Breeding in a bad economy

[Margaret]

Since my 2008 Champagne foals have all sold this year at fair prices, I do plan on repeating the cross.

 

[sedeh]

Well, we have two mares bred for 2009, but since this is our third year breeding and we don't have a single live foal yet, we are definitely not counting chickens before they hatch. And as much as the economy sucks right now, I think many mini owners are missing a very promising marketing opportunity. Now is the perfect time to promote minis to big horse people and show them how much cheaper it is to keep a mini and all the fun things you can do with them. So I figure if we are lucky enough to actually have a foal in 2009, (and can part with one after waiting so long), then I am optimistic we will find a buyer.

Mary I hope you have 2 beautiful live foals this year! I was just talking to someone the other day that with the cost of everything rising it may actually be good for the mini market. All those horse crazy people(myself included!

) can have a mini or 2 for a fraction of the cost of a biggie!

I have 2(maybe 3) mares bred for next year. I have a yearling gelding and colt for sale now and I can hang on to them without a problem. In fact.....wouldn't mind showing the colt another year!

I had already split my mares and am breeding every other year. I plan on only having 1-3 a year.

 

[wpsellwood]

We bred 3 mares and 2 are in foal. I have several people waiting on Lytes foal, who is Calvins dam. Weve sold several horses this year havent really had any problems selling so far. I can keep the 2 foals from next year and probably will as we like to show them. I try to sell them after Im done showing them.

 

[lyn_j]

WE had 1 foal this year, she is now for sale. I sold one for a little less than I was wanting but he is going to a great home. I traded an ASPC AMHR Mare for an AMHA AMHR mare both are in foal so that is one for one. Also sold an ASPC AMHR Stallion for a Buckeroo grandaughter bred to a buckaroo grandson plus cash for a total price for the stallion of 5000. I also bought a tiny colt for a fair price. So, even with the economy, I feel my sales are good this year, my purchase excellent. My purchase and one trade are local enough for me to drive. The two stallions are going out west.If someone wants something badly enough they will find a way to make it happen.

2009 foals expected-2

One still for sale and I will not drop her price for 2500.

Lyn

 

[Firefall]

I'm breeding about the same as I did last year. That being said I have dramatically improved my herd over the past couple of years. Most are registered with both AMHR/ASPC and I'm hoping for a spectacular foal crop with an awesome new herd sire!!! This will be his first foal crop and I have high hopes........can ya tell?

 

[chandab]

I hopefully have one foal coming next June. And, hope to breed two, maybe three, mares next summer. If they don't sell, I have no problems keeping them.

 

[cowgurl_up]

I had one filly born this year that I am keeping and I have bred my one mare for my first homegrown foal for next year. I will probably advertise to sell it, but if it doesn't go anywhere that is fine by me. Heck, I am kind of hoping for a colt to be my show gelding!

Then Belle will get a year off. After that.........well we'll see!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Interesting, the economy seems to be having less effect than I'd have expected on peoples plans to breed. I took one mare to an outside stallion this year, I don't believe she took so I am not expecting any foals for 2009. I'd love to buy a mare to add to my small herd and might if the right mare at the right price comes along but I am comfortable caring for the group I have now and not in a hurry to increase the numbers until I have a better idea of the economic future.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

With the current economy if there were 'do-overs' I probably would have bred 3-4 of the 10 we did bred, and those only as there are age factors involved. We've slowly been reducing our herd number and will continue over the next few years.

As we've done little to zero marketing this year including no showing at all! Started this year with good intentions to get good/decent photos of the herd, redo our website, place some ads, etc., but life just intervenes - lol!!! So they're all hairy again and we have at least six months until they start looking non-yak-like again!

We have added two horses - I would buy more but hay prices are seriously killing me

($14.75 a bale and 2 1/2 bales a day). This wouldn't have been such a huge factor but the semi-drought conditions we're having in California we haven't had decent rain since April - so dry dry dry and no forage on our acreage which normally gets real crappy mid June/July was pretty bad a few months early.

The big question for me - am I going to do any breeding in 2009? Technically and I'm sure my accountant will kick me if I don't, I need to! But how things go with our economy will be the deciding factor.

Here are the new additions from the Lorraine and Darcy Bailer at Wolf Creek Ranch in Alberta -

WCR Top Cop and WCR Sheza Saviore Affaire

 

[Matt73]

Since my 2008 Champagne foals have all sold this year at fair prices, I do plan on repeating the cross.

Oh Margaret! What gorgeous horses you have! If only I was closer...

 

[minie812]

We have five mares bred for 2009 to our homozygous stallion Fiesta. We only had one live birth in 2008 and it was a Fiesta filly and she makes my heart go pitter-pat

We are in a decent position to keep them but I have never had a problem selling my foals (if I can ever get John to let go of them)

 

[Magic]

Early this year I had the opportunity to lease a stallion that I've long admired, who has gorgeous foals, so I bred several mares to him and am expecting possibly eight foals next year. If we get that many, it will be our biggest foal crop ever. We sold eight horses this year, just by word of mouth and repeat customers, so the economy hasn't affected us in that way yet, so far anyway. Prices were generally the same as they have been. We've retained four of our foals from this year (I'd like to show them all), and aquired three new breeding-age mares and a stallion.

Our total number of horses is the same as they were last year.

We haven't decided yet how many mares to breed next year. It depends on how sales go in the meantime I guess. We raise our own hay and have plenty of room for the horses we have, so I'm not worried. Our horses stay until they find the right home. If too many horses start staying, then I will cut back.

Btw, we do have twice as many breeding age mares as were bred this year, so we aren't breeding everything we've got, by any means.

 

[ohmt]

I bred about half of our breeding age mares for next year. I have just started college and my grandparents are sadly getting up there in age so this weekend I'm planning on getting lots of pictures of sales horses. I think we have about 40 mares and fillies and I'd like to cut down to 20-25 and we have 7 stallions-one will be gelded and kept, and 2 will be sold so I'll have 2 pinto stallions and 2 appy stallions. I'm always looking for improvements-I'm hoping to buy some new mares once I get our numbers down to a manageable level for my grandparents. We have the space and resources to keep all of them plus the foals next year...just need to cut back so my grandparents aren't so overwhelmed without me. AND I'm really going to try to get to some shows next summer!

 

[minimomNC]

The problem as I see it, isn't the person that breeds a few mares a year, it isn't the good breeders who breeds 20 - 30 mares a year but gets very good quality foals. The problem is the breeder who breeds 150+ crappy mares a year to an even worse stallion because he is a "homozygous black pinto" or "loud colored appy", and hopes for at least 100 live babies they can sell for $500 each. Thats $50,000 a year and they give no care, do not deworm or give vaccinations, sell them to people that don't know any better or take them to auctions to dump. These are the ones hurting the industry. The new people that buy from breeders like this are usually so dissapointed in what they ended up with that they just don't want to be involved anymore. So there you have another horse that isn't wanted, isn't show quality and sure isn't breeding quality. This to me is what is hurting the industry. And I do have two mares in foal for 2009. One is a Res World Champion in foal to a Res World Grand Champion. The other is a very nice mare bred to the same stallion. I need show prospects for the next couple of years and although I know it isn't a guarantee, at least there is hope.

 

[Charlotte]

It sounds from this thread that the miniature economy is in better shape than the national economy. Way to go! I would say that means quality foals are being produced and sound marketing plans are in place.

We have 8 mares bred for next year and I'm hoping we get more babies like last year! 5 of last year's 9 were shown and achieved Top Tens or better this year.

All but one of our '08 foals are sold ( except for 2 fillies which aren't on our web site yet. Shhhhhhh ) And 2 of the bred mares are listed for sale. I reeeally need to reduce our mature horse numbers a bit with all of these fillies that seem to be hiding behind the trees.

But Star and Mooney have been outstanding producers and I hate to let them go!

I think we need more land.

Charlotte

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Oh Charlotte, I'd take Mooney off your hands if I could! She's more gorgeous in person than she is on your website. And she really seemed to like Chris. I don't remember seeing Star in person, but I've admired her picture on your website many times. So little money...

Anyway, I only have one coming next year. I did try for more, but it was a weird breeding year here. One mare shut down after her foal heat and wouldn't come back in.

The others had various issues as well. Normally we get them in foal on the first cycle and we're good to go, but not this year. We usually only have two foals a year, anyway, but I was actually trying for more this year.

 

[Loess Hills]

minimomNC tells it like it is:

The problem as I see it, isn't the person that breeds a few mares a year, it isn't the good breeders who breeds 20 - 30 mares a year but gets very good quality foals. The problem is the breeder who breeds 150+ crappy mares a year to an even worse stallion because he is a "homozygous black pinto" or "loud colored appy", and hopes for at least 100 live babies they can sell for $500 each. Thats $50,000 a year and they give no care, do not deworm or give vaccinations, sell them to people that don't know any better or take them to auctions to dump. These are the ones hurting the industry. The new people that buy from breeders like this are usually so dissapointed in what they ended up with that they just don't want to be involved anymore. So there you have another horse that isn't wanted, isn't show quality and sure isn't breeding quality. This to me is what is hurting the industry.

Over the past ten years I have seen this over and over again. Area auctions are full of these kind of horses. And if you think they do not deworm, give vaccinations, and sell them for $500 or less...............what do you think their paperwork is worth? And the new person trying to find a nice pet or horse to raise finds they cannot register the horse, the stallion reports were never filed, or registrations never brought permanent. Then they deal with a sick horse, genetic faults, or leg problems and find they are paying a vet more than they paid for a horse.

Have seen different breeders sell a dwarf for $3,000 at an exotic auction........then they bragged about it to their friends. It's not just the bad economy, it's also mediocre to bad breeders.

Okay, now I've had my rant for the day.

 

[Katiean]

I don't think I have any foals due for '09. I did have to put a mare in with my colt for about 3 months (feb to may) because she would not get along with our new mare. I know a colt of 8 months can sire a foal. But, I hope not.

 

[nootka]

I have two mares bred for 2009 (that is every one that I own) and my 2007 foals still for sale. I plan NO BREEDING in 2009, and maybe not ever as I am a bit discouraged for some of the reasons MinimomNC has mentioned. I can't compete with the breeders who will dump horses for $500. They've got all kinds of things over me (color, size, bigger name, etc.) and so I have to muddle along until I find the right homes. I refuse to sell them for "nothing" prices as these are decently-bred and well-trained (for yearlings!) horses.

My mares always have great nutrition, the babies have a solid foundation. I can't do much more and it's a bummer to have my husband telling me I wouldn't sell them even if I had $1 on them! Guess it's my pride that makes me want to quit.

I will enjoy these foals, but will not breed another mare until I can see that there is room for them, not to mention time. I may end up having them for several years so that's my commitment to them (to not run out of space to keep them and manage them as they deserve).

It's not really just about the economy, it's more about a decision that's been brewing. Perhaps I have them overpriced. If so, then it's just not worth it to breed for that reason, as they don't even approach paying for their keep and the fees to show and promote them very lightly. For that I'd rather just keep the geldings and show and enjoy them for that even though the rest of the horses could hardly leave (mares/retired)!

Liz

 

[Marty]

Thank you MinimomNC, LoessHills, and Nootka. You all hit the nail on the head in the best way.