Making Your Mark  

As we get closer to the end of the year, many mare owners are asking themselves if they should breed their mare next year. In today’s economy and over-breeding situation horse owners need to make sure they are making the right decisions.

Pedigree

Any mare being bred should prove her worth. Just because she has one or two nice horses in her pedigree is not a reason for her to be bred. Yes there are stories of an unknown mare and stallion creating a spectacular foal but for every one of those there are thousands of mediocre ones.

Genetic Testing

If your mare is a stock horse, have you had her tested for all of the genetic diseases. All mares should be tested/cleared for known Quarter Horse genetic defects such as HERDA, PSSM, HYPP and OWLS. When deciding on a stallion, ask for copies of their tests as well. If the stallion owner does not have results make sure that you add that to the equation – would you be fine with an N/H baby? Or a lethal white?

Physical Health

Make sure that your mare has been thoroughly checked by your vet. Make sure that you have a uterine culture so any infections can be taken care of prior to breeding.

Expenses

Breeding a horse is expensive. Stud fees range from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. Beyond a stud fee there are collection fees, chute fees, ultra sound charges and vet farm calls. If using shipped semen don’t forget to add in shipping costs. Assume that each cycle will cost you $250-500 over and above the actual stud fee.

Veterinarian costs

Expect your vet costs to increase dramatically from your regular costs. The vet will need to examine your mare regularly. Ultrasounds will need to be done to make sure your mare is not carrying twins. There are also extra inoculations your mare will need while in foal. Assume that your extra veterinarian costs will be a minimum of a few hundred dollars.

Effort

Foals are very cute but they take lots of time. Halter training, handling, and all the other necessities need to be done on a regular basis. Once your foal has grown the cost of training needs to be added to your expenses.

Adding it all up

After going through the list of costs take a good hard look at the numbers and ask yourself = can I buy EXACTLY what I want for less than the cost of breeding it. If the answer is yes the please consider doing just that. Each year dozens of mediocre foals are born and many of them end up in low end auctions headed to the Canadian and Mexican border to be slaughtered.

In today’s economy it is imperative that you show smart. Many people are trying to decide how to continue to show with a smaller budget.

The first thing to do is determine if you want to be a weekend warrior or point to a few prestigious shows. Make a decision and stick to it. The other determining factor is points. Do you need just a few more points to finish a Register of Merit or Superior? If your horse in enrolled in any breed or specialty incentive funds or state programs such as the Quarter Horse Incentive Fund or Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund (KYBIF) every point your horse earns puts money in your pocket. It also increases the value of your horse should you ever wish to put it up for sale or if you own a stallion increase the stud fee.

If you enjoy showing every weekend perhaps you look at some of the local saddle club shows as they have payback classes that can help pay for expenses. You also can offer to band or braid other horses. This will not hurt your Amateur status and can help pay for your show. Y

Find other Amateurs and split a hotel room, bring a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks. If you are adventurous bring a cot and sleep in the tack stall. You can save a ton of money and stretch your dollar.

Also take some time to look at the trends of a show. If a show is 100 miles away but has cheaper fees and more horses it is probably a better show for you. Some shows are now offering discounts or free meals. Again this can help you squeeze that extra show into the schedule.

For more articles on the Quarter Horse, visit The Quarter Horse Quarterly!

For Quarter Horse and other breed shows, Showmanship is a class where every extra bit of polish can set you apart. The current trend is to show on a drape, which means your horse is not cued by the shank or chain, but by your body language.

One of the easiest things to train your horse to do is back up. I had issues with my mare when I started her in Showmanship was a correct and energetic back. I used a modified Natural Horsemanship method to create a relaxed, correct and crisp back.

In order to achieve a good back you will need to spend at least 5 minutes a day at least 3 or 4 times a week for probably a month. At first all you are trying to achieve is to give your horse the understanding that when you are in place and move towards them that they need to match the speed that you are moving in reverse.

I use a long lead rope or a lunge line to start. DO NOT use a chain, just snap the lead under your horse’s chin and stand in front of your horse to the side of them so you are not directly in front. At first I was about 7-8 feet away when I started.

Simply wiggle the rope and start walking towards your horse, I make a ‘ssssssss’ sound. As I got closer the wiggle got bigger and if she did not move backward by the time I was within 3 feet I would throw my hands up and stomp. At this your horse should run backward. Make sure to follow the horse but then stop and give them a release by you stopping your forward motion at them and they slowly stop backing and will then stand.

Give praise and walk them forward and repeat. Soon anytime you wiggle the rope they will begin walking backward just from that cue. If they are not moving fast enough then try a simple stomp or just lift your left arm as you walk to them – the point is DO NOT allow your horse to have no consequences from not responding. Make them understand when you ask to back and they ignore you that there WILL be an action.

Until your horse is really comfortable ignore their body position, but as they get more comfortable they should begin backing straight and their body language should be quiet. Remember it is important to not jerk, pull, hit or do anything to make a back anything but a release from the pressure of your body language.

Once they get comfortable you can them start working towards backing not just in straight lines but in turns as well. Your final product will be a crisp back with a relaxed horse and no visible cue. You will definitely be adding to the difficulty of your pattern and should help elevate your overall score,

The best part of this is that the technique can be used for many purposes – I use it now for even the foals to teach them when the rope wiggles that they need to back from the pressure. It comes in handy.

Check The Quarter Horse Quarterly for more Quarter Horse articles.

Years ago selling a horse included putting an advertisement in a publication and wait for calls. Today with the Internet, many new avenues are available to selling your horse. Once you have chosen where to advertise and picked out a price you need to write your advertisement.

When writing your advertisement make sure you focus on the positive, but don’t over embellish. If your horse would make a nice hunter but has not been started over fences then make sure to say they are a prospect. Your horse is a nice horse but it cannot be a 17 hand jumper and a 14 hand cow pony. You my lose a real buyer when you try to make your horse everything for everybody.

Don’t forget to include any extras benefits your horse has, like breed or specialty incentive funds or state programs for which your horse is eligible.  These often will add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to a final sale price.  One such program is the Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund (KYBIF).  If you have horses for sale in Kentucky, then this should definitely be listed.  This also applies if you have Kentucky Stallions eligible for KYBIF.

Make sure that you research your horse’s pedigree. Some breeds require you to pay a few dollars for a report but it is usually well worth it. While being well bred is not the end all, it does give a buyer a good idea of the horse’s potential. Having a show record or being related to successful horses will enhance the appeal of the horse and help you sell quicker and for a better price.

Years ago trying to sell a horse meant placing an advertisement in one of the major publications then wait for the calls to come in. Today with so many people with Internet access, many new avenues have opened up and are available to assist in selling your horse.  The major benefits of online advertising are shorter times to market, less restrictions on who sees it (mot just magazine subscribers), and better ways to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.  Below, we’ve presented some things to keep in mind when starting online marketing of your horse.

Know Your Audience

Take the time and look through the different websites that advertise horses for sale, and find the right one where your horse fits in. For instance, don’t try to sell a cutting horse on a website that advertises jumpers. Conversely, don’t decide to place an ad for your Grand Prix jumper in the local paper.

Free is not always free

Many websites offer free ads and some like Craigslist do a good job of helping local people sell local horses. However, on the major advertising websites, it could be difficult to get people interested in viewing text only ads or advertisements without pictures.  Offering ads with full color, and good resolution images, will go much further than just text.

The Price Right

Pricing your horse correctly is one of the important factors. Many times, if you over-price the horse in the beginning, you end up selling it for less money than if you had just priced it correctly to begin with. When determining price make a list of your horse’s positive qualities. Are they enrolled in any incentives like the AQHA Incentive Fund or APHA Breeders’ Trust, are they Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund (KYBIF) eligible?

Once you have a list of their features take the time to review the other ads that are already out there. Find ten good comparable horses, check their prices, and then decide on your listing prince and final selling price.

To get an idea of what comparable horses are selling for, go to KyBIF Only and see what’s listed there.