How do you decide which mares to breed??

[dbolte]

Curiosity question! I am considering breeding my mare in a few years (not immediately), and I was wondering what criteria you use to determine whether or not to breed a specific mare. Obviously temperament, conformation, bloodlines, performance, but what are the deal breakers?

I would be breeding for an eventing/dressage horse, not necessarily Olympic level, but something that could successfully run Prelim and/or be successful at Third-Fourth level dressage.

My mare is a TB; her pedigree is here: http://www.pedigreequery.com/canadian+jewel2
She has been very easy to train, I started her under saddle myself and she has been very successful at local shows, winning or placing at almost every one, with upper 60s to mid 70s dressage scores under well-respected judges. She is also a reasonably capable jumper, honest, willing, and clean.

I have read plenty about the horse market and the cons of breeding in general; my question is how do you select the mares that you do breed?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I am not a big breeder, but I purchased the mare I bred based first on her pedigree. I want performance lines top and bottom, and she had bloodlines (parents) I had been interested in for some time.

All the other things are important as well: conformation, sport record, temperment, soundness issues, and for a breeder ease to get in foal, offspring (if any) and what kind of mother she is are other factors to consider.

If you are up for it, you can always post a picture. What level are you showing?

Wanted to add, I won’t breed a horse with vices (cribbing, etc.) and it has to have good feet. Just two things I don’t want to be bothered with in light of all the other things to worry about. That is just me though.

[dbolte]

She has been competing Training level dressage and 2’6 jumpers. She’s just 5 this year, and a big girl (16.2hh as a 3yo), so I haven’t wanted to push her too fast.

She does have good feet, and remains barefoot behind. No vices either. I will post a picture of her soon, when I can get back on the desktop computer.

[rodawn]

The total answer to your question is:

While she is still young and sound, you should send her to the registry of your choice for inspection.

Their comments are what will make or break your choice as to whether she is a broodmare candidate, especially if you try a registry that can be tough on thoroughbred mares - - they are tough for a reason! Only the best should contribute to the mareline. So, consider taking her Hanoverian or GOV and see what their comments are. If they like her and approve, then you know you have a mare worth breeding. They will provide you some constructive criticism on your mare and this will give you very good direction on what sorts of stallions are options for her.

[Cartier]

I agree with the posters above and would add that I think the fact that you are asking this question is one important part of the criteria, and tends to weigh in the negative. Ditto, the fact that you are not setup as a breeder is a negative. The learning curve in horse breeding is steep, there are a zillion and two ways to do it wrong, and in the end it’s always the horse that pays the price for mistakes that we humans make. Let the experienced breeders do the heavy lifting, and purchase what you want (from the lovely inventory of foals that are already on the ground).

Even with the best intentions and the best of plans, the breeding does not always produce the foal that suits your needs and goals. As the breeder, you have to be prepared to deal with the foal regardless of how it turns out. If you have the resources, the facility and the expertise to raise and properly train the foal, from birth through the first 4-5 years of its life, and are willing to commit to the foal for as long as it takes to see it properly started and sold to a good home, then go forward, but remember, when all is said and done, you will not make a profit, you will likely not even break even.

[dbolte]

While you’re right that I’m not set up for breeding, I have already considered that aspect and would likely be looking at something similar to a breed lease arrangement with her original breeder. I don’t see how asking the question is a bad thing; I think it’s part of being responsible, getting other people’s opinions on her than my own, which is probably somewhat biased. I would not be expecting to make a profit; although I have not bred my own horses, I did work at a breeding farm and I feel like I have at least some idea of what goes into it, and I am experienced enough with horses and training that I could work with the foal and train it either for my use or for someone else’s if it did not meet my needs.

In any case, my question was more what criteria do you look for in a mare to breed?

[YankeeLawyer]

[QUOTE=rodawn;6401842]
The total answer to your question is:

While she is still young and sound, you should send her to the registry of your choice for inspection.

Their comments are what will make or break your choice as to whether she is a broodmare candidate, especially if you try a registry that can be tough on thoroughbred mares - - they are tough for a reason! Only the best should contribute to the mareline. So, consider taking her Hanoverian or GOV and see what their comments are. If they like her and approve, then you know you have a mare worth breeding. They will provide you some constructive criticism on your mare and this will give you very good direction on what sorts of stallions are options for her.[/QUOTE]

Can’t say I agree with this at all…

[YankeeLawyer]

[QUOTE=dbolte;6402124]

In any case, my question was more what criteria do you look for in a mare to breed?[/QUOTE]

good pedigree top and bottom; good temperament, 3 very good gaits and good athlete overall, good rideability, sound and no conformation faults that are objectionable to me. For me, the mare has to satisfy all of those things at a minimum. Beyond that, I only breed ones that I would be thrilled to have in carbon copy, and then pick stallions that I hope will compliment them and add at least a touch more.

[dbolte]

Photos of Jewel (my mare) here, if anyone is interested: http://heartsdesirefarm.webs.com/apps/photos/

[ElegantExpressionsFa]

[QUOTE=YankeeLawyer;6402133]
good temperament, 3 very good gaits and good athlete overall, good rideability, sound and no conformation faults that are objectionable to me. For me, the mare has to satisfy all of those things at a minimum. Beyond that, I only breed ones that I would be thrilled to have in carbon copy, and then pick stallions that I hope will compliment them and add at least a touch more.[/QUOTE]

^^ This is what I go by

Your mare is cute!! :winkgrin: Best of luck with what ever you decide!!

[camohn]

well there is no 1 answer here. Mares over the years: One mare was a very successful jumper and retired due to arthritis, second mare the same. One was a WB I bought in foal because of a pasture injury (kick to the hock) her owner decided to breed and sell her as a broodmare, 2 were off track TBs with no show record but super well bred and conformed (1 ended up a premium at WB inspection and 1 just missed premium); 1 is not that exciting in her pedigree and ho hum on her confo…not a horse I would normally look at…except that she was owned by someone I knew, already had 2 super nice looking foals. I didn’t fix what aint broken…I bred her back to the same stallion…and finally a TB that was owned by a friend. The mare was her daughters pony club eventer/went to nationals. Daughter went to college/quit riding and mom was scared of the horse (horse was left at home with mom: mom is scared of horses period and this was a BIG horse…about 17H. The horse was a hot/smart one and very quickly learned mom was scared of her and could be pushed around so things went downhill fast. She came here and re learned respect PDQ.) I bred the mare, sold her in foal and we split the money. I took out my expenses plus a little and gave her the rest for the mare. I made a little, she got the mare out of the house and the foal went on to do very well.The mare ended up being a premium at her WB inspection. The lady that bought her still has both the mare and foal…said she has been offered big money for the foal from UL riders but it is her heart horse and the filly is just NFS. The only one that did not work out was the one with the injusred hock. She had 3 foals for me: 2 that were “just OK” and one very nice one. The sire of the very nice one was sold and gelded so no chance of repeating the match. She did not have a great produce record for me. In the meanwhile with 3 years out to pasture the hock injury had healed and she was now riding sound and only 7 years old. I sent her off to be restarted u/s and sold her as a riding horse where she has done well as a local hunter.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=dbolte;6401441]
Curiosity question! I am considering breeding my mare in a few years (not immediately), and I was wondering what criteria you use to determine whether or not to breed a specific mare. Obviously temperament, conformation, bloodlines, performance, but what are the deal breakers?

I would be breeding for an eventing/dressage horse, not necessarily Olympic level, but something that could successfully run Prelim and/or be successful at Third-Fourth level dressage.

My mare is a TB; her pedigree is here: http://www.pedigreequery.com/canadian+jewel2
She has been very easy to train, I started her under saddle myself and she has been very successful at local shows, winning or placing at almost every one, with upper 60s to mid 70s dressage scores under well-respected judges. She is also a reasonably capable jumper, honest, willing, and clean.

I have read plenty about the horse market and the cons of breeding in general; my question is how do you select the mares that you do breed?[/QUOTE]

She is cute but doesn’t appear to have much scope or form over the fences. She borders on being a knee hanger. I wouldn’t want to have to depend on a stallion to fix that with your goals in mind.

[RunningwaterWBs]

@YankeeLawyer;6402133

good pedigree top and bottom; good temperament, 3 very good gaits and good athlete overall, good rideability, sound and no conformation faults that are objectionable to me. For me, the mare has to satisfy all of those things at a minimum. Beyond that, I only breed ones that I would be thrilled to have in carbon copy, and then pick stallions that I hope will compliment them and add at least a touch more.

This.
I also agree with not necessarily trusting inspectors to make your decision for you. As a breeder, you have to trust your gut. And every breeder starts somewhere.

[EquusMagnificus]

[QUOTE=YankeeLawyer;6402133]
Beyond that, I only breed ones that I would be thrilled to have in carbon copy, and then pick stallions that I hope will compliment them and add at least a touch more.[/QUOTE]

Mainly, this is how I see it. The mare obviously has to be clearly above average for her breed/type/etc.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Yes, Yankee Lawyer said it very well!

I think it is very responsible to ask these questions and applaud you for doing some critical thinking. I think it is even more responsible to be open to criticism. Personally, my favorite horse (and for that matter my favorite dog) are two I would never breed. The necessary pieces are just not there and I can’t guarantee I would never have to sell the baby. Breed the animals that have the best chance to improve the breed. I totally agree with those who said no horse is perfect, but there has to be something extra special there to make the horse worth producing again.