I know I know. Breed only if you want a carbon copy, but…
I have a coming five yr old mare who is STUNNING and a great mover and jumper and I have a broodmare that isn’t producing like I had expected. I was thinking of breeding the young mare and letting my broodmare carry it. The problem is that baby horse has required a very tactful ride for over a year because she has anxiety about being ridden and/or the work. She was broke by a professional colt breaker and I think it may have caused the anxiety. She’s actually SUPER lazy and quiet and easy and kind on the ground. She has never offered to rear or buck undersaddle. She’s just anxious. Like five poops per ride kind of anxious. Would you risk it? I wouldn’t mind a carbon copy but I try to breed amateur friendly babies.
Are you breeding to keep the resulting foal or to sell it?
Great question! I would probably plan on selling but I am an avid collector so who knows! She’s not hard to ride, she’s been ridden by true amateurs, she’s just quick. More jumper type than hunter. I guess that’s what throws me. She looks the part of a hunter but just has a little too much go in her. She’s by Banderas and I know he can throw some exhuberant types.
I would want to know more about why this mare is so anxious before I bred her. If it’s ‘just’ a training thing, well okay, not likely to be an issue in offspring. If it’s hardwired into her DNA? Or a physical flaw that could be passed along? Would give me pause…
No. I would not breed this Mare. For one thing she’s got a hoof between two disciplines and isn’t right for either from how you described her. That’s a problem.
She needs to be an absolutely outstanding performer in something. Short of that she has to have absolutely outstanding pedigree up, down and sideways. And you haven’t even mentioned her pedigree… Difficulty in ridabilty is inheritable, that’s why it gets scored.
If you already have a broodmare that isn’t producing the way you’d like, now you’re adding another great big question mark. Soon you will have at least four horses that aren’t quite right. Go buy a baby that is as close to perfect as you can get. You will save every penny that you’re going to spend trying to get this horse in foal and synced up with your broodmare. That is not a given, and you could easily spend Big huge amount of money on that because once you’ve got started on that path it’s very hard to decide when to give up. Subtract that money from what you would spend on an outstanding individual that you can judge before buying… This is a no-brainer.
I would give her more time under saddle to determine temperament, trainability and talent.
If she ends up just having a training issue and is a very nice jumper type, then sure.
But if she is not of a specific type and difficult, no.
