# what to breed my mare to?



## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

rowan_red said:


> I want to breed my mare again next spring and I don't know what to breed her to! The foal will most likely end up staying as my horse so I was going to breed her to Percheron stud and get a big baby. I have decided that maybe I should think about breeding her to something else since I have a Belgian draft, a big Perch x, and possibly a big Clyde x already. Tia is a 12yr old, 16hh dark brown Perch/Quarter horse x mare. She currently is my smallest riding horse. I thought maybe a nice tb and get a more athletic version of my quite heavy mare or a Quarter horse. I ride english and western so I am versitile with what build I want in a horse! I bred her three years ago to a 16hh perch/paint x and got a taller leggier grey out of the breeding. Tia carries a weak grey gene as she is infact a very very very slowly greying horse. Her father greyed just as slow but her grandfather greyed quicker, as is her 2yr old son. i will get a grey no matter what I breed her to.
> 
> I wouldn't mind other peoples opinions on the subject to give me something to think about. I have until next spring to find a stud.
> 
> Thanks, Meg


There are TONS of crosses on the ground that are available to be bought so IF you breed it should be for a purpose and the selection of the stallion should not be just because you want a bigger horse, you can buy one of them.

You seem so random in what you want that I suggest you sit down and list the pros/cons of breeding and EXACTLY what you really need. Then see if you can buy those specifics and only then look at breeding for them.

Just a note...there is no such thing as a "weak" greying gene. You either have it or you don't and if your horse has not greyed out at 12 it isn't going to happen. Your horse could be a minimal sabino and white hairs showing up late is not unusual.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Good reply, Spyder.


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## rowan_red (Aug 9, 2008)

I am not a moron that is just going to go out and breed my mare to some random stud on a whim cause some person ona forum shouted out a bred, or to get a bigger horse! I was simply looking for peoples opinion on what they would bred her to if they had the option. The stud that I was supposed to bred her to this year was suddenly gelded after an accident and I was unable to the Perch stud of my dreams. After that happened it opened my mind to the possibility that maybe I should bred her to a light horse stud and get a more versitle athletic horse seeing as I currently only have drafts and draft crosses. There is nothing wrong in asking others peoples opinions while I am searching for a really nice stud. Maybe someone else will think of a breed that I hadn't considered and I will end up finding a gorgeous stud after looking into that breeds studs in my area. I am versitile in what I am looking for in horse seeing as I don't show and I ride englich and western. I would just go out and breed her to a stud that I don't like the conformation and tempermant of let alone one that isn't even a breed that is going to contribute to what I ultimately want to use the horse. I joust with my horses and currently I got three big jousting horses and would love something I can you know take to reining clinic, pick back up with my english lessons and then head to the mountains. Rowan my Belgian takes up half of four horse trailer, and we go to clinics but you can only do so much reining with 2000lbs of lazy draft horse before you start wishing maybe you had a more energetic athletic horse. My mare has joint problems from a previous injury years ago and after talking it over with my vet we decided that if I am going to bred her I shoud do it in the next year or two before pregnancy causes to much discomfort. Spring is half a year away which gives me plenty of time to go out a research different studs in my area and find the right one. I am well aware that there are plenty of foals on the ground ready to be bought, but I want to get a foal off my favorite mare in the world before she is retired not only from riding but from breeding as well. She has only had one foal and he is my moms horse, I would love to try and preserve so of that Tia-ness that I love in a foal that I can enjoy for years to come. 

This is why I hate forums. Everyone assumes you are an idiot and talks to you as if you are a confused 5yr old. 

By the way there are many different types of greys. And yes you can pass one certain grey characteristics from generation to generation. Most greys start with the face, "goggles" around eyes, muzzle, and then ticking in the tail. That is how at first glance you tell a young grey from a roan, roans heads usually dark, greys usually start on the head. My mare is off of a registered Quarter horse mare, and a registered Percheron stud. The stud passes on greys, and they genetically tested him because when he hadn't greyed out at 15 they questioned his breeding and thought he may be off different sire or dam than were on his papers. But no such luck he is a grey out of those parents. My mare, her siblings, father, grandfather, and her two year old colt however start greying from their flanks. Not a grey hair on their head, in their tail, none. It is a less common greying pattern but it does exist. My mares sire at 22yrs old still like "dark slate" dapple grey and is just now really starting to grey out on his face. My mare a 12 has started getting grey ticking on her left shoulder, tail, and chest, when up until her last shed she really only had a fair amount of white hairs on her flanks. You have to be up close to even see that she is a grey. My two year old started in the flanks as a foal and at two still has not a single white hair anywhere on his face, neck, shoulder or mane. He acquired some ticking at the base of his tail this spring though. So there actually is in fact more than just simple old grey, and certain characteristics are passed on weaker in some cases and stronger in others! Sorry!!

Everyone just ignore my stupid question and I will just go find some random big ol' stud and make me real big baby!

I asked for a opinion an what breed characteristics would mesh well with my mare to make a nice all around versitile horse, not to have my ethics and intelligence critiqued!!


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## Mira (Aug 4, 2008)

Wow, defensive much? Spyder was only giving you suggestions and trying to be helpful. I didn't see anything in her post that should be taken offensively, so really, just chill out.

I am in total agreement with Spyder. There are plenty of horses out there that I'm sure fit the criteria you so desire, aside from your mare being the dam. If you're dead-set on breeding your mare, do what you want. I suggest not getting snippy at people when they are trying to _help_ you or offer you advice in a friendly manner. It just makes you come off as rude and not somebody that most people would choose to associate much with. :wink:


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## Fruitloops (Jul 23, 2008)

No one has been rude, or judgemental to you. They are simply giving out VERY sound, constructive advice. No one here thinks that you are unintelligent or don't know the difference between X and Y. By getting so riled up and defensive, you make people not want to post and give advice in fear of being pounced on. Chill out and take it all with a grain of salt. 

I agree 100% with Spyder. 

Is she Registered? Honestly, there is not much of a market for a Quarter Horse/ Percheron/X. You have to think about what happens if one day you can't take care of it, or something happens and your forced to give it up. What then? Are you positive that she will have somewhere else to go? Will she be marketable? 

As for studs, if you are dead set on breeding her, really try to honestly evalute her. Write down a list of all her conformation/performance/disposition/bloodline pro's and con's and then look for a stud that would compliment her and balance out her faults (eg: if she has a long back, look for a stud with a shorter back that is PROVEN to throw foals with short backs).

It's really hard to find a stud that would compliment your mare without having pictures that show off her conformation- standing square on flat, hard ground. 

She looks like a very sweet girl


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