Itās very, very common to ābreed the best and ride the restā when it comes to WB mares. Thatās for sure different from many other disciplines, where a performance record is ārequiredā.
Thatās changing a little bit with the more easily accessible, more studied, and relatively ācheapā ET options. But overall, the best WB mares donāt usually go to a performance career. Mares already have a limited # of foals they can have, and if you donāt start breeding until they have a solid performance record at a high enough level, youāve already āwastedā 8 foals, give or take.
Breeds/registries that highly value the mare line, like WB breeders, know the value of the mare without her ever having to step foot in a ring. Her entire pedigree is filled with mares who produced stallions and geldings, and mares, who had successful performance careers.
And if youāre buying an older broodmare who has produced foals, from a reputable breeding program, just make sure sheās produce horses who have done something. Who cares what the mare (or stallion) has done, if they have the offspring to prove they can produce what you want.
Donāt get me wrong, I think having a stallion prove HE has what it takes to pass on quality, by way of what heās capable of doing, ie the 30/70/100 day test, registry approvals, is valuable because of the sheer number of foals a stallion can put on the ground every single year. Stallions canāt pass on the mtDNA, but they can pass on what the rest of the DNA has to offer.
But also, people every year jump to breeding young, unproven (breeding OR performance) stallions because they have the current hot pedigree, so clearly that counts for something.
Breeding to a 4yo stallion with an upper level sire and damsire, with the dam a proven producer, isnāt a big crapshoot.
@awesomenessity you donāt say what your ābeer budgetā is. I donāt know CN exchanges now, but for $12-15k USD, you should be able to buy a pretty well-bred filly. If thatās not in this yearās budget, then save for the next year, look to see what breeders are having in-utero sales (riskier, but also potentially saving a few thousand, contract for a filly).
Donāt neglect looking at yearlings. They tend to be closer to foal $ than 3yo $, and youād reduce some of the risk of stupid-foal syndrome :lol:
Keep putting $ into a foal fund, so if you donāt find the foal this year, or yearling next year, then potentially a 2yo the year after. IMHO, thatās a better option than buying an older broodmare, UNLESS you can find a younger one who is being sold because the breeder has a keeper-daughter, or is moving a different direction (changing disciplines, for example) and the mare doesnāt fit the program anymore. Thatās a better breeding risk than the older broodie.
And thereās always the option of a broodie already in foal, sold as a 2-fer. You could potentially recoup some of your cost by selling that foal if itās not the filly you want.
There are lots of options - ones that donāt necessitate acting now, or are cheaper but riskier, or allow you to save for a more $ but less risky alternative.
As someone who is also a breeder in Alberta, I have to agree with the OP. Of course, the reputable breeders are doing their homework, breeding performance mares to performance stallions, etc., but there are a lot of warmblood breeders in Alberta who are breeding non-performance mares to non-performance stallions and expecting to produce FEI prospects.
Please reread my post. The fact remains that circumstances change, and itās irresponsible to breed for a low goal purposefully when we slaughter that sort of horse every day. Plan for every produceās future whether it involves you or not.