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SheWolfMustang27 · Dec 2, 2019 8:26 AM

My barns are about equal with alters to intact. I try to only breed every other month to let mares either level off or age out. I know I've heard a ratio of alters to intact that generally works. Is that the best way to go or is it more for having older or younger horses? How do you best decide what to keep intact or alter? I have a lot of potentionally good stallions but havent comp tested yet. S+ is my main project with KP being a smaller side project that is semi-incorporated to my S+. Comparison testing is a slow process for me but I do all other testing and have mostly A/Blue papers with a random Star/Gold and anything below gets snipped. Is there something else I can do like selling off alters? How do you decide what alters to sell? After a year I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of this lol.

Humboldt · Dec 2, 2019 9:44 AM

I'm super strict with who gets kept intact. My barns are at least 2/3 show ponies.All testing is utilized. I only keep superior to sire colts. Mares I am a little flexible with but they must paper equal to or higher than dam. I have comparison tested some.

Genes must carry down the line for me. For example, If a foal missed the sire's watercolor, they get snipped. If both parents are het for Satin, the foal must be homozygous or it gets snipped. I have plenty of breeding years to get what I want.

Forestshadow · Dec 2, 2019 11:56 AM

I now generally only keep show stock that are 4th gen or higher. I don't keep 2nd gen show stock any more. 3rd gen show stock, it depends on PT score.

Bandit1119 · Dec 2, 2019 1:07 PM

Historically a 3 altered horses for every intact breeding horse covers the breeding and barn (buying more barns to hold foals) fees for each mare.

I always altered inconsistent foals but stopped selling them off years ago. Now my barn is huge and I’m working to reduce the size I have started in the last few months to sell off my SBA altered or inconsistent foals.

If you just have young horses then they may take a while to start being profitable and earning their keep especially if they have higher PT scores.

I’m currently working on comparison testing all of my mares and have got down to my 4 year olds and 3 year old studs and below not tested. I only keep superior and snip all the rest no matter what genes they inherited.

Like humbolt I have a strict gene inheritance policy for each of my lines. The foal must inherit whatever special gene that line is based on. I breed Grullos so I also require all of my studs to be EE aa DD.

For my KP line I also require foals to have 2 kit mutations. I also only mark the KP horses that I know are het (kp) or homo (KP) and my kp horses foals don’t get marked to be included into the kp herd until they have proven they carry kp (either by being KP themselves Or having a visible KP foal)

SheWolfMustang27 · Dec 4, 2019 8:05 PM

Thanks for the input. It will be a work in progress for me but I think I can make it work now. Much appreciated.

SheWolfMustang27 · Dec 4, 2019 8:24 PM

Now I have another question. On comp test of stallion #2 he has 5 intact Colts that paper the same and are as good as he is but have .10-.40 higher PT score. I know they are het KP since he is Hm KP. Thoughts? Should I leave them intact? Tia, again.

Kintara · Dec 4, 2019 11:18 PM

The higher PT score just means they could be better show horses, nothing to do with breeding. Personally I would geld them and wait for a superior colt

Forestshadow · Dec 6, 2019 12:02 PM

I geld colts that are only aga their sires. They make nice show horses.

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