How many foals are you expecting for 2011?

[Little Wolf Ranch]

After reading the responses from my last post, I am intrigued to know how many "small" and how many "large" breeders we have! Please include your number & why you chose to breed that number as I would like to figure up an average!!!

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For me, I chose to breed 4 mares for 2011 and that is because I wanted to increase my chances of live, happy foals for 2011 while still keeping numbers small enough to play and handle all of the foals and my other horses as well.

 

[Annabellarose]

I picked "Less than 5", but I probably should have picked "Only 1".

I deliberately bred 2 mares to my stallion this year, but I am pretty sure that only 1 of them "stuck" because I think that 1 of them has been back in heat since she was bred. I haven't been teasing her as I wouldn't consider breeding her again this year until later in the fall, if at all, because it is just too darn hot here for a foal to be born in the summer months (IMO) and I don't think it fair to "torture" my stallion if he won't get to breed her again until later in the year anyway. I also recently purchased a mare at a sale that may be bred, but the sale catalog said that she was due for "a late 2010 foal", but the breed dates looked to be this year, not last year, which would make her due for a late 2011 foal and, of course, she may not be bred at all! LOL

So, I may have 3, I may have 1, or I may have none! ...and I am okay with that! I still don't consider myself a "breeder". This will be the first time in a long, long time that I have deliberately bred a mare. I usually end up with a foal by purchasing a bred mare (and for the mare, not for a foal). Confused??? I am!

 

[walkermini]

I dont really consider myself a big breeder, I do have seventeen mares exposed for 2011 but havent had any checked to see if they are for sure in foal, plus even if they checked in foal for example at 30 or 60 days you never know if they will possibly slip at some point. This year I had eight exposed and had five foals. So with the seventeen if I have about twelve or so that are actually in foal and go to term that would be ideal.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I have 3 mares in foal for next year, I hope to keep 2 out of the 3 foals. I took a year off and had no foals this year, and this set might be my last Mini foals for awhile. Just depends on how things go.

 

[FoRebel]

We have 4 mares hopefully in foal for next year, 1 with our perlino stud, 1 with our donkey jack for a mule and 2 with our black stud who just started breeding this year.

 

[sunshine]

I am expecting 7 foals here at Double C in 2011.Three are by my appy stud Warrior and 4 by my buckskin stud Cowboy.This will be Cowboys first foals and we are anticipating great results.

 

[Leeana]

Three confirmed...

ASPC - 2

AMHR - 1

AMHR - 1 (sold mare)

 

[ohmt]

We are small breeders with around 5-8 foals per year. This year we had just 2 because sales have been a little slow so wanted to make sure we got down to a good number before adding any new little ones! That being said, next year will be a larger than usual foaling crop for us (if all goes well!). We are expecting about 10. I exposed 18 mares, but I had 5 maidens and 5 mares in their upper teens and with those mares I only breed one cycle and then let them be so I'm not sure on any of them.

5 mares have been exposed to my new Reserve National Grand Champion, Star Strucks Phantom so I am VERY excited!!

Can't wait to show off all the babies next year-it will be the last year we have more than 4-5 foals for a long while.

 

[Jill]

We hope for three (3), as we've bred our three perlino Buckeroo bred mares to our stallions. If all goes well, we'll be looking all buckskin and double / triple Buckeroo around here next spring

We bred Double and Sweetie (BTU Granddaughters, siblings to MANY national champions) to our National Champion / Res. National Grand Champion / Halter HOF stallion, Destiny, and we've bred our beautiful Buckeroo Granddaughter, Bomb Shell, to DunIT, our National Top 10 / Multi-Champion / AMHA Honor Roll stallion. Looking forward to the foals

 

[Reble]

We had 3 foals this year, and where sold before they where weaned.

For 2011 have only 5 mares in our breeding program and hope they all took.

We believe they might all be sold again next year.

We have been Blessed

 

[sedeh]

I'm definately a small breeder!! I only breed 2-3 mares a year and if I only get 1-2 foals a year that's fine with me! I try to split my mares so they have a foal every other year.

 

[Riverdance]

I bred 9 mares this year, but two are older mares, one 6 year old I was not sure she could get pregnant again after a dystocia (but she is). Ideally I would like about 5 next year.

Since I need to cut down my herd, the first place to cut down is less foals.

 

[stormy]

Number of foals coming next year doesn't necessarily tell who is a "big breeder" or not. Just what is a big breeder anyway?? I have over 60 breeding age mares, will have 8 foals next year...have had as many as 27 in one year in the past but have cut way back on breeding with market conditions as they are currently.

 

[shadowpaints]

we bred 3 mares to our stallion, one came back into heat last week

and a new mare was exposed to a stallion but she hasnt come in again sooo we have a possible 3 foals due next year

 

[MindyLee]

Im expecting 4 foals and 1 outside foal too.

I bred my King Supreme son to 3 of my mares and the outside mare

and my Komokos/Johnstons bred stud to 1 of my mares.

all but 1 will be new crosses and cant wait to see the resaults!

 

[HGFarm]

I am only expecting one this year.... I sold my other mare that is bred. Usually I have three or four foals. Next year I will breed a couple more and give this mare a break.

 

[cretahillsgal]

I am expecting 15 foals at the most. But it is looking like I will probably have only 12. A couple of my mares are older and I am not sure that they are bred or not.

I normally wouldnt have this many bred in one year. But because I have had the opportunity to have Spirit this breeding season I have let him breed more mares that I normally would.

 

[wrs]

Only one for us & she is not confirmed yet. It will be a repeat cross of our little Princess. So hoping it took.

 

[ShaunaL]

We are expecting one next year, due April 3rd. It will be the first foal for our gorgeous bay sabino overo stallion Pacific Masquerade and will be out of our beautiful grulla BOB daughter Buck Ons Bad Girl. I am very excited!

We were hoping for 2 foals as my Mickey Mouse daughter is getting older and I wanted one more foal from her. However she is not ovulating this year so I guess it wasn't meant to be

 

[TuffyLynn]

We are expecting 2 foals from my Boone's Little Buckeroo/ Komokos Little King Supreme grandson...out of my sorrel and white and black and white mares.

Looking forward to it<3