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Why are YOU breeding?

23K views 261 replies 48 participants last post by  kitten_Val 
#1 ·
I'm sure this has already been addressed but i want to know WHY you keep breeding pointless horses?

Now please, don't get me wrong. If your mare or stud has amazing lines, temperament, skills, confirmation, yadda yadda , please go ahead breed your horses and give the world back a nice quality breed of horse. no more saddlebred thoroughbred crosses or miniature ponies with with donkies. please, give us something useful! (btw nothing against those breeds and i dont even know of any miniature / donkey crosses hahahaha)

But seriously, if you want the pleasure of having a young project, go to horsetrader.com go to horseclicks.com go to dreamhorse.com and look for young horses, i've found a free 2 year old TB not broke yet and just halter broke. you want a project? go find one. dont go breeding pointless horses for one.

If you want to work with babies cause theyre just so damn cute? Go work at a breeding farm.

If you want a horse that YOU trained that YOU worked with and that YOU "created" go work at a farm like i am. plenty of yearlings and young horses to be broke. Yea you didnt "create it" but you will be making it who its going to become.

If you want to breed your horse to get a "mini my horse" thats bullpoop. Odds are it will be nothing like your horse. it wont look like her/him and it wont act like her/him. horses are like humans. sure they'll get some traits of its parents, but it wont BE its parents....


I know i'm going to be jumped on for this post but you know what? im ranting. so RWA! come and get me guys. hahah this is my personal opinion and every one is allowed to have their own opinion and feelings on any subject. these are my feelings and my thoughts.

just remember if youre going to breed i hope you know what your doing so your mare, foal, stud doesnt suffer the consequences of your stupidity.
thanks. that is all. :D
 
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#4 ·
Maybe this thread could have been a discussion or sharing of opinions should you not have written it so harshly. Just think, you're really drilling YOUR opinion into others heads with this. Which is just as bad as the people who defend senseless breeding. This post wasn't necessary.
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#5 ·
Maybe this thread could have been a discussion or sharing of opinions should you not have written it so harshly. Just think, you're really drilling YOUR opinion into others heads with this. Which is just as bad as the people who defend senseless breeding. This post wasn't necessary.
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then you if it wasn't necessary neither was your post on it just now.

your right, i am boldy stating my opinion and sure, i am pushing it.

and i didn't mean it to be harsh i'm just being blunt and honest and typing my thoughts without sugar coating them. if that means its offended somepeople i am sorry. Like i said every one is entitled to their opinions and their thoughts. those were mine.
 
#6 ·
HannahFaith. I really do understand your reasons for posting as you did. There is obviously a whole lot more indisciminate and irresponsible breeding, than the horse world needs in this climate. However, you also need to know a few things about horses.

It is confOrmation and not confirmation. Look it up on google to understand the difference.

Secondly, Miniature Horses are not ponies. They are small horses.

Lizzie
 
#8 ·
Seeing as you have appointed yourself judge, jury, and executioner, what are your qualifications to determine what is suitable to breed and what is not? Your profile states 15 years riding experience - which means nothing as far as breeding is concerned. You evidently worked at a TB barn for 5 years - again nothing to do with breeding, unless of course you helped with LC and births, which doesn't have anything to do with the science of breeding. Are you a breeder? Former breeder? A degree in A & P? I figure you must have some credentials to make such strong blanket statements...just curious what they are...
 
#9 ·
HannahFaith, I think that FeatheredFeet was trying to help you by pointing those things out, I don't think she was trying to be rude and she certainly didn't warrant such a snippy response.
As to your original post, you are just begging for a fight. If you want to start a thread to discuss peoples reasons for breeding starting it out how you did is not the way to go about it.
 
#11 ·
all i can see, is people jumping on me for stating my opinions and yet, i really havent gotten any answers to my question.

why do people breed? i understand that yes, there could be accidents and their mares some how get pregnant or their stud gets loose and goes to their mare. cool that was an accident, thanks for taking responsibility for it... but why go out of your way to breed when there are perfectly good horses out there, pretty much for free....
 
#12 ·
and yes, i agree i should have worded it differently i forgot that some people don't appreciate bluntness. I'm sorry for offending every one that i did. i really do want to know though... its like.. backyard puppy breeders... theyre usually messed up puppies with tons of health issues... sure you get a few good ones here and there but i just dont understand WHY people feel the need to do so.
 
#13 ·
After removing bunch of "popcorn" posts, just a friendly reminder to stay civil AND on topic. If you have something to say on this subject - please, do so (whether you agree or disagree).
 
#14 ·
You won't get an answer to the question because nobody breeds their horse thinking that it's going to be a pointless horse that will go to slaughter/auction.
Nobody is going to come to this thread and say:
"I breed pointless horses because yadda yadda yadda."
If you want an answer, ask the question better.
 
#18 ·
If your mare or stud has amazing lines, temperament, skills, confirmation, yadda yadda , please go ahead breed your horses and give the world back a nice quality breed of horse. no more saddlebred thoroughbred crosses or miniature ponies with with donkies.
I do remember someone posting her grown baby on this forum (don't remember who was that though). The mare was grade, BUT with nice confo and disposition. The owner found a stud to compliment the mare. The outcome (bred for eventing and with the full intention of the owner to keep her) while being grade was absolutely lovely looking horse. So it's not so much about lines or show record, but about the owner being 1) responsible and 2) doing his/her homework and knowing what he/she is doing when it comes to breeding. With that being said it was more of an exception from what I could see.
 
#23 ·
I do remember someone posting her grown baby on this forum (don't remember who was that though). The mare was grade, BUT with nice confo and disposition. The owner found a stud to compliment the mare. The outcome (bred for eventing and with the full intention of the owner to keep her) while being grade was absolutely lovely looking horse. So it's not so much about lines or show record, but about the owner being 1) responsible and 2) doing his/her homework and knowing what he/she is doing when it comes to breeding. With that being said it was more of an exception from what I could see.

See, i'm not saying your horse has to have perfect lines, i guess what i meant by that is well tempered parents, and if you know grandparents. I dont have a probly with mutt horses, i've loved many mutt horses. But dont breed mutt horses with bad confo, its just going to continue the vicious cycle of "bum" horses...
If you want to breed, go for it. but like you said " 1) responsible and 2) doing his/her homework and knowing what he/she is doing when it comes to breeding." not these people that breed and then they start to ask questions. Im not pointing out just on here, but just people i've met or seen at barns through out my time in barns.
 
#19 ·
I breed for one basic reason. I can not buy a prospect for the same price I can breed for.

I agree that breeding just to bred is a bad idea. I also think that people really need to think what they are doing and do all the research and make sure that what they are breeding is something that is better or at the very least as good as anything they can go out and buy for the same price or less most of the time. However there has always been and will always be a good market for well bred well conformed horses. Stopping breeding just to stop is a bad idea. The key is breeding quality not quantity.
 
#21 ·
I don't believe in indiscriminately breeding horse whether they are grade or papered. I feel only proven horses that have shown they are exceptional at their discipline and have excellent conformation should be bred.
However, if everyone who bred held to those standards then none of my horses would have been born. That being said, obviously there is a market(although not a large one) for not so great mutt horses with less than flawless conformation since I own 2 and my sister has 4 .
 
#22 · (Edited)
IMO, like i said in another thread, a person needs to do their research before breeding a horse, whether grade or not. mutts can do just as well, if not better, than purebreds. i understand the prejudice against grade horses, i simply don't completely agree with it.

anyway, if a person looks down both roads and sees if there are any horses for sale that are up to their criteria (a horse that is probably young/can be trained for what they want/the breed they want) and comes up with nothing, i don't see why they shouldn't breed their horse. again, conformation and such are important so they throw a good horse and not one that can't do anything other than bum around a farm. if all of that is true, then i see that it's fine, whether the horse being bred is grade or if the foal will be a mutt (grade or registered).

it's all up to being responsible, which doesn't always happen (in a lot of cases it doesn't), but i believe the only way to prevent irresponsible breeding is to EDUCATE those thinking about breeding. Tell them what's involved, show them the FACTS of breeding their horse and give them all the tools that they need to breed their horse. Be honest and show them exactly WHY the horse they have might not be good for breeding and tell them about ALL of their options, including going through the market to find a horse that's close to what they're looking for. i agree being blunt is sometimes necessary, but to be so blunt and in their face right away will do nothing but turn potential breeders off, make them shy away from doing research or asking questions and possibly breed irresponsibly.

if a person does not listen to reason and refuses to see the facts about breeding, that is the time to be blunt. otherwise, try to be a guiding hand and show them to all the information they need. if we do that we can prevent unnecessary breeding, lead the person to buying a new horse, or allow them to breed a good horse safely. it may not stop pointless breeding of horses, but we can at least do something more than tell all of those thinking of breeding their horses that they're wrong. //rant over.
 
#25 ·
i agree with you. I suppose i should take lessons from every one on this thread and spent more time on wording my "speech" better. I forget that people are not all like me and hate when people wont speak their mind or opinions or beat around the bush.

*sigh* time to take a speech class so i can rant without royal ******* people off.
 
#26 ·
i'm not going to go into this anymore than what i'm saying next, because i don't want to end up in a fight of some sort.

my comments were not directed at you specifically. both sides, some people commenting about you, some you commenting on others have been hostile at the worst and antagonizing at the best. i was more responding to the question you posed. i was not trying to attack you or give you a lesson in the way you voice your opinions. on the other side, by you being so offended (if you are not offended, please tell me! i'm not trying to say you are, it's just what i'm perceiving from your response) by my post it's sort of telling me not to voice my opinion as well.

it's wonderful that you agree with me, and i'm sorry if i've caused any offense or interpreted what you've posted wrongly. i'm simply trying to resolve this in the best way i know how. people have different ways of approaching things, and i appreciate that, i'm simply trying to bring another view into the discussion.

:]
 
#27 ·
see, this is why i hate the internet... tones can not be heard or understood properly. . I am honestly in no way offended i genuinely respect what you just said in the previous post. and i'm realizing that i really should have worded my rant differently as it did seem to start fights. but the way i was raised, and the way i live is im blunt. im honest, and i tell it how it is. i forget sometimes that people can see that as rude or such. The way you worded what you said was brilliant.

Its not that i have a problem with breeding, or mutts at all. I just hate when people have no idea what breeding requires or what comes with it. people think "get the mare pregnant baby pops out later! woo!" they dont think of all of the stuff that goes with breeding or the work that follows.

As for mutts? I love them. if they are sound. if they have good conformation. not even that, if they are sound horses that can do what that person wants, cool. I worked for about 3 years (when i first started riding) with an OTTB with a broken knee and all he could do was walk trot canter. not even poles cause his leg wasn't healed properly due to lack of proper care. but i dont understand why people breed horses with problems, with a stud, to get a horse like their horse, but with no problems... its silly... idk... to each their own . and i just bit myself in the *** by posting this thread.
 
#28 ·
I bred my mare because I don't want to buy someone else's train wreck! She's an exceptional horse and I want her to be able to pass her genes on. When the foal hits the ground I KNOW how it is handled and raised. It won't know anything other than being a well behaved horse. The stallion I chose compliments my mare very well also.
 
#29 ·
Its ok Hanna, but like I said at the very beginning, its a train wreck. So many people out there are breeding for so many reasons. Whether its a good reason or not so good. But not one person here can control that with a rant. You will piss people off.

No one here can judge another for the reasons they have to breed. We don't know each other and can't stop someone from breeding their "heart horse" because they want a "piece" of that horse to live on. We all know there is no guarantees. Genes can hide many faults even when its a proven horse.

So my opinion is do what you think is right. But remember the consequences of your actions can result in a bad breeding. Its your own fault if the foal comes out completely wrong. And remember how many good animals out there really need a home. For all the expense put into breeding, you can probably use your money wiser on a foal or horse that is exactly what you've been looking for all along.
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#32 ·
Its ok Hanna, but like I said at the very beginning, its a train wreck. So many people out there are breeding for so many reasons. Whether its a good reason or not so good. But not one person here can control that with a rant. You will piss people off.

No one here can judge another for the reasons they have to breed. We don't know each other and can't stop someone from breeding their "heart horse" because they want a "piece" of that horse to live on. We all know there is no guarantees. Genes can hide many faults even when its a proven horse.

So my opinion is do what you think is right. But remember the consequences of your actions can result in a bad breeding. Its your own fault if the foal comes out completely wrong. And remember how many good animals out there really need a home. For all the expense put into breeding, you can probably use your money wiser on a foal or horse that is exactly what you've been looking for all along.
Posted via Mobile Device
Its Hannah, same forwards and backwards. like in my name.

I'm not trying to control anything, im not trying to change any one with my rant. and i completely agree with you

"So my opinion is do what you think is right. But remember the consequences of your actions can result in a bad breeding. Its your own fault if the foal comes out completely wrong. And remember how many good animals out there really need a home. For all the expense put into breeding, you can probably use your money wiser on a foal or horse that is exactly what you've been looking for all along."

good thing we're on the same page.
 
#30 ·
How many threads are there on this topic? I mean seriously you open the breeding section and theres 10 why breed...dont breed you have to weed thru this "junk mail" to get to postings from good breeders.
 
#31 ·
I think that is likely the nature of the beast. Everyone has an opinion and is an "expert", including those that have never bred, and novices that have bred a handful of foals. The water cooler draws all types.

But in a free exchange, everyone has the same right to express their opinion, regardless of how informed or uninformed that opinion may be. The difficulty in this venue is to try and figure out who is informed and knows what they are talking about and who is clueless but expressing their opinion anyway.

I sort of look at it this way...there are a lot of people out there that are NOT participating in horse forums that are breeding horses blindly. Even though there may be only a handful of experienced and responsible breeder responses buried in all that "junk mail" you refer to, that is still better than nothing, and the hope is that the baseline of breeding knowledge will gradually increase - in spite of the "junk mail", and we will all be better off for it...
 
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#33 ·
My Grandparents breed horses, and have for years. All papered, good quality stock.

They breed as I think they thoroughly enjoyed the aspect of raising them. Not to mention that then they are handled how they want them. Some were sold as yearlings, but others were kept and went on to race. Currently in their barn is a pair of half sisters, who are 12 and 11 (ish) who they bred, raised and raced, all them selves. I think to them, it gives them a sense of accomplishment. Of course, even with the years and years of experience they have, some of the horses haven't made it as good racing stock, but they go on to be buggy horses.
 
#35 ·
Just because I didn't want to read every single person respond to this, I'll just state what I think whether its been said or not.

Some people breed just to get a good horse of their own, which is all fine and dandy if they keep it.

I did that once, and ended up selling the colt for almost nothing even though his sire had great lines and his dam was grade because I couldn't handle it. (Have another foal coming but I'm attending Votech and I am in Equine Production, we are starting halter breaking here soon.)

Some people breed quality horses for a living, which is all well and fine if they aren't over running the population.

Then, there are the ones that end up with "accident" foals. Much like I'm dealing with. Though I bought the mare knowing fully well she could be bred, its still considered an accident because the vet didn't see it until it was about 5 months along. (Awesome vet, right?)

There are times when a stallion or mare gets out and hormones fly.

So I guess you can't really critize to many people for "breeding". The backyard breeders that just breed and sell grade horses that have horrible confirmation are the ones that deserve a good talking to.
 
#36 ·
I agree

I don't know like pretty much anything about breeding but I know I wouldn't be one of the people to do it just because I want a cute little foal because there are so many complications and just things that can go wrong during the pregnancy, at birth, or even after and I'm not willing to risk the well-being of any mares or foals if I was to breed. I only see breeding as something that should be done if you have lots of knowledge and know exactly what you're going to do with the foal because it is a lot of work and breeding because you want a cute 'baby' but that's not a good reason for breeding but then again, that's just IMO.
 
#37 ·
I'm sure this has already been addressed but i want to know WHY you keep breeding pointless horses?
The birth of this thread is as pointless as the the birth of the foals you seem so intent are worthless.

With opinions and free exchange comes the responsibility to place those opinions in a way that becomes educational so that each difference of opinion can be respected and not judgmental.
 
#38 ·
The birth of this thread is as pointless as the the birth of the foals you seem so intent are worthless.

With opinions and free exchange comes the responsibility to place those opinions in a way that becomes educational so that each difference of opinion can be respected and not judgmental.
Good statement, Spyder. I believe the OP only created this so she could bash a few breeders.
 
#39 ·
I think this whole forum needs to take a step back and really access the breeding question. People jump on any poster knife in hand who even mentions breeding.
Not everyone wants to open their arms to a trainwreck of a foal someone else bred. Most people want a usable horse. And not everyone wants to pay the high dollars for a foal that's out of champion lines that's already on the ground. I look at weanlings with good barrel breeding, there priced high. Anywhere from 1,000 to even 3,000 or over, and im sure that goes with many disciplines. There's still a market for foals bred for a specific purpose and always will be. People will always be looking for the next great champion prospect.

The back yard breeders will never stop breeding, you can't fix it. You can cry and bash all you want most will never understand why their terribly ugly paint mare shouldn't be bred.

But everyone else shouldn't be punished for their mistakes, we shouldn't have to go buy their ugly nags so they don't end up in the slaughter house. I think if someone wants to breed, does all their research, is finding a stud to compliment their mare, and is breeding for a specific purpose. Not say crossing hhalter qh lines with barrel lines, because both sides will be turned away buy the other. Then let them get their foal, not everyone on the internet is the ignorant idiot everyone just assumes they are. This forum is going downhill fast with all this, people need to stop being so harsh. There's nicer forums out there.

Getting off my soap box now, that is just my 2 cents. Probably get flamed for it too, but oh well.
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#40 · (Edited)
Well said Girl!!

I have answered several "Why don't you adopt other horses" rants and my answer is this:

First- I have taken in rescues, and though I was lucky with my adoptees, I don't expect my luck to hold out..

Second, and MOST importantly- I have invested countless hours in training and untold thousands in money to make my Registered, Purebred Arabians, well trained, well-fed, well taken care of, and well mannered. Every unwanted horse I take in has the potential to:
deplete my resources with unforeseen medical bills..
deplete my resources with unforeseen training bills..
deplete my resources with unforeseen feed bills..
teach my horses dangerous behaviors
expose my horses to unknown communicable diseases
possibly never be socialized
Etc..
WHY... would a person risk their lifelong investment and resources for an unknown, potentially negative situation, instead of breeding what they have complete input and control over?? It makes little sense to take resources away from an existing known in favor of the unknown.
I, and others, are NOT responsible for people who are dumber than a bag of hammers or greedier than a ***** at a banker's convention.. we can NOT rescue everyone else's mistakes..
We can't take in every foal, homeless child, abused puppy, and bedraggled kitten..especially at our, and our horses, expense.
Reality check...
 
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