BREEDING CHOICES   The Goal   An ideal foal! It should be healthy and active. The foal should be friendly, alert, and curious.  It should have straight legs with no knock-knees or bowlegs in front. It should not be cow-hocked or sickle-hocked behind. It should not be tied in below the knee. It should never be back at the knee. A little over at the knee is quite acceptable - often it gives the horse better movement. Standing in front of the foal, you should be able to mentally drop a straight line through the center of the leg, through the center of the knee, through the center of the cannon, through the center of the hoof, to the ground. Almost all foals will toe out a bit when they are born because their chests and bodies are not fully developed yet, however, you should still be able to tell if they are basically straight. The upper arm should be over the center of the knee; the knee should be over the center or the cannon. The leg should not bend outward at an angle from the knee. You should see the same thing from behind. Young foals are often a little close in the hocks because they don`t have any muscle tone when they are first foaled, but you should still be able to see the essence of straightness. There`s a difference between being cow hocked and not having muscle tone yet. The thigh should sit over the center of the hock and the hock should sit over the center of the cannon. The knee and hock joints should be large and flat. The cannons should be comparatively short and with good bone. You should be able to see a good sloping shoulder and a nice wither. The foal should be well proportioned, even with the long legs of a foal. It can be hard to evaluate the topline in a very young foal, as many of them are born on the 'slim` side, especially 1st foals out of maiden mares. Although the young foal`s neck often looks a bit short, it should still come forward up out of the wither, rather than rising up from the bottom of the chest. Even in a foal you should see a large, kind eye. Once the foal is a few days old it should present a noble and athletic appearance.   So, how do we get there?   Let`s start with the Mare. Genetically, the mare contributes 50% to the production of the foal. In fact, the mare contributes much more than 50% to the development of the foal. You`ve all heard the talk when people 'go bad`. Was it the genes, or was it the environment? Remember that the mare raises the foal. I have seen gaited mares bred to non-gaited stallions and produce a gaited foal. I have seen non-gaited mares bred to gaited stallions produce a non-gaited foal. The foal watches its mother and learns from her. The foal learns how to eat grain, how to eat grass, how to drink water, how to eat hay AND how to interact with humans!   So now that we`ve decided what we want in a foal, let`s take a look at our mare. Even from a very nice mare you can have a foal that is really bold and challenges you. Why would you ever want to breed a mare that is too difficult to be ridden, who bites and kicks on the ground, tears off bucking or bolting - or both - under saddle. I`ve heard many people say, “Oh well, we can`t ride her. May as well breed her.” Why would you ever want to breed Miss Nasty and get a foal that won`t let you approach it, who will hide behind Mum, who won`t let you near her without danger to life and/or limb - by the mare or the foal - or both? Why would you want a foal that learns from day 1 not to trust humans? The only answer may be, and I repeat MAY be, that Miss Nasty has absolutely fabulous bloodlines - and I mean the best in the world, not some long lost bloodlines that someone is trying for some obscure reason to preserve (there may be a very good reason why some bloodlines were lost). The mare would have to have a conformation to die for, and be at the top level of competition in her field.   Well, now, wait a minute. Let`s look at that last item - top level of competition in her field. If she is that difficult to handle and to ride, how could the rider ever focus her well enough to be at the top level of competition in her field? There is a class of horses that are known as 'professional`s horses`. They are usually a bit too hot for the average amateur, who rides an hour a day, 5-7 days a week. They are often eager at their job. They are often very forward. They are often very, very smart. They are often very handy. They are often very sensitive. They are often just a bit too much for the average amateur. These are the Olympic or WEG champions. These are the winners in the International Scene. Hmmmmmmmmm. I don`t see the words difficult, mean, nasty, uncooperative, and unable to focus in there. There are many more amateurs of varying levels out there riding horses, from kids doing trail rides to some very good amateurs at very high levels of competition than there are professionals. I can`t think of anyone who looks for a difficult, uncooperative horse to ride. I know of lots of people who like a hotter, sensitive horse with a bit of spark. There`s a big difference between the two!   So, you still think you want to breed your mare. Let`s look at some of the factors that should enter into your decision as to whether or not to breed her. First of all, does she have a good disposition? We`ve all heard of mare owners who say that there mare is so nasty, or mean, or evil that they can`t ride her. They say that no one can work with her on the ground without being kicked, bitten or struck. They say the only thing left to do with her is to breed her. Is that a good decision? Obviously, not all mares pass their disposition on to the foal, but if you have a mare like this you should take a long, hard look at your reasons for breeding her.   We`ve talked about some things we don`t want to pass on as far as temperament is concerned. You also don`t want to breed a mare with major conformation flaws. The mare should be a good example of her breed. She should have a large, noble frame. Even a pony mare can have a large noble frame, just in proportion to her overall size. She should be straight and correct with a well laid back shoulder and a good foundation. Her neck should rise up out of the wither. She should have a good topline with a good saddle placement area and a good wither. She should have a big, kind eye. She should have a nice disposition. She should be a good mover. She should have good, proven bloodlines. We`ve talked previously about Performance Testing for mares. They should be tested either by examiners in a Mare Performance Test, or in competition. They should be able to handle the stress and excitement of the show grounds without significant fuss. Wait a minute, this sounds very much like the description of an ideal foal. You see, there is a connection!   When we look at the stallion we should see many of the same things, only with the stallion they should all be better. If the stallion cannot improve on the mare and continually improve the breed, he should not be a stallion. Very good stallions make excellent geldings! The stallion should have credentials. I can`t imagine breeding my good mares to an unproven stallion. Young maybe, started in training or competition maybe, but loafing out in the pasture, maybe occasionally going for a trail ride. Not for me. Stallions can affect so many foals. In general, a mare can have 1 foal a year. With embryo transfer, maybe 2 or 3. Many of the WB stallions in Europe breed 400 to 600 mares a year. If you`ve made a mistake in choosing which colt to keep a stallion and you breed even 20 mares a year, you`ve made a big mistake. A stallion must show, either by Performance Testing or training and competition, that he has the character, the disposition, the athletic ability and the trainability and rideability to be allowed to remain a stallion. If not, he has no business being a stallion. In addition to all of this, he must be a good match for your mare. It is best to breed type to type. If your mare`s neck is a little short, look for a stallion that has a reputation for putting a longer neck on a horse. Some stallions throw very leggy foals. If your mare is a little short or blocky, but otherwise good, look for a stallion that throws leggy foals. But don`t make the mistake of breeding a very small mare to a very large stallion. Don`t breed a mare with a weak front end to a stallion with a weak hind end - you may wind up with a foal with a weak front and hind end. Stallions can only fix so much. Start with good stock with good dispositions and good athletic ability. The fact that the stallion can jump out of his paddock is not proof that he has athletic ability. He has to be able to jump around a course of jumps, under saddle, with no run outs, no refusals, and under the control of the rider. He has to be able to do a nice dressage test without jumping into the judge`s box. Don`t laugh, it has happened. I heard of one horse that was brought to a show under a new owner and rider. The judge was seen to cowering in the back of the judge`s box for the entire ride. When the test was over and the rider approached the judge`s box on the way out of the ring, the judge was heard to hear saying to the competitor, “Thank you for keeping him in the ring. I`ve judged him several times before and he`s always jumped into the box.”   Breed the best to the best to have the best chance of getting the best. As always, good luck in your breeding endeavors.   Sheila O`Keefe   Home page