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Breeding Miniature Horses
Breeding animals of any kind requires a combination of dedication, experience
and skill. Breeders need to be capable of capturing the fine balance between
maintaining the pedigree value of the breed without tampering too much with the
power of genetics. The breeder will have to be entirely confident in the
knowledge that they have brought together a set of "parents" who will be capable
of producing the highest quality stock that will produce first class examples of
the breed they are perpetuating.
Breeding miniature horses as a hobby can be fun as well as a way of making
sure that, at least around the breeder’s family and friends, there will be a
constant source of this friendly pet. One has to bear in mind that people who
breed miniature horses just for pets, need to provide the proper environment for
them to live. There are not many people who can provide this kind of environment
and for that reason most people who breed miniature horses do so to make profit.
People who breed miniature horses professionally do not do move into this
business on a sudden impulse. They chances are that they will have some kind or
background that involves horses or breeding and at some stages the two pieces
have come together, to create a miniature horse breeder.
Breeding miniature horses, under the best possible scenario, is not a license
to print money. The pitfalls are many, the market has it limits and there is a
thin line between success and failure. For that reason you will find that there
a few relatively successful miniature horse breeders spread around the World,
and many more who have faded into the annals of miniature horse breeding with
their fingers slightly burnt.
As in any business, in the business of breeding miniature horses, success
brings more success. If a breeder has gained a strong reputation over the years
for breeding healthy, well developed foals that have been well taken care of,
their reputation will be such that buyers will go looking for them. Especially
in these times where the internet has reduced all the geographical barriers that
once were. Professional breeders, who have achieved this kind of reputation,
will be capable of selling their foals fairly quickly, thus preventing the
necessity for feed and care till a buyer comes along. These costs will fairly
rapidly cause that foal to become an on cost and its profit value will
depreciate from day to day. These are the reasons that there are very few
successful breeders and many more who have failed to succeed. Another key to
success for a miniature horse breeder is to have their own breeding stock, and
not to farm out their breeding. These factors affect the profitability of the
exercise considerably, and again breeders who do not have the capability to
produce a regular flow of top quality foals "in house" will also find it
difficult to compete. If anyone were to ask what is the secret in breeding
miniature horses the answer would need to be dependant on whether they are being
bred for pleasure or profit. There is a very strong difference between the
two.
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