BREEDER’S POINT OF VIEW By Gigha Steinman
Improving the Bottom Line for Small Breeders
A
t one time, “build it, and they will come” was the motto for breeding and selling Warmbloods, Iberians and other sport horses. Today most of the small breeding operations
in North America struggle to financially operate “in the black” or break even. Reasons for this range from a downturned economy with too much supply and not enough demand to a lack of quality offspring or poor marketing. Four years of a sluggish economy has taken its toll on all breeders, and small breeders (those producing five foals or less per year) seem to be the hardest hit. Many of them are re-evaluating their business plans and looking for new ideas to help their businesses thrive. I found a group of small breeders (like myself) who are succeeding in spite of the odds, and here are some of the ideas and advice we have to share.
Minimize Costs One of the keys to surviving a slow economy is to reduce your expenses. You may have to be creative, physically work harder or sacrifice a few luxuries, but it can also keep your breeding business from going in the red. Seigi Belz-Fry has been breeding Warmbloods for almost three decades and owns and runs Stall Europa in Waterford, Virginia. “I hear some small breeders say, ‘I need this, and this and this’ talking about hiring stall muckers and grooms and farm help,” says Siegi. “No you don’t! It may sound harsh, but I say, work harder and save your money. You can do a lot of the labor yourself. I’m the chief cook and bottle washer here. You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice and you can’t be a princess.” Anissa Cottongim owns and runs Emerald Acres in Alford,
Florida. She agrees keeping costs down is crucial to breaking even with her breeding program. She is able to keep her expenses down by having her own farm and no barn help. She’s also learned to do her own vaccinations and inseminate her own mares in order to save money. People are usually shocked to learn I lived in a tiny apartment in
my barn for nearly five years while I invested every penny into my farm to build my breeding program. But the sacrifice paid off in the long run, and I don’t regret a second of it. The consensus among successful small breeders is that breeding is a hands-on, daily dose of hard work, unless you’re wealthy and aren’t worried about profitability.
Evaluate your Mares Every good breeder agrees on the importance of quality broodmares. Terry Schrubb and his family have been breeding Warmbloods for seven years at their Page Brook Farms in Hollis, New
96 January/February 2013 Stall Europa’s CosmoS.E. (by Sir Donnerhall) and his dam, Natuur.
Hampshire. “In real estate it’s ‘location, location, location,’ and with breeding it’s ‘broodmares, broodmares, broodmares’,” he comments. Breeders must be willing and able to evaluate their mares and
foals honestly. There is no shame in culling a mare from a breeding program. One breeder’s cull may become another breeder’s best broodmare. And mares which aren’t suitable for breeding may still find useful careers as riding horses. Marion O’Connor owns and runs Cocolalla Creek Sport Horses in Idaho and is fairly blunt when it comes to broodmares. “If you have five mediocre mares, sell all of them. Use the money to buy one nice mare instead,” she advises. Siegi, who was the KWPN’s Breeder of the Year in 2007, echoes
similar remarks. “My first advice to breeders is to buy the best possible mares, even if it means you can only afford to buy one or two of them at first.” Quality broodmares can be expensive. “If you can’t afford
the quality you want, you may want to consider buying older mares,” Siegi continues. She also suggests mentoring and making connections with experienced breeders, as you may find opportunities to acquire quality mares which aren’t being offered for sale to the general public. This economy has also made it easier and less expensive than ever before to acquire a nice broodmare, especially an older one. Marion offers another perspective as she prefers to buy younger
mares. “By buying younger mares you can get a couple of foals from them and then later sell the mares either to another breeder, or if they don’t work out as broodmares they are young enough to go on to a career as riding horses,” she notes.
Seigi Belz-Fry
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