# breeding a standardbred



## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I have a 5 year old standardbred that retired from racing between 2-3 because she couldn't make track time. I use her for some light work around the homestead. I would like to raise a foal from her, but I don't want to breed her to a standardbred, I would like something a little more rugged. I was thinking of breeding her to a morgan stud. Would that be a good cross? would there be a better one? I do know someone that has a hyfinger stallion, would that be better?


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## OakHollowBoers (Jun 26, 2013)

It would be cheaper and easier to buy what you are wanting. It is expensive and without guarantee to breed. Plus, there are lots of horses out there already.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

I think either the Morgan (if he is he older, foundation type) or the Haflinger, if he is the draft rather than the riding type, would work well. They would be the first two breeds I would consider for a cross of this kind.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

OakHollowBoers said:


> It would be cheaper and easier to buy what you are wanting. It is expensive and without guarantee to breed. Plus, there are lots of horses out there already.


I have no doubt at all that you are correct. But I have raised one foal in my life, and I would like to raise another one. I know that they are a lot of work, and patiences and expense.............. But they are a lot of enjoyment, satisfaction as they learn new things, and satisfaction as I learn new things. 

I think I would be just as happy and accomplish all of those same goals by buying a bred miniature horse and raising that colt........... But I think there are more abused minatures in the world than big horses, and what would I use the colt for??? But it would be cheaper!, if that is the only factor.


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## rod44 (Jun 17, 2013)

Around here the Amish breed them wih a Perchon. Gives a nice all purpose sized horse that will stand up to some heavier work and you get a calmer additude.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

Wow, Would they not have a problem foaling when bred to such a large stud? The mare can handle the weight of the stud when breeding or do they use a crate or something like with pigs?


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

While it has been done, I personally would not cross a draft stallion with a smaller mare via live cover. For a draft cross, ideally the mare is the draft. 

In Wisconsin, Standardbred/Morgan crosses are a dime a dozen. The Amish breed them all the time.


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## rod44 (Jun 17, 2013)

They don't seem to have a problem with it.


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## 1sttimemom (Mar 1, 2005)

Yes the morgan and standard bred actually share some historic bloodlines and do usually cross nicely. Standardbreds are usually quite nice horses & more calm and stout build that the average tb. We used to retrain lots of them to ride when I was a kid in California.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

What can miniature horses do? Any kind of work at all???


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

In Wisconsin, Standardbred/Morgan crosses are a dime a dozen. The Amish breed them all the time.[/QUOTE]



Do they use them as driving horses? or as light work horses?


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

minister man said:


> What can miniature horses do? Any kind of work at all???


If they're well built -- no club feet, not dwarfed -- they can pull a surprising amount of weight, for a surprising distance. Particularly if you have a team. And you can keep them in a smaller space than a full size horse. 

I've seen a few that were broke to ride and use for childrens' mounts, too, but there are varying results here. Adults generally can't ride them, so they're usually either broken to ride by the child in question, or an older child. Personally, I'd rather put a kid on a really, really, well broke older full size horse than trust them to a pony that's barely green broke.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

rod44 said:


> They don't seem to have a problem with it.


The Amish also don't have a problem with using their horses as objects - they are well known for poor horsemanship/husbandry. When one of their horses inevitably breaks down, it is sold for slaughter or even put on their own dinner table.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

Well the thing is, raising another foal is on my bucket list.......... I will have to take some time to think about it some more. I don't want to breed/raise something without a plan for what purpose it was raised. I have no desire to raise a colt for someone else.


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

minister man said:


> In Wisconsin, Standardbred/Morgan crosses are a dime a dozen. The Amish breed them all the time.
> 
> 
> 
> Do they use them as driving horses? or as light work horses?


They use them as driving horses and for whatever else they can do. They use drafts and draft crosses for heavy work.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I wish I lived near some amish people. That would be something to see....... and all the things I could learn about horses


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

minister man said:


> I wish I lived near some amish people. That would be something to see....... and all the things I could learn about horses


In my area, the general rule is to avoid Amish owned and trained horses. I'm sure that isn't the case with all Amish tho.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Here in KY there are several Amish communities nearby. We buy our hay from a non-Amish farmer, but he's bordered by an Amish community and we patronize the Amish harness shop and the farrier there. By far the best broke horse I've seen since I moved here 15 years ago was Amish trained, the Haflinger mare I traded for a number of years ago. If I were going to have something trained for my own use, the first people I would talk to would be the Amish ... just like the riders that trained green horses for me in MT were cowboys ... they are people that grow up working with "working" horses.

The Amish are no different than any other farming/ranching community ... some are good with livestock and some are not so good, just like the ranching community I grew up in. They do consider horses livestock, not pets, just like the ranchers I grew up with, but they are also a necessary part of their life. Like the responsible ranch people I knew, their animals are well cared for and not abused, as they are what provides much of their income ... thin, uncared for animals do not bring good prices for slaughter and thin, neglected horses are not able to do the work effectively. Yes, you have to check, just like you would with any trainer ... there are good and bad trainers anywhere you live.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

You can buy a draft colt for 650 bucks and raise it yourself if you want to raise a colt. Perhaps the emotion of seeing a colt born, that rarely is seen, outweighs the cold hard fact that to many colts are being born and such overproduction fuels the horse slaughter business.
Pay a stud fee and may or may not get her in foal. Extra feed. Chance of losing the mare during foaling. Reduced use of the mare late in her pregnancy and while she is nursing. Clearly there is no money in breeding horses, but it must also be remembered that there is a lot to go fatally wrong, too.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

The advantage to breeding your own is that you know the mare and the mare's disposition and a foal will pick up a great deal of 'learned behavior' from the dam. A foal you purchase, unless the person you buy from is a neighbor, doing the same kind of work with the sire/dam as you're doing and you can observe the parents actually working, you really don't know what kind of disposition you will be getting.

Yes, you can pay a stud fee and not have a foal on the ground, but most stallion owners have a live foal guarantee, you can breed back if you don't have a foal. Also, I've been breeding horses a long time and have never lost a mare foaling, only had to call a vet for assistance with foaling complications twice in probably 40 years or more. There is always some risk, horses seem to look for ways of injuring themselves sometimes, but that is true of all horses.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

If you've raised one foal successfully and you know what you are getting into and want to, of course, go for it. Sure there is risk, but you are not entirely uninformed. It sounds like a drafty Morgan could give you a great work horse - if they are common around you its because people like and use them most likely. You know that, if it is bred for a purpose, well raised and well trained, it will have some value, if not, then probably not worth much in any case.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

You asked about minis. Miniature donkeys and horses are used to pull carts. You can move a lot of weight if wheels are involved. People who ride often can&#8217;t as they get older, and they will move to carts. You can find trained mini horses and donkeys for very little. Miniature horses are also used as seeing eye guides.


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## MSP (Aug 24, 2005)

Another option would be to buy a foal or adopt one from a rescue. This way you see what you are getting. It would most likely be a cost savings to buy one rather than breed and then you are also providing a foal a home. 

There are so many horses needing homes right now I would encourage you to go this route.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

MSP said:


> Another option would be to buy a foal or adopt one from a rescue. This way you see what you are getting. It would most likely be a cost savings to buy one rather than breed and then you are also providing a foal a home.
> 
> There are so many horses needing homes right now I would encourage you to go this route.



I know that the adoption idea is well meaning but not something I totally agree with. I do understand there is a surplus of horses but the surplus lies in poor to mediocre quality. I'm often left to wonder why it is assumed that I should accept the mediocrity that someone else churned out in their back yard rather than the exceptional foals I have produced over the years. 

I'm not saying the OP should or should not breed but when one intends to breed for their own use, it seems to indicate he had a long term goal and that's a lot more than the messes that people expect us to adopt for working horses. 

It is costly and time consuming to raise a good foal and take it to the point of being a good using horse but there is also a rewarding experience as well.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

wr said:


> I do understand there is a surplus of horses but the surplus lies in poor to mediocre quality. I'm often left to wonder why it is assumed that I should accept the mediocrity that someone else churned out in their back yard rather than the exceptional foals I have produced over the years.


Exactly. I get very tired of defending my choice to breed and know, within reasonable limits, what that foal will be able to do, rather than accepting a foal from a rescue with an unknown, unproven and probably mediocre pedigree/background that may or may not have the ability to do the job I expect from them.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I completely agree with SFM and mr about breeding my own foals for my use rather than rescuing. I am an all-breed horse rescue myself and have taken in a few babies, but none I would have purchased intentionally for my own use. Breeding my own foals insures I will know the temperament and probable health issues of the foal, rather than the crap shoot of taking someone's un-planned, poor quality mistake and trying to make it work for me.

Don't get me wrong, some rescued babies are well bred, or can be trained into what you want, but not all of them can.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I agree about _adopting_ a weanling, but certainly not about buying one. Do your research, know what you want, and buy it. One problem with the pregnancy or foal and you have way more money into a home bred mare than you would if you bought a weanling/yearling. 

I also have no problem with breeders that are producing good stock, the "backyard" people that breed indiscriminately I have a huge problem with. They are just producing crap to flood an already burdened market, and the result ends up starving/dying of neglect or in a rescue.

I have no problem with horses being humanely shipped to slaughter in Canada where there are regulations, I do have a problem with shipping to Mexico where are there none. The US needs to reopen the slaughter facilities here.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I have decided not to breed my mare. I bought her as a retired 3 year old off the track, already trained to drive. If I decide to get a team mate for her I will just get another one.


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