Mini Poll

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I do breed for conformation and temperament first, color is the added bonus. I will also say this year my herd is evolving because I've learned more about conformation and what I want, and needed to retire a broodmare this year also.

My goal had been to breed for black/bay appaloosas, but I must have changed my mind somewhere along the line this year and added more variety of colors.

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I'm still focusing on breeding for appaloosas and pintaloosas, I'm just throwing a buckskin into the mix. :bgrin

I now have a solid bay mare, a black blanketed app mare, a buckskin app mare, and I hope to add a black and white pinto sometime in the next year or so.

My leopard stallion is homozygous for black, and he is my first love. I know he has faults, but there is just something about his presence that causes you to overlook his shortcomings.

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I did have plans to geld him this fall, but talked myself out of it yet again.

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[Dona]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....
"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!" I don't know anyone who breeds for specific colors, who are doing it willy-nilly. We START with horses that have great conformation...THEN breed for color on top of that!

Well, very simply I said it because it is how I feel. My opinion. I know people who do breed for color that do breed beautiful horses. But too many times right here in this Forum I read where somebody bought so and so to breed because they loved the color. If you don't know anyone that breed specifically for color then you must not be looking at some of the websites and pictures of people who do breed for color because I see them everyday.

I think I'm halfway biased against certain colors just because they seem to end up with such a great predisposition to being badly made by virtue of the fact that it's "ok" to look the other way on a big head if it's loud.

Yep, again......see this everyday. People talking beautiful, loud color and the horse head is bigger than its body or it has absolutely no back end or a thick short neck. A total conformational disaster.

I think the reason a lot of people want to stress that conformation comes first is that with a lot of people, it doesn't.
Apart from breeding, how many times has someone said their horse looks just like your horse... when the only thing in common, for real, is the same color

Again, correct. People are breeding that have no unearthly idea what good conformation is. And yes, how many times I have heard someone say that their horse looks like "so and so" because it is "buckskin" or whatever. Happens all the time.

My post was not meaning to be disrespectful to anyone who breeds for color and QUALITY. You are out there and if you are confident with your breeding program you should NOT be offended. I have nothing against color patterns. I see pictures of really nice animals that have color everyday on this Forum(I will not name names because I might forget someone

)........but I also see more pictures of extremely poor individuals who should be neutered and kept as pets. We get a LOT of newbies on this Forum and this is food for thought..........and it's important, basic food for thought.

quote...."If you don't know anyone that breed specifically for color then you must not be looking at some of the websites and pictures of people who do breed for color because I see them everyday."

Of course I know people who breed specifically for color.

What I said was...."I don't know any breeders who breeds for specific colors, who are doing it willy-nilly. (meaning not taking conformation into consideration first) I'm sure there are some out there, just that all the "serious" breeders I know put conformation at the top of their list.

Believe me....I am not offended. I am very confident in my own breeding program.

: These kinds of posts don't "offend" me.....but it does get irritating when everytime a post comes up on breeding programs, someone has to make a point of saying they don't breed for color...they breed for conformation. (like it has to be one or the other)

: Whether it's meant to or not....it insinuates that breeders of LOUD color minis think that color is first, conformation second.

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Are there any breeders out there that breed for color only without taking conformation into consideration? I'm sure there are....just as there are many breeders who breed solid colors who don't know what they are doing either. :no:

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Bottom line....of course conformation comes first.

: It should be the first consideration in ANY breeding program, no matter WHAT the color.

 

[Margaret]

Sorry to be redundant here, but of course conformation, and temperament comes first, as in any good breeding program- it will make it or break it..

With that being said I must say that I am partial to the dilute colors, specifically "Champagnes."(I didnt see that on the list.) :lol:

Champagnes come in a variety of colors and patterns too, from Pinto, to Amber, to "Gold" which is my personal favorite

: because it looks just like a Golden Palomino with a higher resolution shine to the coat.

Here is a leggy little Classic Champagne filly from this years foal crop.

 

[ohmt]

I personally am really partial to black and whites and nice black appaloosas. I also have a thing for golden palominos and buckskins. We breed for confirmation here though and my black and white pintos..well mostly my pintos...are drastically dwindling

But I just added a loud blue eyed tovero son of FWF Little Wardance last year and he did a great job passing on good color this year as well as his awesome confirmation.

My grandpa's favorite horses are the chestnuts with white socks and a big blaze. me...well not very partial to the red BUT it seems like whenever I find a horse that I CAN NOT live without it always happens to be a red. hmmmm....

 

[palsminihorses]

APPALOOSAS!

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Pam C.

 

[PaintNminis]

I think any horse as long as it is Healthy and has nice Conformaiton, Pretty head etc. is a good Color. Now having said that

: I like Odd Unique Colors the Best

having said that I only have Basic Colored Minis haha I have a Black & White Pinto Yearling Stallion, a Sorrel Pinto Mare, a Bay Pinto Mare, a Black Roan Appy Mare (She is Marked like a Ticked Dog She's Very Neat) a Bay Appaloosa Yearling Filly and a Solid Sorrel Mare with a Blue Eye

and they all have 1 Thing in Common they all have Extremelly Nice Conformaiton and Beautiful Heads! and Wonderful Temperments

 

[outlawridge]

I love horses....period!! So color doesn't matter much to me. However, I do have favorites and that has always been black and white pinto. I now have a little herd of black and whites, along with several other colors that make a pretty nice view

: In big horses I like black but our American Indian Horse is a splashy buckskin type pinto dun. I rarely purchase horses as I have my own stallion and he is my dream horse. Off topic but.... When we add to our herd it is not for breeding purposes anymore, but to provide a home for those horses that are in need.

Here's a couple pix I'd like to share with you, and the black is one of our adoptions.

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: We've had him since he was 10 months old.

My dream horse, Romeo, taken when he was shown quite a few years ago. btw, I found him right here on Lil Beginnings! :aktion033:

 

[Bess Kelly]

:bgrin Always wanted "one of each" so I'm focusing on one of each color!! Have noticed that I now own 5 blacks

: It just "happened"! See, this is the conformation/bloodline thing and it just happened to be a duplicate of a color I had ---

BUT -- how could I let that little issue keep me from buying??? See how things "happen"

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Several red/white pintos -- but, their spots are in different places, different sizes, etc. -- things "happen". :bgrin

Yeah -- I'm focused on one of each color, at least one. THIS is how we accumulate them.

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[Jean_B]

None. When it comes to the color of a horse...I am TOTALLY color-blind. The only thing I look for is conformation. If it has good conformation, I wouldn't care if it was fuschia!

 

[anita]

I like all color. A good horse is a good horse and color doesn't matter for me

A

 

[~Palomino~]

I don't know why....but everytime this subject comes up, it seems to be necessary to say....

"Of course, color is secondary to good conformation!" I don't know anyone who breeds for specific colors, who are doing it willy-nilly. We START with horses that have great conformation...THEN breed for color on top of that!

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I totally agree Dona, It just cracks me up! The OP wasn't asking if you breed for color first or not it was asking what colors you like your "Good conformed" horses to be...

I love Buckskins and palomino's! and I like double dilutes! Heck I like any color. I just love horses!

they breed for conformation. (like it has to be one or the other)

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I also REALLY agree with this, like if it isn't a good color its a good horse and if its a good color that means its bad horse! After all you have to feed the horse everyday and if its not the total pakage (conformation and color) then why would you want it!

In my opinion if you can look at a horse that is ANY color and say it is beautifull even if it is an ugly color then GOOD FOR YOU! But I will stick to the minis that have good conformation AND good color! Buety is in the eye of the beholder!

Its not rocket sience, People! You CAN breed for good conformation AND good color at the same time!!!!