I've decided to retire from breeding.......

[Sonesta]

I spent this weekend wrestling with myself trying to make a decision about whether to retire from breeding. I’m in my late 50s now and it gets harder and harder physically to deal with the mares, the insemination, foalwatch, the foaling out, the handling of the foals, and the sales.

And while I have loved it and think I have produced some really nice horses, I think it’s time to hang it up.

I’ll keep Fancy (my homebred Feiner Stern/Diamont/Darwin Elite Hanoverian mare) and keep my old broodies til they pass, but I won’t breed any more.

And I’m not sure I could top the filly Fancy produced this year by Rubignon, anyway! Now, I have to decide whether to sell the filly - probably will as I don’t think I need to raise another one for the show ring. Fancy will go back to the show ring under one of my students so she won’t sit idle.

It’s kind of sad. Like the end of an era.

[genevieveg17]

I am sure that was a tough decision. You have produced some amazing horses and have always been so helpful and kind to new breeders.
I will miss watching your foal cam.
Enjoy your retirement.

[Home_Again_Farm]

I feel your pain. I have about half a foot left in the door as a breeder. My plan had been to retire my mares that have had lots of foals for me and keep going with three mares - Stanza and Fifi (ET) and Dominique. The breeding gods seem to be telling me they don’t like that plan by keeping those ladies from conceiving. I have one coming next year. I have no idea what I will do next year. It has been a great ride, but lately all I seem to do is throw away $$$$ and hit my head on brick walls. How much fun is that?

[sylvan_farm]

It must be in the air, as I’ve been having the same thoughts also. Or maybe it’s because we’ve all been breeding for 30 or more years and are aging out. I’ve decide to retire my Francesca (20) who’ll go out with her mother Pia (28). I still have 5 good younger mares. What is so hard about this decision is that I have 3rd and 4th generation mares with no one to take over the breeding program. Hate to see these producing mare lines just disappear. We did not breed any this year - can’t imagine next Spring without a foal.

[clint]

I’m another with a foot out the door. It is hard to imagine not spending the winter looking at stallions, and spring eagerly awaiting foals, but I’m in my sixties, and it has become harder for me to handle the foals, and foal out the mares. I retired one mare this year, but I did breed two. I don’t know what I will do next year.

[europa]

This makes me sad to see our horse breeding community shrinking!!

[cloudyandcallie]

OP, I think it is great that you are keeping your old broodmares.

Paintjumper is another cother who does that.

[Sunnydays]

I hear you Sonesta. You are, however going out on a good note.
Mary Lou, I’m kinda in your situation. I’ve been trying to downsize, and sold my 6 yo (who gave me a super colt this year) and bred her for the new owners. For the 4th year in a row, she caught 1st go. I’ve also successfully rebred another mare I plan to sell. And I’ve retired my “foundation mare”.
Of the 3 I planned to breed for myself - no confirmed pregnancies. Ditana is at Guelph as we speak, 2nd cycle breeding aborted as she undergoes another 5 day treatment for resistant e-coli. That’s it for her this year. Tessa was bred this am – after an anovulatory hemhorragic follicle on her last aborted cycle. And Espinette - don’t even want to think about her. This is not the way I was hoping to downsize. Can be discouraging, and I have had astronomical vet bills, shipping bills etc.

[DownYonder]

Sorry to hear this news. So many of our good, experienced breeders are “aging out” and scaling back or getting out entirely. It is sad, esp. when their breeding programs are at full maturity and they have used all the wisdom they have gained to put better and better foal crops on the ground each year. It is these breeders who have mostly been responsible for the astounding increases in foal quality over the past 10-15 years. So much knowledge is being lost, and so many of the younger breeders are interested only in quick sales or in breeding for the largest market - i.e., hunters. Not that there is anything wrong with breeding for hunters, but if no one is breeding for dressage or jumping or eventing, we will begin to lose ground again in those areas. :sigh:

[Top_Kat]

I’m just getting going, well 6 yrs. into breeding warmbloods after many years breeding Arabians and Arabian/WB crosses. I too wonder how much longer I can keep up with the breeding, when is it time to phase out. I used to do all of my breeding live cover while handling the stallions, not any more, nor do I like the young ones who drag me around at times. I do have great help and without them I would have to give it up. I’m thrilled with my young offspring who have done so well the past few years, it’s like a drug of sorts, but he thrill of blues doesn’t last long enough, I need more and more and more. This too shall pass I’m sure.

Breeding is my grand passion or is it an obsession? I love studying pedigrees, watching the world of sport horses, all disciplines. I read Eurodressage almost daily, COTH and Facebook only for the horse related posts.

My daughter rode most of her life, but a back injury keeps her from doing much with horses. I would love for her to take an interest and continue my breeding program since I have some very long term goals:)

Retiring is on my mind, I’m not quite ready yet, but understand how you’ve come to the decision, I don’t believe I’m very far behind you, it’s a reality we all face. I hope you find peace in your decision and pride in what you’ve created.

[Laurierace]

With three dystocia’s in a row, each a little worse than the one before my mare made the decision for me. It was an easy one but still one that broke my heart. Happy retirement to you and yours.

[EquusMagnificus]

Well the good news, is that fear not, some younger breeders such as me, ElegantExpressions and Spike, just to name a few, follow diligently in your tracks! :winkgrin:

I am taking a break this year as my mare needed a rest and so did my pocketbook. I think those stepping down are taking a very wise decision. It’s too hard to continue doing if you don’t thoroughly enjoy it. I had an epiphany when I realized I was starting to loose sleep wondering how the heck was I going to make it $$$ this year to re-breed my teenaged broodmare. That’s when I realized this was getting ridiculous, and that taking a break, of even stopping, wasn’t about failing. It was only about being aware of reality and there certainly isn’t anything wrong about that.

I’ll miss having foals next year, but I am also thrilled with being able to show my filly once this year, and looking forward to prepping her for her MPT as three year-old next year. As well as riding my broodmare!

[Home_Again_Farm]

@sylvan farm;6427466

What is so hard about this decision is that I have 3rd and 4th generation mares with no one to take over the breeding program. Hate to see these producing mare lines just disappear.

My greatest joy has been seeing the marelines increase in generations. I learned the most when I began to see what daughters and grand daughters produced, compared to the original mare. I have several fillies that are maidens that I so want to see bred, but that just may not be in the cards. I have never been in it for the money (I’d be crazy to be), but have simply loved seeing how one cross would work as opposed to another. Breeding is my passion — one that I wish I had begun earlier. :sadsmile:

[TrueColours]

Hear ya .

56 here with 2 bum knees that need to get replaced, a torn rotator cuff that just wont heal (gee - I wonder why?!), a hubby that would rather be doing something else other than living on a farm and working a full day at a “real” job, and every task just seems to be harder and take longer today than it did yesterday …

It kills me when the hay I used to be able to put up last year, I am struggling with this year

Foal watch knocks me on my ass now - it never used to. Thank the heavens for Mare Stare is all I can say!

Thank God both stallions are super easy to handle and to deal with but I am really questionning my sanity in even thinking of keeping this year’s colt and bringing him along as my new stallion prospect in a few years time

Its such tough going at times - its a smart person that knows when to call it quits when there is still something to look forward to afterwards, instead of dragging yourself away once you’ve been beaten into the ground so badly, there is nothing left anymore

We’ll look forward to your opinions and comments, as always, whether you still have an active hand in breeding or not

[Ridge_Runner]

I’m pretty much done too. I still have my two stallions and a few of the mares and young stock but we are downsizing, gelded a nice stallion prospect this spring to make a gelding for me to ride and compete in endurance as I was just not up the baby stallion challenges again…and we are just tired of being broke I guess. The market and economy has really made us question our goals and what we can realistically afford to do as we head into our 50’s and need to think of retirement…so here we are. I’m not sure how much we’ll breed going forward. I am looking at leasing Cayuse Gold next season possibly so he’ll be used but I’m real picky as to where he goes and how he’s managed. I’d like to breed a few more foals again for us out of some of my own homebred fillies but none that I’ll have to sell unless I want to.

[showjumpers66]

All I can say is that you have been a great asset to the industry and that you have earned your retirement. Enjoy it!!!

[Kerole]

Hmmm this all rings very true for me too.

I’m not yet old enough to be ‘ageing out’ as such but after 20 years of breeding on a small scale I am feeling the pinch… and the aches!

I have 4 mares and a handful of youngstock, 3 of which I would like to show this coming spring/summer. I plan to rebreed only 2 mares but ideally I would only breed one. One is elderly, cost me quite a bit of money to buy, and has produced 3 national champions so it makes sense to keep her uterus busy. This one I will happily breed until she decides to call it quits.The other is a rebreed - paid for studfee and 2 years later and still no foal!

Yesterday I really doubted my sanity as I was carted about and barged over by a heavily sedated 7 month old huge Hano filly. She was drugged up to be branded and although she could barely stand upright with all the sedative she wouldn’t even stand still for the clippers on her thigh. In the end the vet gave her a general and got the job done that way. Not fun. At all.

The work seems to get harder every year, the winters longer, the costs greater, the vet’s bills astronomical…

Glumness prevails…

[3Dogs]

Never the scale of you Sonesta nor most posting but thank you and Mary Lou and others! Enjoy the exit, enjoy the contributions you have (all) made, enjoy loving the broodies! I don’t have many years left unless I plan to NOT retire from full time job till I am 80 :lol:

[paintjumper]

My last one was a March 2011 baby…

Heck, I have “broodies” that are still maidens! I just don’t have the stomach for it anymore. Most of it is the economy, but I admit, I, too was just getting tired of all the work. It was sad to admit to myself that I was actually done, but I am used to the idea now…now I just need to figure out which ones I want to ride.

[Marydell]

Joining the chorus here. This year has been record breaking as far as vet bills go. Three criticaly ill foals, a yearling with a serious kick injury and all the expenses of keeping three horses in training.

Then trying to deal with an economy where I can not even hope to get what I have put $$ wise into my horses, even the very special top talented ones.

Wendell and I have planned our exit. With the mares we have bred this year, we will breed one more year and then we are done. We will try to find super homes for our youngstock, hoping to raise them to under saddle age, and our foundation mares have a forever home with us.

There are several true FEI prospects that are here right now. A few that I want to keep to enjoy watching go up the ranks. Will be watching the young rider ranks to see if there are some there that could not afford top quality horses and partner with them if I think they could work with us.

Of course, Don Principe, the “other man in my life” as my husband calls him, will retire here to our farm in time.

We have a stallion prospect born this year. The best we have ever produced, related to our Maestro. We have a plan for his future up to 5 y r old and then he will be sold.

It breaks my heart that no one is interested in taking over or becoming a working partner and I don’t know how I will handle this. My girls are the reason I get out of bed every day and face the challenges of making my body work. But there are days, ewven after all the surgery, that the pain is nearly my undoing.

It will be very sad to see Sonesta and MAry Lou and the others leave the scene. But I know how hard it is to make these plans.