Connemara/warmblood cross - suggestions please!

[vali]

I have two mares that I could possibly breed for next season. One is a 6 year old Pik L mare that is in foal with a Devon Heir foal and is due later in May. She’s a lovely mover, compact build (16 h), and looks very much like her sire Pik L (dam trakehner, Hailo). She toes in slightly but otherwise is very well put together. She conceived first try with cooled fresh, and our vet’s preference is to work with fresh. Provided this baby is nice, we’ve thought of breeding her to Escudo II or Rubignon, although other suggestions are welcome. We currently have four riders in our family and our own facility.

I also have my primary riding horse, a 15’2 hand 11 year old Connemara/TB mare (sire Skyview’s Orion) that I’ve evented through prelim and schooled intermediate with. I’ve been told by a few Olympic level event trainers that she could easily do advanced, and she has an incredibly huge jump and stride. She is tough as nails and has the best feet I’ve ever seen on a horse, and has been barefoot for most of her career. I am laid up this season from knee surgery, and I have contemplated breeding her to Ardceltic Art, but then it’s occurred to me that it might be simpler to breed our Pik L mare to him and get a Connemara warmblood cross. I would ideally like to get a horse in the 15’1-16’1 hand range and with the Connemara toughness and handiness that my mare has, but maybe slightly less hot. Any thoughts? Should we breed both mares, breed one, and in what configuration?

[mbm]

I have a Con gelding and a WB mare and I keep thinking I would breed my mare to Rory O Sullivan who is Con - and I know there are a few really nice WB x Cons out there.

Its hard to say with Art because his offspring are just now getting under saddle.

You could contact Arts owner and ask her for a list of his offspring that are either x WB or X TBxCon - I am sure that would help you choose?

I have no other helpful info - its so hard to make the choice! I still want to breed my WB to Rory as mentioned above… so I totally think WB x Con is a great cross to consider.

I guess you need to ask yourself: what is your goal? If it is to get a potential eventing baby probably Art x ConxTB would be the way to go…

good luck and I hope you heal easily!

[GAEventer]

I think Art can give you the movement, jump, and height that you’re looking for. His oldest are four this year, and there are a number of three and four year olds for sale. His foals are VERY consistent. If you ‘friend’ him on facebook, there are tons of photos and videos of his offspring. His owner also has a facebook farm page, Hidden Creek Horses. He has foals out of a wide variety of mares. Donna (his owner) owns two geldings out of a Art Deco line mare, both are very nice.

This is the filly I bred by Art and out of a TBxConn mare that evented through Prelim (and was schooling Int before she was injured): http://www.fadetogreyfarm.com/youngstock/2011_youngstock (second row of photos, Brambleridge Celtic Sparrow)

What are your goals for the foals? What discipline?

[GAEventer]

[QUOTE=mbm;6979099]
I have a Con gelding and a WB mare and I keep thinking I would breed my mare to Rory O Sullivan who is Con - and I know there are a few really nice WB x Cons out there.

Its hard to say with Art because his offspring are just now getting under saddle.

You could contact Arts owner and ask her for a list of his offspring that are either x WB or X TBxCon - I am sure that would help you choose?

I have no other helpful info - its so hard to make the choice! I still want to breed my WB to Rory as mentioned above… so I totally think WB x Con is a great cross to consider.

I guess you need to ask yourself: what is your goal? If it is to get a potential eventing baby probably Art x ConxTB would be the way to go…

good luck and I hope you heal easily![/QUOTE]

I do like Rory, but I’m not sure the op would get the height she wants.

[mbm]

oh, no I wasn’t recommending ROry for her - I was saying I want to breed my WB mare to Rory - just an example of another person considering same

[Ibex]

I’m pretty sure Rory is also now a gelding…

No idea if there’s any frozen available from him, but the OP said she preferred Cooled/

[mbm]

Like I said - I wasn’t suggesting Rory for the OP. I am just saying that i am planning a similar cross - WB mare x Connemara (aka Rory)

[goodpony]

I have a three year old purebred by Art (14.3 1/2" at age 3 from a 14.1HH mare) and a Connemara x Warmblood (nearly 16HH at age 6) by Wildwych Eclipse.

I am just now starting the three year old and she is AWESOME—Im floored by how easy she is. She has ALWAYS been easy—very smart, naturally submissive, even tempered and just a real pleasure to live with. She is a late blooming sort however and I don’t really expect her to full up to snuff for another couple of years.

This is her

The Warmblood x gelding was ACPS/USEF Horse of the Year for Eventing at the Lower Levels in 2012 (at age 5). He is currently schooling 3.6" and will go Prelim by the end of this season. He is also VERY competitive in dressage having won the Velona Peoples Perpetual trophy for High Score in 2012. The warmblood brings a lot to the table with respect to added scope and talent–its an excellent cross if done well. For a competitive partner I’d likely go with a warmblood cross.

Dressage

Jumping

Pretty sure that Art is homozygous grey though-just something to think about.

[vali]

Costa is gorgeous and the Grange Farrow bloodlines are so priceless. Goodpony, do you have pictures of your mare? After reading the thread on melanomas and pregnancy, I’ve decided I won’t breed my Connemara cross mare, unless I can do embryo transfer at some point in the future. I’m breeding for myself, and I’d like to get another event horse capable of doing Prelim, but maybe a little better in the dressage than my mare. She’s a decent mover, but hot and sensitive, so our dressage scores can be problematic. Our Oldenburg mare has tons of suspension and isn’t too big, so I think she would cross nicely with Art since she isn’t too dissimilar. I’ve been in contact with Donna, and he’s not competing next month, so this might be the time to do it. I’ve looked on his web page and I thought I saw some babies that aren’t grey, but maybe they just aren’t grey yet. I actually love the look of greys, and it’s the classic Connemara color.

[goodpony]

This is a standing photo of the 3yo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151317625613870&set=a.10151317625393870.1073741825.368265648869&type=3&theater

Mom (16yo Purebred Glenormiston Amelia (Domo Cavallo Praize/G.Clementine/Abbeyliex Finbar)–mother of eight just before she foaled earlier this year).

Mom with her 2013 Colt

This is also a 4yo Connemara x Warmblood–she is 15.3++HH also by Eclipse–but not owned/bred by me. She was out of a HUGE Holsteiner cross mare.
http://www.rideonvideo.net/watch.php?vid=9dbb837c3

[GAEventer]

[QUOTE=vali;6979688]
I’ve looked on his web page and I thought I saw some babies that aren’t grey, but maybe they just aren’t grey yet. I actually love the look of greys, and it’s the classic Connemara color.[/QUOTE]

Art is homozygous for grey, so baby will be grey. Some are turning more slowly than others. Grey is my favorite