You Can Buy One Cheaper!

Hmmm.  

That's an interesting thought now isn't it?

This is the question that was asked by a friend of mine when I told her that we were going to breed a mare this year.

I may or may not have alluded to the fact that Chad and I have been tossing around the idea of breeding Horse Girl.  Ever since Easy resurfaced its really been a topic of conversation here at our little place.

So we decided it's now or never...or something to that effect...

I shopped for a stallion in various disciplines that I thought may be an asset to Horse Girl's bloodlines.  Horse Girl is bred for halter.  She was on her way to being a jam-up gaming/barrel horse before she started burning out and then ended up with a broken ankle.  She has a great western pleasure trot and lope.  She was also started in hunter under saddle.  She looks great in an English Saddle.  She has a lot of thoroughbred on her top side and several "old school" all around Quarter horses on her bottom side...

What to do?  Who to choose?

We chose this guy.  

Why?

A few different reasons.

1.) I really don't think you can go wrong with the old blood lines.  These horses were bred to hold up.  This stallion has clean legs, is sound for work today, has a great top line, and looks 10 years younger than he really is.  All the things that he should be when you look at his bloodlines.

2.) You just can't find a horse bred like this any more and I want to add speed to this baby.

3.) This horse is know for throwing babies with kind, willing, and trainable attitudes.

4.) I loved him as soon as I saw him.

5.) His filly to colt ratio is 70-30%...  (0:

6.) He is affordable.  Age and no babies performing at super high levels (right now) have his stud fee pretty low.  And I think he really offers pretty good bang for my buck.

Colt or filly, this baby stays here...  As Chad's horse.  Of course my butt will be on it far more that Chad's, but for all intents and purposes, it will be Chad's horse.

Solid or colored I don't really care.  

Secretly though, I'd like a bright sorrel filly with a bald face, three high whites ( just enough white for regular registry), and two blue eyes with eye liner (if the white is over the eye..).

Mindy would call that a cow faced horse, she has NO love for a bald face...but love me a bald faced horse!  (0:

So really.  Would it be cheaper to buy one?  I'm gonna blog it, track it, and be totally honest about it ALL.  

My costs on the road to Chad's foal.  Honest penny for penny costs.  Both direct- stud fee, vet expenses, etc...and indirect (what I consider indirect..) fuel, lodging (travel), etc.

Then once the foal is here, I will try and shop one or two that are similar...and we will see just how much the price difference is.  I will include indirect costs on the "comparison" foal...i.e. traveling to pick up the foal... 

Now there is no real way for me to do price comparison on auction/sale foals because there is nothing close enough to me to make it easy...  (0: 

Of course you can't put a price on the experience of making a foal...but let's see if Stacey's right... 

Stay tuned if you care to find out!  (0: