Remember, La Troienne was a Marcel Boussac "cull".
Bill
Need advice on buying first broodmare
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Bill from WA
- Breeder's Cup Contender
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- Location: Mountlake Terrace, WA
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geowarrior
- Leading Sire
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- Location: Spokane, WA
This is a fascinating thread. One thing I might add to all those points being made, is to start doing your research long before you think you may be ready to make your move. I second the notion that farms and stallions must be visited, but I found that there is a variance among those who will talk to you regardless of where you are in your breeding plan, and those who won't return your call unless you have your mare in the truck on the way to the farm.
One farm manager spent more than two hours talking to me, showing me around, giving me pointers about conformation, and how to evaluate and plan for hidden costs, having me look at the stallions, pointing out the construction of the barns and methods for cleaning them, among many other pieces of useful information, many of which have been alluded to here. I did not delude him about the fact that I was in an early stage in my research, but he simply figures that it is good business to help out and answer questions of anyone at any stage of the process. I explained the basic structure of my plan to him along with my objectives, and he made several very helpful suggestions as well as pointing out some drawbacks and hidden costs that I was not aware of.
Obviously not all farm managers can afford the time to make this much effort, but I think the more farms and horses and managers you see, the more information you will glean about breeding in general, quality control, value for dollar spent, and how much the farm actually cares about having your business. I think the latter is important because it will correlate with how much the farm will care about your mare when it is there. However, presumably there are managers out there who care too much about your business and might try to sell you on an unsuitable stallion - so independent professional advice is also going to be necessary at a more advanced stage of the plan (and I'm not there yet - I need to see way more horses and investigate many more state breeding programs, as well as build a more detailed financial plan).
One farm manager spent more than two hours talking to me, showing me around, giving me pointers about conformation, and how to evaluate and plan for hidden costs, having me look at the stallions, pointing out the construction of the barns and methods for cleaning them, among many other pieces of useful information, many of which have been alluded to here. I did not delude him about the fact that I was in an early stage in my research, but he simply figures that it is good business to help out and answer questions of anyone at any stage of the process. I explained the basic structure of my plan to him along with my objectives, and he made several very helpful suggestions as well as pointing out some drawbacks and hidden costs that I was not aware of.
Obviously not all farm managers can afford the time to make this much effort, but I think the more farms and horses and managers you see, the more information you will glean about breeding in general, quality control, value for dollar spent, and how much the farm actually cares about having your business. I think the latter is important because it will correlate with how much the farm will care about your mare when it is there. However, presumably there are managers out there who care too much about your business and might try to sell you on an unsuitable stallion - so independent professional advice is also going to be necessary at a more advanced stage of the plan (and I'm not there yet - I need to see way more horses and investigate many more state breeding programs, as well as build a more detailed financial plan).
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imnumberjuan
- Allowance Winner
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Good broodmares are not cheap or even reasonable to most. If you are interested in making money I think the best way is to by an older IN-FOAL mare (at a discounted price). Preferably to a good young second or third crop sire. Foal the mare out then sell her, give her away or make a foal share agreement with someone after weaning. Don't waste time and $ on her. You have already saved a year feed bill. Take the best care possible of the colt (I keep mine on full-feed with a high protein diet until they go into training). Religiously keep feet trimmed, de-worming schedule, and vaccinations up to date. Sell the yearling and do it again. DO NOT get attached to an old mare, she will only cost you $, let someone else worry with that. If the mare slips the colt before she foals, put her in the next sale. You must be willing to cull.