POV
to more established, successful breeders. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice! Most breeders I know (myself included) are happy to share their knowledge and offer advice. Sometimes input from another breeder can be invaluable. They may be able to look at your website and recommend a few tweaks which could make a huge difference. Or they may be able to look at your mares and recommend which ones to breed and which ones you may want to consider culling. They might even suggest new and different stallions which might be producing more marketable offspring. Perhaps your foals are overpriced and a more experienced and unbiased breeder can help nudge you in a more realistic direction.
Anissa Cottongim and her mare, Emerald Fire (Oskar II *Pg* o/o Encore by Frankly Diplomatic xx)
It is also common for breeders to keep the nicer fillies from their
own breeding programs, sometimes selling their dams instead. Now could be a great time to evaluate your fillies and see if you’ve got one you’d like to keep, and it could also be a great time to pick up a nice proven mare from a breeder who has chosen to sell her in favor of keeping her daughter. I’ve used all three approaches in my own breeding program,
having purchased broodmare prospects as young as weanlings and as old as teenagers, and I recently sold a proven broodmare and kept her filly as her replacement. Whichever approach you take, the role of the mare is undeniably important and these options can help breeders acquire the nicest mares possible without going broke in the process.
Multiple Sources of Income Many successful breeders are active in more than one aspect of the horse industry. Marion, for example, became more involved with training as her breeding business slowed. This was a win-win for her as she was able to save money by starting her own young horses and she was able to make up for lost breeding income with training income. Working and staying active in multiple aspects of the horse
industry can also help keep a breeder informed and alert to new opportunities. In addition to breeding, I also do training, lessons, stallion campaigning, writing, appraisals and I have an active role in a horse registry. This way when one area of the business is slow I can pick up the slack in another area. I also feel like it helps me stay informed on a myriad of aspects of the horse industry. It’s important to stay in tune with the market and avoid the dreaded “barn blindness” (thinking your horses are nicer than they really are).
Reach Out to Fellow Breeders New or struggling breeders may also find it helpful to reach out
Marion O’Connor and the Hanoverian Hochkarat, her foundation mare, competition partner and soulmate.
Warmbloods Today 97
Breed Less, Breed Better A slow economy and lower market demand means breeders can also no longer afford to breed just for the sake of breeding. “There is no more market for mediocre—those days are over,” Marion remarks. Her biggest piece of advice to breeders is to breed less and breed better. The old truism “quality over quantity” applies now more than ever. “It’s simple economics,” she says. “We have too much supply and not enough demand, and the market for mediocre horses has been hurt most of all. Breeders shouldn’t be ashamed to cut back and only breed their best mares.” Some breeders are finding themselves with increasing numbers of young horses in their barns, as a few years of slow sales begins to catch up with them. Yesterday‘s weanling is suddenly now old enough to be started under saddle. This can be a good
Courtesy Marion O’Connor
AliciaFrese.com
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