of the economy.
That being said, what is going to happen to our "horse pool" in the next few years? Will we end up with a shortage of horses (doubtful)
So I am faced with the dilema... do I breed Ebony now or wait for another year? Do I breed her to another Thoroughbred or breed her to a Paint and hope for a colorful flashy foal?
Where I live here in Arizona, Thoroughbreds are used mainly for horse racing. I'm not a big fan of horse racing, so I'm not sure I want to go that route. And there doesn't seem to be a shortage of Paint horses here either.
Hmm... what to do... my husband is afraid that if I have a foal, I will want to keep it and since he's not anxious to feed another horse (we are down to a manageable size of 3 horses) he's not encouraging me one way or the other.
And here it is nearly the middle of March already...time is marching on and I still haven't made a decision about this......
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Your recent blog on abandoned horses should answer your own question. :)
I haven't followed your blog so not sure what kind of breeding you do or if this would be your first foal. So forgive me for that. The following is just my thoughts in general about breeding and the overbreeding that is happening right now and has been for some time...
I do know people in the business who breed and start their colts, put time, effort & points on them and have proven, marketable stock. The economy hasn't hurt their business because it is their business to do it right.
I also have friends who breed their not so special mares to their not so special stallions just to have babies. And those babies don't stand a chance against the professional breeders and end up being not so special babies run thru the sale ring as yearlings and unless they are very lucky -- because they certainly aren't special, they are probably heading south.
Those who breed for a living put a lot of time & effort in turning out an excellent product or they wouldn't be in business anymore.
I think my mare is a nice mare -- have a friend with a stud who says they would have gorgeous babies, but why? I have a nice horse I can ride that is young enough to last me many more years. And others in the corral as a back-up. And if I still want more, I could go to any sale and pick up registered stock for under $100 because that is the way it is right now. And that includes about any color of paint horse.
One other thought, ff you want to breed your TB mare to a paint, first find out from the APHA if the foal can be registered APHA. I know they changed some of the requirements over the last few years with regards to both dam and sire being registered APHA horses or in their stud book. I don't recall all the stipulations, so do check.
One other thought, if you are breeding for yourself and want to keep the foal because you are happy with your mare, there is nothing wrong with that, either.
I have four mares and none of them will ever be bred again unless I am looking to keep one of their foals and continue the tradition.
Good luck & I promise, I'll go back and read your blog now! :)
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