Thank you Kerole! Many good pieces of advice there! Have you found particular disciplines that are more likely to purchase horses as foals / yearlings? Curious…
[QUOTE=EarwenES;7503266]
Thanks a lot Anne and Rosebud, and good luck to you too Zuri! I realized that I made little to no money on my Ironman colt, but I truly take blame on that, I kept him till he was very nearly four waiting for a miracle with my back and then came to the stark realization that I had a horse that was two weeks from being four and wasn’t started, so I was way more negotiable on price with more invested in him than if I sold him as a youngster. Luckily he is making incredible progress with a fabulous owner and she is kind enough to keep in touch and post updates to FB… I realized it is pretty cool to see a fab horse and know I bred him… But at the same time I am unable to work in my profession and can’t go into something to lose money in the long run either…[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately… you don’t always get to sell then until they are this age :-(… Especially as a newbie you have to get some horses out there to get your name out there before people start looking for your foals. Thats what I am working on now, the networking part of things 
As someone who had to quit riding due to severe back pain (SI joint), I understand how you feel.
I am new-ish at breeding. Yes it is important to breed for what the market wants BUT chrome is a fad, color is a fad…good bloodlines and athleticism are never a fad, they are always ‘in’. It’s important to understand you may get stuck w/ foals until they are undersaddle so you must like what you breed, not breed what someone else likes.
I would much prefer to breed what I feel is a good cross and be stuck w/ it until it proves itself undersaddle than breed for the current fad and 11 months later…the market has moved on.
[QUOTE=Dutch;7503534]
Start with the best mare you can possibly afford, with a proven performance record in her pedigree, and marketable bloodlines for your discipline of choice.
If it is an older mare, make sure she is still breeding sound and doesn’t have a history of pregnancy complications. Good luck! I only produce 2-3 foals per year, and it is still a full time job for me.[/QUOTE]
Agree 100%… Start with the best you can get and do your homework. Perhaps start with mares of breeding age (3) or buy a top bred filly at birth. The opportunity is out there, you just have to look.
Best wishes!
[QUOTE=HyperionStudLLC;7504488]
Agree 100%… Start with the best you can get and do your homework. Perhaps start with mares of breeding age (3) or buy a top bred filly at birth. The opportunity is out there, you just have to look.
Best wishes![/QUOTE]
I would not start w/a young filly. They are usually the most expensive if they come from a good dam and they are unproven as breeders.
Better to find a mature mare who always out produces herself. Better if it’s been with different stallions and she has mature get who have proven themselves in sport or in the breeding shed…often if the breeder has some daughters o/o her they are willing to sell the dam, especially if it’s a “forever” home.
Ideally a top broodie should produce better than herself.
[QUOTE=Blume Farm;7503270]
One thing to consider is training costs of the offspring. Are you able to handle foals/ weanlings/yearlings or does your injury prevent that as well? If you can’t make sure you have really good farm/ barn help that is consistently reliable.
If you end up not selling offspring until they are at age to get saddle broke do you have access to a good young horse trainer in the discipline you are breeding? For example, where I am I have access to some fantastic young horse trainers. However, if I lived in North Dakota the story would be quite different.
Are you in an area that is easy to sell foals/ horses? Again, if you live in a very isolated area you may have to send your horses off the get broke and sold.
All things to consider![/QUOTE]
Having raised a foal, I can attest that handling/halter breaking etc. can be physically demanding. Young foals can leap like gazelles. If your spinal injury prevents you from riding, I would honestly assess your ability to physically handle a young horse who may test your authority.
[QUOTE=Kyzteke;7504514]
I would not start w/a young filly. They are usually the most expensive if they come from a good dam and they are unproven as breeders.
Better to find a mature mare who always out produces herself. Better if it’s been with different stallions and she has mature get who have proven themselves in sport or in the breeding shed…often if the breeder has some daughters o/o her they are willing to sell the dam, especially if it’s a “forever” home.
Ideally a top broodie should produce better than herself.[/QUOTE]
You would not start with a young top bred filly ? I think you are in the minority.
Hyperion’s advice is sound. Top bred fillies are very difficult to get both here and in Europe.
[QUOTE=Bayhawk;7504661]
You would not start with a young top bred filly ? I think you are in the minority.
Hyperion’s advice is sound. Top bred fillies are very difficult to get both here and in Europe.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think Kyzteke is saying it is not a good idea to start with a high quality filly; rather that it can be more cost-effective to buy an older, proven broodmare. Also, while the filly’s pedigree and damline can be a good predictor of what she will eventually produce, when you are just starting out as a breeder it is probably a safer bet to buy a mare who already has offspring on the ground so the “new” breeder can have a better sense of what the mare passes on.
I would suggest that buying a top bred filly is better left to those with more experience with the particular pedigree, damline and breeding in general.
My two cents is that when you’re looking at mares, think about choosing one(s) that fit with what you enjoy having in the barn. Day in and day out you are around them and handling them. My first mare luckily happened to be a very sweet mare with good manners who loves to be groomed. I do that almost every day just for my own pleasure. Then I got a mare who ran from the halter, kicked the stall, and was generally a pain. Thankfully she was on pre-purchase agreement and I could return her. Lesson learned, and my next two mares I really spent time looking for the right-for-me mix of barn manners, pedigree & performance record. And make sure to have a purchase contingent on the breeding soundness exam - the first two I tried failed that, and it would have been heartbreak to have an aborted foal (and the cost of purchase, breeding costs, etc.).
I too am in SC and about 2 hrs from Aiken…There isn’t much of a market here for top quality WB foals. I’ve bought all three of mine from outlying states simply because it’s very expensive to raise one on the East Coast. Real estate is so expensive in my area that most of my horse friends will only buy MADE horses because the cost of boarding a youngster is too great. Mine live on my own property and I am also planning to breed when the time comes. I bought the BEST weanlings I could afford, out of proven/marketable bloodlines. Both of my current fillies are showing on the line and building their “show records” so that when the time comes, their foals (if I don’t keep them) should have some market value. However, I’m venturing into the breeding pool strictly for my own personal goals and if I can sell one to offset the costs, thats great. But, I’m planning on not making a dime! I also have a fulltime job that pays for all this pocket-book draining fun!!! But definitely, definitely buy the BEST mares you can and ask a lot of breeders about bloodlines and what they mean. I’ve learned a ton this way!
I would suggest maybe some other type of horse related industry to get into if you need to support yourself financially. I have poured thousands into mine already and they aren’t even at breeding age yet. You really need deep pockets or a very supportive hubby Good luck!
[QUOTE=Tradewind;7504675]
I don’t think Kyzteke is saying it is not a good idea to start with a high quality filly; rather that it can be more cost-effective to buy an older, proven broodmare. Also, while the filly’s pedigree and damline can be a good predictor of what she will eventually produce, when you are just starting out as a breeder it is probably a safer bet to buy a mare who already has offspring on the ground so the “new” breeder can have a better sense of what the mare passes on.
I would suggest that buying a top bred filly is better left to those with more experience with the particular pedigree, damline and breeding in general.[/QUOTE]
Yes, this is exactly what I mean. First of all, buying young means more risk & investment waiting for them to be breeding age.
Secondly, if a mare has already produced, you have some idea of what sort of stallion might be best (or worst) w/her, if she’s fertile and if she’s a good mom.
While pedigree might be some indication, I’ve known far too many horses with sterling pedigrees that couldn’t produce worth a darn.
I mean, Germany alone is littered with horses with sterling pedigrees…yet still some produce “eh”, some produce “ok” and some produce “WOW!”. That is just the way breeding works…
OP, to answer your question re what discipline buys young…
I feel I should have added another point to my sermon (oops, advice!) and that is breed horses that preferably have a second talent up their sleeve.
I breed dressage horses. First and foremost dressage horses for high level. BUT I also have an interest in showing and eventing. Most of the horses I produce are beautiful enough to show at the highest level. I am not a slave to a pretty head or desirable colour but I will not use a mare or stallion with a common or coarse head and clunky, ordinary conformation. It’s simple - pretty horses are easier to sell! Sad but so very true. If I can find the right mare/stallion with a fashionable colour then all the better
I am a real stickler for correct conformation, especially legs and long necks. I have a pet dislike of long backs and flat croups too.
Many of my youngsters have some eventing blood. Should they fail as a high end dressage mount and show horse, then most could be a handy and competitive eventer, show hunter, or even jumper.
In a past life I bred purely for the event market. Gorgeous old NZ TB bloodlines well known for sport, all piled in together. They were pure hell to sell young! Eventer riders loved that they were purpose bred but wanted to see them jump and couldn’t judge their bravery unless ridden. I had my youngsters until they were under saddle. Growing horses takes time and money.
My advice is to sell young wherever possible!
Thank you everyone! I appreciate your thoughts and time!
I got into breeding in a very similar way. I have always worked with horses and the majority were OTTBs, restarting them. Then one day 6 years ago while leaving a horse show, I was hit by a hit and run drunk driver, that totaled the trailer I was pulling with my pony in it. I was devastated, depressed and had to figure out what I was going to do. Doctors told me I need back surgery and I would likely never ride again. It was a very hard decision but I liquidated almost off my horses with the exception of my best TB mare. I decided to breed her while I figured out what my next move was going to be. She aborted full term 
You would think that would have been enough for me to pack up and call it a day but horses are just in my blood. I bred her back and the following year when she foaled I was hooked. I had always worked with difficult horses, retrained OTTBs and while I had some experience with youngsters, there was no feeling like raising one from day one. The filly was everything I wanted from the cross and more but I told myself… “if you don’t sell your first, it wont be a business, I would be come a collector” So I advertised her and sold her in less than a week. I bred the mare back and got a second mare. The following year both of the foals sold within weeks of their birth.
My program has gone in a different direction, one in which I love. Yes we bred several mares of our own a year, we also have several clients who have mares with us to be bred, foaled out and market their offspring.
The other big change is the development of our Weanling Kindergarten Program. We offer a service in which we raise weanlings to 3-4 year olds for our clients. Most who do not have the room or the time to develop their young horse. For the ones who want to campaign their babies on the line, we work with several other farms who that is their specialty and refer them there.
My husband also works full time but the farm is my full time job. Not just breeding but with raising the youngsters here.
I think it is best to sell them as foals, as early as possible. If you are breeding several a year than keep the nicest one to develop under saddle and sell the rest. Then in a few years you will always have on really nice 3-4 year old that you can focus on developing.
It helps is you can do the training yourself or have someone in house that is capable.
Having the ability to market them is one of the most essential parts in really making it “profitable”.
I would be happy to chat further with you about my experiences transitioning into a breeding farm.
While I would never say I was happy to be injured by a DD, it has led me down a path to do something I love more than I could have ever dreamed possible!
Good luck 
[QUOTE=eaconlee;7504928]
My two cents is that when you’re looking at mares, think about choosing one(s) that fit with what you enjoy having in the barn. Day in and day out you are around them and handling them. My first mare luckily happened to be a very sweet mare with good manners who loves to be groomed. I do that almost every day just for my own pleasure. Then I got a mare who ran from the halter, kicked the stall, and was generally a pain. Thankfully she was on pre-purchase agreement and I could return her. Lesson learned, and my next two mares I really spent time looking for the right-for-me mix of barn manners, pedigree & performance record. And make sure to have a purchase contingent on the breeding soundness exam - the first two I tried failed that, and it would have been heartbreak to have an aborted foal (and the cost of purchase, breeding costs, etc.).[/QUOTE]
THIS IS SO TRUE! Ive had broodmares that albeit they were great mares… they were just horrible to handle and it drove me nuts…
