Breeding B Part 1- The Post That Turned Into A Novel (Sorry!)

Following up on my New Years goals, we're planning for a foal!

I know it's early days, but I am just so freaking excited. The realist in me knows that maybe my big scheme of having a foal in 2022 will work out, maybe it won't. Last year our plans were put on hold due to the pandemic, this year, who knows. I live quite far from everything so we'll definitely be affected if there are any restrictions in place - I'm planning for B to go live in Vancouver for a little while while the vets (hopefully) work the magic. Part of me wanted to just update things once there is some real progress and the pony is in foal, but I like the idea of just documenting everything in real time, for better or worse.  I'm a total newbie to all of this so taking notes is a good thing.

I know some of you will think I'm crazy to breed, some will be excited. If you're the former, please be assured I've been thinking on this for years, have got multiple professional opinions and it's not an impulsive decision. I've taken in a few rescues and bought a few projects and while I'd never discourage anyone from doing either, I don't think it's for me anymore. I kind of want what I want these days. As far as purchasing the little Welsh D of my dreams, I've been looking for years and not found anything as fun and sensible as Bridget. I don't think people sell those ones. Of course you know I bought Sophie a couple of years ago to one day fill Bridget's shoes, but I'll just be honest - I love Sophie, and I think I'll have a lot of fun with her, but I regret not just breeding Bridget then.

In the wayback time machine, a 5 year old Bridget, this must have been one of our first rides.

ANYWAY.  Now that we've decided a foal is hopefully going to be a thing, the next big decision is choosing a stallion.

You might remember this was a plan last year, so I had already planned and discussed things with the vet and some experienced breeders a year ago. Then Covid happened and it was honestly a bit of a relief because I was still undecided between a couple of different stallion and vet options.

An extra year to think on things (plus the experience of starting Sophie) really helped me clarify what I'm looking for.

I know B looks chunky and clunky, but like so many Welsh D's she's actually quite athletic. But, when I was looking at similar types to her I couldn't find anything available to Canada that had much of a competition record or training beyond what she has. It's important to me the stallion has some kind of moderately successful ridden career, because at the end of the day I want to ride! Bonus points if it's got a prettier neck and shorter back than B and can jump a little too.  North Forks Cardi was an obvious choice, but delving into that a little more and asking some opinions from people I trust, he and Bridget are just a bit too closely related for comfort.

Apparently I don't take conformation pics of B, but you can see she's not got the most elegant of necks.

That got me looking at some pretty fancy warmblood and TB options. Some of the stallions I was looking at actually had Welsh Cob crosses on the ground and they are absolutely incredible, fantastic looking prospects. In a case of it truly being a small world, Sophie's breeder had one and was the top scored foal in NA. So, that option was (and is) pretty darn tempting.

I do love a bay with a white blaze tho, let's add that to the wish list.

As I was chatting with breeders, though, I kept coming back to the fact that I've realized while it's fun to ride those sharp, forward thinking, extravagant movers who need a job, I am the person who is equally likely to want to noodle over to the lake bareback in a halter and might spend an hour ride just walking and chatting with friends. I'm not really in any sort of program, my work schedule is weird, and there are times I can barely keep up with the averagely sharp thinking and nicely moving baby Sophie :)

About as wild as she gets.

I think what it boils down to is what I've known all along - that B is really more than athletic enough for me and my dressage and low level eventing goals, is a perfect all arounder for me, but she's lacking the work ethic/drive to be consistent moving up further, at least competition wise. I'd be more than happy with a Bridget 2.0, but a Bridget with a bit more go and a bigger desire to please her rider would be epic. I really don't think I need to prioritize the huge modern moving dressage pony/horse end of the stallion spectrum. If I was thinking future resale, the fancy small warmblood stallion would be a no brainer, but since this is just for me a trainable, willing mind is key and I'm not averse to cobby pony types :)

Anyway, we are nearing the end of this novel.

 I finally made a decision. In my quest to make a Bridget 2.0, I've ended up choosing this guy:

Stibby! They are of a type and height, so a better than average chance I'm just going to get another sporty round pony in the 14.1-14.2hh range. Probably with a cute white nose too - priorities, everyone :D He's got a super competition record and work ethic. He's still going strong at 19, which is nice - soundness and longevity are good things! I got excellent feedback from everyone I talked to about his temperament, and I really liked the video and descriptions from those who know him. They make him sound like a more trainable and motivated Bridget which really sold me - I like her, quirks and all, so I suspect I'd like him since it sounds like they've got a lot about life that they'd agree on ;) It's not going to be the trendiest, fanciest foal, but I have a really good feeling about my decision.

Finally, I've got to give a huge shout out to all the breeders out there who were completely honest with me re: their stallion's temperaments and what they tend to pass along. They could have easily told me what I wanted to hear. I was all over the map this past year with Welsh Cobs and German Riding Ponies and Thoroughbreds and warmbloods and a couple of breeders really went the extra mile to discuss it all with me. I felt really intimidated to chat with some of them because I'm really so unknowledgeable and am a nobody with a pretty average mare as far as breeding sport ponies goes, but everyone was so kind and helpful. No one ever made me feel like I was wasting their time with questions. 

Moving on to step 2 - I've got a bit of paperwork and veterinary appointments to sort in the next couple of months! This is all a little nerve wracking for a newbie, but fingers crossed the end result will be well worth the effort.