Hoo Boy Online

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.

The light is green for the Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund (KYBIF), an exciting new way for Quarter Horse breeders to ride out the economic challenges ahead. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash awards are being distributed to Quarter Horses in showing and racing. This is expected to give Kentucky-bred Quarter Horses many advantages to help lift up the entire horse breeding industry.

This program is not limited to Quarter Horses who live in Kentucky or participate in show or racing events in Kentucky. The horses only have to be conceived or foaled in Kentucky. All AQHA-sanctioned events are open for the program. An owner of a horse in this program can compete in events all over the country and earn points towards their year-end awards. With more lucrative programs, people have more incentive to buy a horse and compete.

If you’re searching for a KYBIF Stallion, then check out the new KYBIF Only website that caters only to Kentucky horses.

The American Quarter Horse are known as the World’s Fastest Athletes. They have some outstanding distinguishing features such as great sprinting speeds over short distances, strong well-defined muscular bodies with a broad chest and rounded powerful hindquarters. This horse was designed for performance and race. They are sure to give everyone a run for their money in competitive racing as well as being a prized breed at many showpen events. They are also the world’s most registered horse breeds with over 3 million American Quarter Horses entered into the breed registry.

In the 1800’s, when the Westward expansion of the United States was underway, many people decided to use the already introduced and feral breeds that existed to cross breed with the Colonial Quarter Mile horse. The result was a quick and hard working cow horse that became extremely popular with ranchers throughout settlements. With time, these horses were refined for their best characteristics and used into cattle steering and eventually more advanced equestrian activities throughout history. Ranch horses such as these were then used in higher society as well as races, taking advantages of its natural and distinct talents on the racetracks.

The Quarter Horse is bred today to preserve a pedigree of excellent lineage. Pedigree bred horses can be obtained from various sources and can have their lineage traced back at least 4 generations. It is generally easy to obtain a pedigreed Quarter horse, as it is a very widely bred horse worldwide. The breed is used extensively in show, races, reigning, cutting livestock sport as well as a frequent rodeo competitor. Many people still own them for ranching as well as to keep them as family horses to enjoy for many years. Developments in breeding techniques allow for more of these beautiful horses to actively be bred today. More people want to breed this horse because of its outstanding track record for all of its eligible event opportunities as well as its ability to perform outstandingly well as a ranch horse.

For more information on Quarter Horses, please visit The Quarter Horse Quarterly. An industry leading online magazine and classified ads dedicated to the Quarter Horse!

We have just unveiled our new web portal with rave reviews of our online quarter horse magazine. We have used cutting edge technology and a Web 2.0 philosophy to create a dynamic website that is easy to navigate and offers a one stop shop for our users. We are building the premier equine community where people can meet and share their love for the American Quarter Horse.

Since our (re)launch, our traffic has hit the roof. In the last 7 days we have surpassed the traffic rankings of most equine websites including the breed specific websites. We are ranked on the front page of Google and Yahoo search engines! We have visitors from over 40 countries, so we are truly a global equine community! We are alsoin the process of rolling out a new and innovative classified ad marketplace that can be viewed in seven languages, to offer additional opportunities to our global market.

During these tough economic times part of our goal is to assist the Quarter Horse industry. We continue to offer competitive rates for advertising in our quarter horse magazine, as well as other ads. Contact us at The Quarter Horse Quarterly for more details.

The Quarter Horse Quarterly website recently received a major overhaul, and now sports a new look, plus new features. The Quarter Horse Quarterly is the premier online publication available for all things “Quarter Horse”. It also provides an interactive forum, and marketplace for the entire equine community.

The website and the online magazine specializes in the management of services and marketing for your breeding farm, quarter horse stallion, or simply an individual horse. Whatever your level of involvement in the equine community, The Quarter Horse Quarterly will have something of interest to you daily!

The website is designed to promote the open sharing of information. Therefore, the promise made to the visitor is this:

• Listen to what the equine community is saying and respond to those needs.
• Establish trend analysis to take advantage of peak demand to market your horse.
• Provide relevant and accurate information in marketing trends.
• Maximize your marketing dollars by reducing your advertising expenses.
• Provide premium logos and banners to spotlight your farm or horse.

To advertise your farm, product, or horse, go to The Quarter Horse Quarterly today!

The new website was provided by JAS Designs, offering affordable custom web design to the equine community!