Would you rather buy?

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I bought 2 of my mares bred. The third mare was young so I didn't mind her being open. I would have no problem buying an open mare if she was just weaning a foal. The thing is, if I was buying a mare for breeding I would want to make sure she was not being sold because they were having problems getting her to settle. If I were just buying a horse to enjoy I would not care if she ever got in foal.
 
Thank you everyone for responding.

I really do not want to breed the mares that I am selling, unless someone wants one bred to one of my stallions. Not that these mare were not bred carefully to complement either their performance or their looks. They were. But now I need to reduce my herd, and sell off some mares that have done really well for me in the past. I know I will cry when some of these mares go, as theae are not culls. But, how can one reduce their herd if they breed these mares and end up with their resulting foals if the mares have not been sold?

Plus the fact that we are contributing to the over population of the breed by breeding every mare that we want to sell. Many buyers will perhaps not be interested in the resutling foal either. I bought two mares last year and really wish they had not been pregnant, as I was really not interested in their foals. One mare foaled so late (I was told when I bought her she was due in in June, then found out she was not due to almost September, so that one set me back 1 whole year and I will be breeding her this year.)

So, thanks to your reponses, I have decided that I will not breed the mares that I want to sell this year.
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Thank you all!
 
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I have always wanted mares who have foaled unassisted and our recent experience with our first maiden delivery only confirms that for me . I dont necessarily want a bred mare but would like to know the truth behind her foaling history. I have been mislead too many times now. I will say I also have found reputable breeders who have told the truth but the first couple of mares we bought we were not told the truth until after we had a bad experience. So open or bred makes no real difference if I like the mare. I dont buy mares for the offspring I buy them because I like them for themselves.
 
If I'm buying a mare for the sake of a broodmare, not a show mare or driving mare my preference would be bred.
 
I recently purchased a companion mare and had a hard time finding one that WASN'T bred. I have no interest in having a mini foal, no interest in the risks to the mare, and no interest in another mouth to feed and vet bills to pay. It took me some time to find one, and people were pretty miffed when I turned down their well-bred horses and kept digging for one that was open! I guess they figured I felt their stallion wasn't good enough for me.
 
I've bought most of my mares open, and I generally prefer them that way. The few that I've gotten that were in foal were to stallions that I REALLY loved, which is the only way I'll buy a bred mare.

One mare that I had for sale, I knew would be perfect for a little girl or boy, or as a driving mare, (or both) so I left her open after she had her first foal, which was a very nice colt. I just knew that her "new person" whoever it turned out to be, would be better able to use her as an open mare, and I was right. A darling little girl fell in love with this mare and now has her very own horse, and the mare is loving the constant brushing and fussing over her.
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If I am buying a mare, I am looking at HER characteristics and would NOT want her bred unless the stallion was something topline that I really wanted his blood at my farm. Since everyone has different ideas as to what is "tops" (conformation, looks, performance, color), it's hard for the seller to pick the stallion that will meet the buyer's needs.
 
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The one and only time we bought a mature mare in foal she had a dwarf so never again. Open fine bred forget it...
 
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We prefer open mares. As a matter of fact unless she is squirting milk, we basically consider any mare we buy as open. We have our own stallions and prefer to buy mares to compliment those stallions for our breeding program. The other plus is that you can know your own breeding dates, know for sure all the paperwork has been filed, etc. Nothing left to guess if the previous owner did all the "jumps through the hoops".

Now having said that, if I got a chance at a mare bred by BLB, you bettcha! I would grab her right up
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