[nlk]

Soooo I am hoping to get nice and civil responses here. I have been going back and forth on starting a small hunter breeding program. I want to produce young stock that are going to do well in hunter breeding classes in their first few years but also horses that will make great performance hunters. I had a mare that I really wanted to breed but decided that she was a touch to old for me to comfortably breed for the first time.

So my search for my first broodmare brought me to breed leasing a friends mare that she has owned her whole life. The mare is 12 and has had 2 foals. She is a full TB but approved for RPSI and BWP. Her 2011 foal received a silver premium from RPSI.

She's on the smaller side ( 15.3hh) but has thrown 2 very large babies ( her Dam was also small but threw large foals). She has shown some in the hunters and did well but she has an old injury that prevents her from going above 2'3" now.

She has a lovely mind and personality and was a decent ride when she was working under saddle, not beginner easy but still easy.

So now I am looking for the perfect hunter stallion. I have a few local ones in mind but I really want to take a look at everything. I could use some help with suggestions.

TIA

Pic of mare http://s550.beta.photobucket.com/use...659e0.jpg.html

PS I have experience in the breeding industry ( managed a breeding farm and trained the dressage stallions) and the owner will be along with me on the process for my own first foal!!!!

[rosebudranch]

If your looking for another mare let me know, I'm looking to find a home for my mare, she's 12 as well, TB, proven hunter producer, RPSI PMB, she's due to foal in march and ill be looking for a place for her to go once she's weaned, willing to have her bred for 2014 if new owner wanted. She's a great mare, I just can't afford to breed next year and she needs a great home as she's a great mare. Just in case you were looking for more then one mare.

As for your mare, I'm new to the breeding thing with close to the same goals as you. But, it is important for you to determine what your mare's strengths and weaknesses are, then from there research stallions to find how they improve on mares, this will then help you decide which stallion you want.

To give you some amazon opportunities check out Leg up's auction to benefit the Marin HS, some very great hunter stallions rmbeing offered : apiro and escapade are two of my favorites.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

If my next comment sounds *itchy that is absolutely not my intent, but there are a ton of up-to-date "what WB stallion should I cross my TB mare to for a good hunter?" threads. Just do a search here and in the H/J forum.

I would come up a with a list and then maybe people can respond with pros and cons for your particular mare. Just a suggestion.

Also, who was her foal by and what needed improvement?

[rosebudranch]

If my next comment sounds *itchy that is absolutely not my intent, but there are a ton of up-to-date "what WB stallion should I cross my TB mare to for a good hunter?" threads. Just do a search here and in the H/J forum.

I would come up a with a list and then maybe people can respond with pros and cons for your particular mare. Just a suggestion.

Also, who was her foal by and what needed improvement?

Good advice

[Laurierace]

Are you super tall? She looks like a small pony in that pic? A cute small pony but a pony nonetheless.

[nlk]

Are you super tall? She looks like a small pony in that pic? A cute small pony but a pony nonetheless.

Lol my best friend who is holding her is tall. Me not so much. The mare sticks at 15.3. I think the angle of the photo is also off. From the ground looking up shot...

Thanks to everyone else.

I would like to add some height with her ( ) but given that she throws large babies I don't think that will be an issue.

I would like to see better balanced gaits. Her foal this year had really nice gaits breed to an ok stallion. So I'd like to breed her to a great mover and see what happens.

Ill poke around to see what I find. Thanks for the info!

[gabby.gator]

look at the leg up stallion auction currently taking place, there's some nice hunter stallions included!

http://www.legup-auction.org/cgi-bin...gory=stallions

[NBFarm]

I sent you a private message.

[rb5007]

Love, love, LOVE my 4 year old by Westporte. Moves like a rock star and has the best brain ever (which decidedly is NOT his mother's strong point). The only "bad" thing I could say about him is that he has been fairly slow to mature physically. He's jumping about 2'3" now with auto changes and a really round jump.

[Spectrum]

I would make sure to breed to a stallion with an extremely good hind leg who had a long performance career. That mare has extremely straight hind legs (or appears to in that photo). Personally, I'd look elsewhere, because if she passes on that hind leg you have a much higher likelihood of horses with soundness difficulties than with a mare with better angulation. Plus hocks that straight aren't going to do you any favors in hunter breeding competition.

Who was the mare bred to previously, and how did those babies turn out?

[mareslave]

doesn't the USEF have a hunter sires ranking list? I seem to recall finding out about a damsire in a sales horse that way.