I bought a mare on New Year's!

[duckluck]

Quote:
Well, at least you tried. These people who "don't want to be bothered" should never bother about breeding anything either, since it's such a bother to bother about the animal's heritage and legacy of their bloodline. The ancients of the desert and the people in Spain who brought the horses to the New World sure did care about what they bred and the tracking of those pedigrees, and it's a shame these crossbreeders have to be such a disgrace.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I agree. I have to wonder if the former owner, or the owner before that, is just looking to have their palm greased a little...I have obtained papers and pedigree info before on horses who supposedly did not have any by putting the word out that I was willing to pay for such info, and I'm never shy about making a pest of myself about such things once the animal is safely home. People who have already sold an animal are usually keen to see if they can get more money out of it after the fact. She sure is a looker!

 

[welsummerchicks]

Sure they might provide breeding info for money, but how much money? It's usually not a few hundred bucks! Do ask, and do hold up cash, but don't be shocked.

In any case, there are registries that accomodate such offspring, no I don't know which ones.

As for 'dressage queens wanting mountain size horses', well, it's probably not that simple. The dressage gaits and conformation tends to appear in some of the taller breeds because those breeds have been selected for a long time with those traits and gaits in mind. Plus, some people just like the feeling of riding a taller horse. I ain't complainin' if I ain't payin'.

In any case, it's very difficult to find any horse that can advance up the levels in dressage, and that conformation is very hard to come by, in any breed or size. Smaller horses aren't necessarily more flexible and such. But since our Pan Am Games team horse was nearly pony size last time, and there are a great many smaller dressage horses that are very successful, I wouldn't assume that any horse is rejected by any dressage rider based on size alone.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Quote:
She is a gorgeous mare in her own right. Forgive me for asking, but why is the first thing everybody asks about a mare is "are you gonna breed her?" or "who are you gonna breed her to?" Why does nobody seem to appreciate a mare for herself alone and for what SHE can accomplish? Do we really need more grade horses/ponies?

How big is she? Large enough to carry an adult? I'll bet she'd be a fantastic ride! She looks built for dressage. Lordy but she's flashy enough if she has the right confirmation. Welsummerchicks, whaddaya think--is she built for dressage?

She has the kindest eyes!

JMO

Rusty

 

[patandchickens]

I don't think her neck is unusually cresty for a half-Andalusian mare, they're built kind of different than other horses.

How tall is she though? I would have guessed maybe 14.2 ish from the pic? Unless she's a LOT smaller I'd have serious reservations about breeding her to a 10h stallion. With more than 2 (or so) hands difference in height between the parents you tend to have a substantial chance of a "mix n match" offspring, with some parts real big and other parts real small. Particularly since even part Andalusians seem to pretty reliably throw big bodies and long/substantial necks, which you would *not* want on wee short thin shetland-and-mini-sized legs/feet. Of course *sometimes* crosses between very different sized parents can produce harmoniously constructed foals but IME the opposite is really quite common.

Just a thought (although perhaps she's really a lot smaller htan she looks?),

Pat

 

[onthespot]

No, she is the size she looks. 14.2-15.0 ish. I bought this mare specifically to breed to this pony. I have been looking for nearly a year, all over the country, and in the several thousand range, but turns out the horse I liked best was a half an hour away and cost only $750. I put an ad on craigslist with pics, asking for info... Chances are that horse has never traveled fifty miles from where she was foaled I bet. There is also the California Horsetrader, and Horseman's News I could run some ads in those. Who knows... time will tell. Maybe someone, even a friend, or a shoer or vet will recognize that horse and contact me. In any case, it will be a while before she is bred or ridden. Her feet were pretty long, and she is still kinda chubby, and needs some time to settle in to her new digs. I may change her "digs", depending how she does here. She may have to be out in pasture to be really happy.

 

[patandchickens]

Well, good luck with it. It's a pretty significant gamble IMO.

If you change your mind or decide to breed her a second time, I think she would go REALLY REALLY well with a good Welsh pony or Welsh cob, much more compatible size- and proportion-wise and in terms of cancelling out weaknesses.

Best of luck,

Pat

 

[onthespot]

Truth is, I don't like the hindquarters on most welsh ponies, and a lot of them look low in the back to me, and very heavy necked as well. Not sure I would want to double up on a heavy neck, and this mare has a nice hip, even though it isn't shown well in the picture. I wouldn't want to get an apple butted baby. Don't like that look for myself. I also don't see a lot of different angulation or proportion on her and the pony in question. He might clean up the neck some, might not. She may shorten up his back some, may not. Besides that, they are fairly similar in angles and proportions. He is just a lighter, smaller version of her frame, to my eye. No different that crossing arab/andalusian, or QH/TB to me. Time will tell, and no big $ output to find out. Free breeding, and I was going to feed her for a year anyhow. The only cost would be a palpation or two, and AI fees.

My QH will cost nearly two grand to breed with shipped semen, that's with discounts, free first shipping, no chute fee, and if everything sticks the first time. That baby will cost more when it hits the ground than two or three of this other cross. Also, I have andalusians around I could breed her to for cheap. I looked, and I just don't like any of them as well. If I did, I could do embryo transfer, but then I'd have three babies coming next spring. No thanks. Plenty of time to research Andalusians if I want to go that route next year. I'm pretty well sold on this pony for now. If the cross goes poorly, I will not repeat it, you can be sure of that.

 

[EweSheep]

Onthespot, you have a good goal for this mare. You do have good points and bad points on the mare and stallion she will be bred to. I would love to know what the cross is going to be like and I am not fond of chestnuts however I love bays...liked the Arthur stallion in the website.

Let's hope for the best and see what this baby can do! Please do keep us posted on the progress on the mare and how she rides.

Personally, I love refined oversize miniatures and Shetlands, not the coarse kind. I'm thinking of a "clone" of Rowdy, if you know who I am talking about!

(the foal, that is!)

 

[onthespot]

Well crum. my ad got flagged and deleted off craigslist.