Last two foals are here safely

[Deleted]

I can take a deep breath now. The last two foals out of the other two mares that were out on fescue pasture are here and healthy and both fillies! I know I was breeding for fillies but really, Silver ... 7 fillies out of 9 foals? That's maybe overdoing things just a bit!

Anyway, both are out of small pony mares, The gray mare is a purebred Welsh Section A mare that is also approved with one of the warmblood sportpony registries. Her filly is, not surprisingly, obviously going to be a gray although I will test for silver, she is a buckskin under the gray.







This filly is a smoky black (black with one cream dilute gene) and is also going to go gray  and I will need to test her for silver as well, but she will be staying with me as her dam is the last daughter of my foundation Connemara stallion I have. I will breed her back to Silver, in hopes of getting a filly that is smoky black + silver and not gray, but until I do, I will deal with the gray and be happy to have a Stormy grand-daughter to continue on with.





I had forgotten over the last few years just how much work foaling 9 mares could be. I didn't breed at all for a few years while I was downsizing and then the last 3 years, just one or two foals a year. I'm going to make some changes in the way I did things this year but won't breed quite as many mares this year, I don't think. Looks so far like eight ... four to outside stallions with shipped semen and four to the stallions here.

[mollymckee]

It might be work but it's got to be satisfying to look at all those darling fillies!

[aoconnor]

Oh my, oh my! What lovely little girls you have:-) I would LOVE to have 9 babies bouncing around here at the same time! The most I've had was 3, and that was so much fun:-)

Congrats all the way around:-) Good job!

[Deleted]

Oh, my gosh, how beautiful!

[motdaugrnds]

sfm those are beautiful horses. I've always loved horses yet never owned any.

I'm curious as to what you do with your horses. Care to share?

I'm also curious about something else. A few years ago I was visiting a forum and there was a poster with a similar "sfm" user name who raised LGD (live stock guardian dogs), specifically Sarplaninacs. Are you that person?

[Deleted]

Jun 19, 2015 13:48:32 GMT motdaugrnds said:

I'm curious as to what you do with your horses. Care to share?

A few years ago I was visiting a forum and there was a poster with a similar "sfm" user name who raised LGD (live stock guardian dogs), specifically Sarplaninacs. Are you that person?

First, no I've never raised LGDs. I did raise/train/show Rottweilers for over 20 years, but quit breeding in the early 90s and lost my last home-bred Rottweiler the year after I relocated to KY, in 2000.

With the horses, used to ride a lot, didn't do a lot of showing, but grew up on a working cattle ranch and worked for ranches riding and rode a lot just for pleasrue and putting miles on green horses. I don't ride here in KY because for someone raised in MT cattle country, there is no place to ride. Our farm here is about 17 acres and there isn't anyplace to ride off the farm except on narrow paved roads with idiot drivers, so I pretty much quit riding. I started out originally breeding warmbloods for dressage and jumping, sold the foals as weanlings or yearlings mostly, as at that point I didn't feel comfortable starting young horses as I was in my 50s then. I've downsized from the big warmbloods to mostly sportponies now, but still breeding for dressage and jumping/eventing and selling the foals as weanlings. Some of the ones I've bred and some that have gone on to do something in the show ring are posted on my website at www.stallionstation.com/kaleidoscopefarm/outandabout.html

I enjoy the breeding, following bloodlines and planning crosses that are closer to my 'ideal' than what I've got plus enjoy the babies and the early handling. Used to love riding and training green horses as well but have learned to live without that as old age and old injuries have made that an option I no longer have.

[motdaugrnds]

WOW sfm, I loved looking over your site. Your horses are beautiful and I especially enjoyed those stills taken of the jumpers. I've always loved horses and use to ride at a friend's place when in my early 20s; however, I've never owned one of my own and, with my place being only 6 acres, it would be foolish to get one now.

Glad you're still getting to enjoy breeding and raising those young ones. Sorry your health stops you from doing all you use to enjoy with them. Thanks for sharing.