In my line of work, breeding and selling foals, it's not at all uncommon to encounter folks who either purchase a filly from us with the intention of breeding in the future, or reach out about stud service for a mare they own. Many of these people are new to the breeding game and have exciting plans for their program and the foals they will produce and sell in the future. We're pretty new to breeding ourselves (our first *intended* foal was born in 2015) so I recall the excitement and apprehension of starting out quite well. I love what we've attained and while I'm far from an expert there are a few things I wish I had known going into things. With that in mind, here are 3 big-picture tips if you're just starting out!
Know what you enjoy and play to your strengths. There are SO MANY facets of horse care and it is literally impossible to be an expert at everything. To keep costs under control, we often take on a variety of different tasks but there will always be things that we cannot do ourselves. It's good to know what parts you enjoy and what tasks you're capable of performing yourself, and to have a plan for the areas that require outside help. For example, I have always been fascinated by the breeding side of animal care and have invested heavily in education and hands-on practice in order to handle that part of our operation. On the flip side, I am no trainer and often send horses to a friend who specializes in starting youngsters or providing refreshers to mature horses when needed.
Know that in the end, it's about the people! This may come as a surprise, as most livestock folks don't get into their chosen profession because they especially enjoy interacting with people. But the more time I spend breeding and selling horses the more I realize that ultimately it is the relationships that we build and the way we treat people that makes or breaks a program. Between marketing horses for sale, offering advice on all kinds of issues to past and potential customers, dealing with vets, salesmen, registries, and other breeders I find that much of my day is spent communicating with others- even if it's done in the middle of the field while attending to chores. As an introvert this can be a real challenge, but I firmly believe that there are direct ties between how you handle the people side of things and how your program is perceived.
Be grounded. One of the certainties of breeding horses is that there will be hard, heartbreaking periods. Of course, many days are full of excitement and wonder but if you spend any amount of time at all with horses there will also be days that threaten to crush you. It is vitally important to know why you do what you do, and to remember that a failure or loss does not define you or make you a terrible horse person. The tough days can be hard to accept, especially the ones that mean losing an animal that you love, but being able to recognize the deeper purpose behind why you got into breeding horses and take the bad days along with the good is vital to staying (a little bit) sane in the process.
So if you're just getting ready to start on the horse breeding journey... congratulations! There truly is never a dull moment. Ask questions, learn as much as you can from others (who have probably learned the hard way themselves) and be prepared for the unexpected along the way!
