Thinkin of breeding

I wanted an opinion on what u think I should breed her to, that is all. if u don't have an opinion on it then don't share.

She does not have great conformation, so finding a stud to "compliment" her and produce a foal that doesn't have her conformation faults is going to be very very hard.

I kno and thats why I'm giving it the time that is needed... I plan to find someone practically the opposite of what she is.. won't be easy, not a garrunteed thing yes but I will take my chances, who knows maybe I'll change my mind by next year. Just wanted to know to know.

But - for breeding, you shouldn't HAVE to find a stud that's the "exact opposite of what she is" because your baby could come out looking mighty ugly. There is NO guarantee that the baby would be an exact mix of the two parents' features, making an incredibly balanced foal.
Ideally you want a nice mare that has one or two minor faults that could possibly be bred out, but you'd be okay with them if they weren't. Your mare has (in my mind) some "fatal flaws" that I would never want to breed in case the foal were to inherit them; one of such flaws is the back at the knee bit. Even if you breed to a stud with straight legs, there is no guarantee that the foal wouldn't end up worse than the mare.



Bottom line:
By saying that you want a stud that's the exact opposite of your mare, you are essentially saying that you realize your mare isn't breeding quality.... I figure this because most people wouldn't plan on breeding their mare to a crap stallion.

i don't believe that if somebody wants to brred THEIR horse for that horse's disposition or anything else and wants it to come out of THEIR horse then theres no such thing as 'breeding quality.' i think what the horse world needs is a few WELL TAKEN CARE OF grade horses that do what you want but don't have to look the prettiest instead of a couple pricey horses that won't listen.

Problem is, the market is already flooded with grade horses, or poorly conformed horses.

NOBODY can say for absolute certainty that they will be able to take care of a horse forever...nobody has the power to say that.

So, having said that, why would you breed a horse that is not breeding quality to start off with, possibly end up with a foal that is not marketable to the greater majority of people, and if you ever have to get rid of said foal, the foal wouldn't have a great chance of having a happy ending?

I'm just saying, when YOU are in the position of deciding whether or not to bring another life into this world, WHY would you NOT step back and really think: am I giving this foal the best chance to survive out there??

Nowadays a horse's chances of survival (yes, LITERAL survival in our world right now - unwanted horses end up dead) are dependent on these factors:
- Good conformation
- A good mind
- Trainability or training

Even though horses have no natural predators so to speak, the weak, untrained, lame, or crazy ones can and do get put down or sent to meat.


Conformation plays a role in a horse's soundness. I don't like a horse that's back at the knee; that fault can cause premature lameness or arthritis. It is a flaw that, in my humble opinion, should be avoided when it comes to breeding.

even worse than "grade horses with average conformation" are horses with seriously flawed conformation that leads to major unsoundess that limits the horse's ability to function, or even worse than that - that becomes so much of a problem it becomes fatal.

bad conformation can lead to life ending unsoundness from navicular to joint and tendon issues, and more.

furthermore, there's no guarantee that temperament will be passed on as well, and it's just a likely that a mare that's got a great mind bred to a great stallion throws a kook....because somewhere in the bloodlines that no one realized there was the genetics for a not-so-great temperament. breeding without full research and understanding of bloodlines is a fatal flaw imo, and breeding a mare that has serious conformation faults is not just a bad decision, it's potentially cruel to bring a horse into the world with major soundness issues.

Agreed. We have PLENTY of 3-4 months babies at the auction in Fall. And at least you know how what you are getting looks like.

You want a horse for its personality? Go to petfinder.com and scan through their thousands upon thousands of horses that have been abandoned, abused, and neglected and find one of their personalities you like. No need to merely attempt to create your own.

Well, I am going to buck the tide and say I don't find this mare objectionable. Taken in degrees, she is not THAT downhill. Legs too short for her body? Heck she has primarily Working/Foundation QH bloodlines-- Google up photos of her ancestry and you will see she is built like a whole pile of her prominent ancestors--and many, many of these these somewhat short legged/rectangular-framed, slightly downhill, thickly made horses lived long sound lives and were known for their good dispositions--and they undeniably helped build the QH breed into what it is known for.

That said-- these are not necessarily MY kind of horses-- I like taller, leaner, smoother more "modern" looking stock horses with more TB influence myself-- Heck my favorite part of her pedigree is Eternal Sun, who I would consider "modern" for his day, LOL. However I respect the role these horses play in equine-dom, and I think it is just fine for breeders and owners to love them, use them, and thoughtfully breed more of them.

I would NOT go for a totally opposite stallion for her, but breed more "like to like", to avoid getting a franken-horse. I would look for a Foundation/working type AQHA stallion with some solid accomplishments (likely to be in reining, cutting, roping, and ranch horse disciplines, based on the talent and and conformation that comes with these lines), a more level topline and shorter back than your mare, and good solid correct legs and feet. I would test for HERDA if the stallion also has Poco Bueno bloodlines, to be sure you are not breeding carrier to carrier.

Here's a few examples of what might work--
Quarter Horse Stallion - Foundation Bred - Bay Badger Tivio - Cutting Roping Working Cowhorse Reining
AQHA Buckskin Stallion... Five A Jacks
Tex O Lena Chex - Black Foundation Quarter Horse NRHA Reining Champion Stallion- Krebs Quarter Horses - Scott City Kansas
https://www.quarterhorsestallions.co...lad_im_dun.htm
Overlook Farm Quarter Horses stallion Rock Back Jack (more Eternal Sun breeding! Woot!)

Have fun, and let us know if you DO get a foal from her-- it could certainly be a neat little all-arounder, in the tradition of its ancestry.