The "common" philosophy I've seen with horses is to breed the mares that most closely match your "ideal" to stallions that most closely match your ideal (because someone has already selected for the traits "you" want).
This kind of goes back to a thread earlier this year about breeding - I think the bottom line was that if you don't think your mare is pretty nearly perfect, you're better off buying a "replacement" than trying to breed one. To breed for sale, only breed mares with "popular" traits to stallions with "popular" traits (breed for the market, even if it isn't exactly your ideal).
It's pretty hard to start with a mare with a "lot" of faults (however minor) and breed up to "perfection" - would take a fair number of generations and since you don't really know how close you came til the foal is 4 or 5, you'd need to allow for at least 5 years per generation.
Jeanne White in Southern Wisconsin
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From: castlerockjacobs <castlerockjacobs@yahoo.com>
If you are breeding do you just work on one improvement at a time? or say could you pick a stallion that would produce a nonmealy, more toward the darker color with great extension and front hooves almost touching the rear in movement with a great topline and pretty face? If not I guess you would pick movement first?
Since breeding has dropped off because of the market I just thought a discussion on how you move to the standard would be interesting. And if some of us are making a decision for a certain use, how would we go about it? I am hoping everyone will pitch in here as well as some big breeders who see lots of get. thanks in advance. Victoria da Roza, Walnut Creek, Ca.
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