b'SMALL-SCALE SUCCESSunwanted, she says. They are all fairly priced, and well hold onto them and invest in their training until we find the right buyer. Other small-scale breeders are raising foals for their own performance program because breeding a mare and raising her foal offers an opportunity to replicate a prized competitive partners traits. And it allows riders to be involved in every step of a young horses development and training. Thats why Amberleigh Moore, of Keiz-er, Oregon, has been breeding a handful of mares for her barrel racing program for the past 20 years. When youve created, raised, and trained a foal, you know what youre getting, and youre not inheriting some-one elses problems, says the two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, who has won more than $750,000 with her current mount CP Dark Moon, aka Paige.Moore and Veley are just two examples of small-scale breeders doing things right. KENT SOULEIn this article they and their veterinarians will share the secrets to successful small Amberleigh Moore breeds a handful of mares, including CP Dark Moon, shown here, for her personalbreeding programs.barrel racing program.Matchmaking Many people dont realize the invest- Although its often less expensive to buyBreeding two horses was once based ment it takes to get a mare pregnant, de- than to breed, the industry needs breed- largely on geographical convenience. liver a foal, and raise the young horse toers to produce quality foals for buyers. SoFrozen semen, cooled semen, and now performance age, he says. The reality isestablished breeders must consider eachembryo transfers have made top-notch that you can buy a really, really nice horsefoals future, too.bloodlines more accessible to breeders that is already trained for less than that.besides those in the Thoroughbred racing When new clients ask Ryan Ferris,industry (who must breed via live cover).DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, owner of SummitWe never breed With such ease of access to semen, Equine, in Newberg, Oregon, about re- more horses than wematchmaking is based as much on bal-production services, he asks them aboutancing a horses strengths and weaknesses their intended use for the ensuing foal. are willing to supportas it is picking bloodlines. When Moore Most of my clients have bred a horsefor their entireselects a stallion, she looks for one that before and understand the responsibilitycomplements her mare. of owning a horse, he says. If they arelifetime. I have one mare that is smaller, so for a novice, I ask them if they are going toher Ive picked a stud that has a little bit TRICIA VELEYraise the foal for their own show career ormore bone structure and muscle, she riding enjoyment, or if they are planningsays. on selling it. We never breed more horses than weWhen Veley plans breedings for an If the client plans to sell the foal, he en- are willing to support for their entire life- upcoming season, she looks at the courages them to research the going pricetime, if need be, says Tricia Veley, whooffspring from the previous seasons and for horses with similar futures. Searchingowns First Flight Farm, a 40-acre facilitydetermines whether she wants to improve sales ads for horses in the same competi- in Boerne, Texas, where she specializeson any of their attributes. In some cases tive discipline with comparable lineagesin breeding quality dressage and hunter/ shell repeat the same cross. can offer a reasonable estimate for whatjumper prospects. She typically breeds 10I stay away from flash-in-the-pan that foal could bring. to 12 mares a year and also provides foal- trendy younger stallions, she says. I want the client to have a positive ex- ing services for other breeders mares. When I use younger stallions Ill look at perience with breeding, and this is a partWe dont fire-sale or bargain-pricewhat their sires and dams have done. Its of the planning process, he says.our horses; thats when horses becomealways important to remember that even 18November 2018The Horse | TheHorse.com'