It is 2014 and it came in with a blast for us in the corner of SW Missouri. The wind was so strong it not only over turned one of our run in sheds....it landed about 20 feet from original site. Pins would have helped...hint hint!
If you have a mare to breed now is the time to start thinking about next year! With five foals due this year, we will be looking at the result of time spent planning a year ago. I thought I would share my thoughts along with the process from our perspective and perhaps it will help you.
We have a gorgeous black stallion, 13 year old Talbot's Sparky. He was imported as a weanling so we had the best opportunity to train and observe. He and the other stallion, Talbot's Cracker, were a bit like night and day, but good in all ways. Over the years we have bred both to each of mares and evaluated the resulting foal with a critical eye. In addition, we made several trips to Ireland, England, and Wales to look and learn as much as possible.. These trips were so beneficial we made a decision to follow their example...good conformation is good conformation. I look at all horses with a critical eye holding it up to the age old standards. GVHS solidified their breed standard as time went by enabling us to hold our observations up to a printed standard. In addition they began to hold training seminars for judges but invited owners and breeders to participate....we did. I share this because you will never live long enough to know all there is to know about the things you are passionate about. For us it is the horse we call the Gypsy Vanner.
Back to five.. yet to be.. young foals.....Two mares, our big mares or Lora and Lucy as they are so named, were bred to Sparky. We have not failed at any time to be extremely satisfied with this cross. True heavy boned, stocky, well put together offspring. Each in it's own way better than the sire and dam....that is what you are looking for...to improve on the best in both parents.
We also trucked two mares, mother and daughter, of Tom Price breeding to West Hill Ranches to be bred to the beautiful palomino stallion, Simon. The other, Lady Teagan was bred to buckskin hunk a hunk, Falcon. Having been at WHR and observed these stallions in live living color...I knew they were excellent picks. Conformation wise, both mares and both stallions have a lot going for them. top that with some great color genetics and we should see some gorgeous babies in a few months.
The last mare bred is our little Helena's Sarah, also imported with Midget mare and Tom Price lines from ten years back. She was bred to the Midget Stallion, now standing at LexLin. Both mare and sire are under 14 hands and will no doubt have a lovely smaller gypsy.
We consider conformation first and foremost. Next, came disposition, I cannot stress that enough. This breed's development was centered around around strength and disposition out of necessity. Use was a bigger factory for the older breeders than looks and a crazy horse wasn't safe or acceptable. We keep true to this always... always. Top it off with the best conformation achievable and you have an animal that will, given proper care, be healthy and happy the rest of it's life.
If you fail to check teeth, you may produce foals with severe dentition problems that are genetically passed along. If you breed for hair without thought to disposition, you may have a hairy devil. If you breed for color with out thought to conformation, you may have a really pretty horse on crooked legs. You see where this takes you. So give it a lot of careful thought and good luck from one horse lover to another. Happy New Year.
If you have a mare to breed now is the time to start thinking about next year! With five foals due this year, we will be looking at the result of time spent planning a year ago. I thought I would share my thoughts along with the process from our perspective and perhaps it will help you.
We have a gorgeous black stallion, 13 year old Talbot's Sparky. He was imported as a weanling so we had the best opportunity to train and observe. He and the other stallion, Talbot's Cracker, were a bit like night and day, but good in all ways. Over the years we have bred both to each of mares and evaluated the resulting foal with a critical eye. In addition, we made several trips to Ireland, England, and Wales to look and learn as much as possible.. These trips were so beneficial we made a decision to follow their example...good conformation is good conformation. I look at all horses with a critical eye holding it up to the age old standards. GVHS solidified their breed standard as time went by enabling us to hold our observations up to a printed standard. In addition they began to hold training seminars for judges but invited owners and breeders to participate....we did. I share this because you will never live long enough to know all there is to know about the things you are passionate about. For us it is the horse we call the Gypsy Vanner.
Back to five.. yet to be.. young foals.....Two mares, our big mares or Lora and Lucy as they are so named, were bred to Sparky. We have not failed at any time to be extremely satisfied with this cross. True heavy boned, stocky, well put together offspring. Each in it's own way better than the sire and dam....that is what you are looking for...to improve on the best in both parents.
We also trucked two mares, mother and daughter, of Tom Price breeding to West Hill Ranches to be bred to the beautiful palomino stallion, Simon. The other, Lady Teagan was bred to buckskin hunk a hunk, Falcon. Having been at WHR and observed these stallions in live living color...I knew they were excellent picks. Conformation wise, both mares and both stallions have a lot going for them. top that with some great color genetics and we should see some gorgeous babies in a few months.
The last mare bred is our little Helena's Sarah, also imported with Midget mare and Tom Price lines from ten years back. She was bred to the Midget Stallion, now standing at LexLin. Both mare and sire are under 14 hands and will no doubt have a lovely smaller gypsy.
We consider conformation first and foremost. Next, came disposition, I cannot stress that enough. This breed's development was centered around around strength and disposition out of necessity. Use was a bigger factory for the older breeders than looks and a crazy horse wasn't safe or acceptable. We keep true to this always... always. Top it off with the best conformation achievable and you have an animal that will, given proper care, be healthy and happy the rest of it's life.
If you fail to check teeth, you may produce foals with severe dentition problems that are genetically passed along. If you breed for hair without thought to disposition, you may have a hairy devil. If you breed for color with out thought to conformation, you may have a really pretty horse on crooked legs. You see where this takes you. So give it a lot of careful thought and good luck from one horse lover to another. Happy New Year.
No comments:
Post a Comment