Anyone else NOT breeding this year???

[Marty]

I'm not!

I haven't sold anyone so I'm not about to start a mini mill around here.

I know my limits and I'm full up, about to burst at the seams. The barn is FULL.

Jerry still wants a larger herd and is willing to build run-in sheds or whatever. No thank you!

Here I am with 4 maiden mares ready, willing, and very eager to have a turn with Nick, and I went and pulled the plug on them.

Oh Nick is not going to like it around here this year!

I think we'll be taking a lot of hikes on the trails.

:

 

[nootka]

I did sell two fillies last year, but since I now have two colts for sale as geldings, I will be breeding just one mare this year, and giving the other the year off so I can hang onto and show my boys til I find the right homes.

I think it's fairly obvious to do similarly unless you're selling adequate numbers of horses to make room for the next generations (hence, the "fire sale" mentality would not prevail if we all thought this way).

Kudos to you, Marty! Good luck selling, it's not easy, either to find the right homes nor to watch them leave and move on.

Liz M.

 

[love_casper]

:saludando: I'm not!!!

my barn is stuffed as it is. and we have 2 mares in foal for July. nope, no 2008 babies for me!

have fun with Nick as your hiking buddy.

: i'm doing the same with Ghost this year. maybe we'll make it to the hollywood sign this year!!! if my legs dont break down somewhere along the way.

:

good luck selling your babies, i will be selling for the first time this year. when i saw who was on your sale page, Marty, i about fell out of my chair. i'm sure he'll find a wonderful home.

:

 

[SHANA]

I have orders for foals and have 4 foals due this summer and 2 are already reserved and paid for, don't want to sell anymore just in case I lose a foal which I hope I don't. I have a few orders for foals next season as well with a downpayment already paid so I will be breeding my mares again this year. I hope to have a barn cam up and going in 2008.

 

[Jill]

I have pretty much not bred horses since 1998! Just spent a lot of time driving, showing and the last few years picking out the best boys and girls I could. SO, this year I will be breeding horses! Planning to have as many a six (6!!!) foals in 2008 depending on who catches. We will be trying DunIT on four mares here (Lou, Khaki, Goldie & Hope) and then I will have two mares coming to me in foal from Erica (for a Big City baby and a Destiny baby).

:

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Nope, not here for the 2nd year in a row. I look at the miniature horse industry as a whole and think (jmho) that there are just too many out there for sale and I fear for many of them. I pay attention to the rescue board here and elsewhere and there are just too many horses, big and small, hanging in limbo because of a hay shortage, death in the family, health issues....I have never seen so many dispersals. I surely do miss the babies and with only 2 left here I truely have the room for more but to make one now....no, I'll wait and see. If I were to breed one last time it would be my Halley and I would keep the foal be it colt or filly. Gotta tell you tho Marty, I have always admired your Knight Star...if you were closer...nah if I had money..nah..he is pretty special tho.

 

[shane]

im not1!!! im going to cross my fingers toes and hooves that Fancy has a healthy foal, and thats it!!!!!!

we are building three brand new stables and that means three horses....so Twinkle will have to elsewhere for a girlfriend lol

:

 

[Bluerocket]

I have one older mare that has not carried to term since 2000 - that I bred 2 days - but then have sold the stallion. So - if she is not pregnant - then no -- we are not breeding any more at all.

I have leased out our two best mares (we have a nice yearling filly too) to someone - but we are basically only keeping our horses as pets/driving show animals now.

We are cutting back from 13 minis to 5 with 2 of them retirees.

JJay

 

[Suzie]

We are only breeding a couple this year. We weren't going to breed any but we sold a couple colts I was going to keep. I do want to see a couple more Glow babies on the ground, so we are going to breed to him. One is a maiden mare that lost her foal this spring (so not really maiden but not a mommy yet either). Since she lost that foal, we are breeding a back up mare since I would like to see at least one more Glow baby before we take more time off. We are breeding one mare to Jack, to the same mare as last year since that foal sold so quickly, in hopes to recreate that foal again. So maybe we will end up with 3, possibly 2 for next year. Enough for us!

 

[Bess Kelly]

I have a 24 y/o who puts lovely, small & correct (usually colorful) foals on the ground by most mares. So I am going to breed 3 to him. Would love to have a couple daughters to keep but, we'll see what comes out

: 2 other stallions will be put to 2 mares each. I'm hoping to get 4 keeper fillies and sell other 3 foals but, it just depends on what is born and so forth.

Some of these mares being bred are ones I've raised from birth and waited a long, long time to let them foal. This will cross two lines that I've wanted to cross for over 12 years!! Life got in the way and now, I'm finally able to get on with the program.

:

Considering I have 35 breeding age mares, this is a low profile breeding season I have planned.

Added: I've had many years with NO breedings in the past 10 yrs, with all these mares, too. I'm due.

 

[minimule]

I'm not sure yet. I sold 3 all ready this year and I'm hoping the 2 foals that are due will be fillies or sell quick. If not, we have empty stalls all ready for them. If this calendar thing works, we might be getting a lot of calls for our mini mules. That's a wait and see. Kilroy would be very happy if that happened.

I have 7 breeding age mares but 2 of those will never be bred, looks like another one is a non-breeding candidate now, and one that is due now may be retired if she follows the same pattern as previous years. She is too tight and I don't want to risk loosing her and the foal.

Hmmmmm, looks like I may have to start looking for more mares.

:

:

 

[Cathy_H]

We are down to three breeding age broodmares (miniatures). We don't have a stallion anymore so we are thinking about leasing one to breed to our three mares after they foal.................... Lee only has one yearling shetland fillly he can show this year ( and showing is what he likes) so I thought this would be an opportunity for him to show someones nice stallion in exchange for some breedings. Or we may send my mare out to be bred & sell the other two mares open. Not sure yet as I do not like sending my mares to other farms.............................. Anyway we are going to be breeding only 1 -2 ( one shetland & one miniature) mare a year. We haven't had a problem selling our foals in the past but I feel there are too many being produced.

 

[Miniequine]

haven't decided yet Marty.

:

~Sandy

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

My last foals are now 2 yr olds. We have one this year due any time and have bred 2 back although .. of those 2 one really never settles she seems to settle and then absorbs so not expecting a foal from her.

 

[sedeh]

I'm not breeding as many this year....and my stallion has only till June to do the job! I want to show at Pinto World next year and I don't want any foals due during that time I'm gone. So, I'll only have 3 mares to breed and one of them will probably only have one cycle to catch after delivering this year(I don't breed back on foal heat). If I only have one or two next year that's fine with me!! I did sell one last year and currently only have one 2 yo to sell......but this year's foal crop will be for sale also.

 

[Chamomile]

Well we have really cut back around here as far as breeding goes. I feel the same way you do Marty. There are already so many horses out there looking for homes, I don't want to bring anything into this world that I won't be just as happy keeping as selling. I had two mares due this year, I thought, but one came up open. The other is due in less than a month, but she isn't doing much, so I'm not possitive she is actually bred. :no: Sooooo I may not be getting any foals this year. I am breeding at least two back this year to a couple of outstanding stallions and am very excited about the babies, keepers or sellers

: I probably won't have more than two foals a year from now one, and sometimes only one. I do like to to have two though so they have eachother for company and playmates

:

 

[love_casper]

I'm in a wait and see mode----if I do breed my two mares back, it won't be till August.

:new_rofl: . Karla, them July babies sound appealing now, huh!!!!!!!! in a few years when i maybe breed, i will definately only breed in August until i'm out of school.

:

 

[Shari]

Was planning on breeding Theia and Ella (Jenny) this year.

Have not been able to find a Jack at least as good a quality as my Jenny yet.... may not happen. So should say that mostly will not happen this year.

Theia...I wanted to get started in cart first...so most likely will not be breeding her again this year.

But things change and with what is going on....

Would like at least one foal from her, maybe the summer after this one.

When and if the foals are born...the chances of them being sold is very slim.

 

[Buckskin gal]

I really commend all of you for being so thoughtful in your breeding program. Even though I love the foals so very much we give a lot of thought to if and who we breed. Never have more than one or two which is either something we want to keep or have a buyer for. I know there is one mare we have that I want to breed for next year but beyond that I have to give a lot more thought to it. I so enjoy the little beautys we have in our pasture and don't see them as just breeding machines. Breeding animals is a serious matter and shouldn't be taken lightly for just the fun of it...at least that is how I feel about it.

: Mary

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Hi Marty!

I have really been worrying over this same matter.

I sold 2 out of 3 of my 2006 foals, and put 3 horses up for sale(Tuffy, Teacup and 2006 Doctor Dream filly, and my 2006 Graffiti filly, Dayzee)

I sold my black pinto stallion and my Boogerman son has come of age. I REALLY want to breed him badly to see what he will produce. I am in a quandry over this. If I don't breed any mares, I am sure that all 4 will sell. If I breed a few mares, then probably nobody will sell. What to do!!!!!