i know this doesnt go in here but my cuz need ** help.

[Pinto mad!]

hi i need breeding suggestions. my cuz would like to breed her andulusion to a black, gray, or sorrel. thanx

[Kanuma]

will you please stop cross posting!! it is tres annoying!

[Arabesque]

I don't think there's a forum I HAVEN'T seen this in! Getting dizzy... :D

[Pinto mad!]

but u guys r the only people i know who to ask! i just need help and there wasnt anybody giving me ideas so ya. sorry

[chev]

I'll reply to this once, and then go edit all the other versions :mad: . Please don't cross post. In future I'll just delete the lot rather than spend my time clearing all the threads up.

First question is why you want to breed her. She needs to be a really good example of her breed before you contemplate breeding ('she's really sweet isn't a good reason!). You need to look also at what you want to breed (and not particularly colour either - colour is the worst reason for choosing a stallion or breeding a foal). Do you want an Andalusian stallion? Or are you looking to cross out to something else?

Are you looking at covering her naturally or using AI? All that will have a bearing on the answers you need. :)

[Pinto mad!]

sorry nobody was getting back to me though! sorry. western breeds so quarter horse...

[chev]

What has the mare done? What does she want the foal for?

Any answers to the other questions yet?

Better still, any pics of the mare?

Choosing a stallion isn't just about finding one you like; it's also about trying to match him to your mare in both type and way of going (Andalusian x QH sounds like a strange cross to me; you'd have to be careful that the combinaton of such different types and ways of going didn't result in a weak conformation in the foal) so what the mare has achieved work wise, how she goes and how she's put together is pretty vital.

[Just.Jump]

Actually Chev, andalusian crossed with quarter horse is a possibility to register as an Azteca, and you have the option of mixing in up to 1/4 criollo blood. So no, not weak conformation unless you do backyard breeding.

Registered azteca:
http://www.al-andalus.com/pictures/trev.jpg

Grade andalusian/QH:
http://www.germantack.com/1234fbd0.jpg



As far as I'm concerned, spanish horses are great to cross with just about anything. As are quarter horses. A mix of quarter horse power and andalusian refinement sounds great to me. My only crosses I would be wary of would be any pacers, but not andalusians. Theres no problem here other than the fact that this girl wants a color specific foal.

[Kanuma]

spanish horses are great crosses but I am (and i believe chev) is a great believer in not breeding a foal for the sake of haveing a foal. There is alot to think about more then just what breed you want. You need to balance the mare and stallion, so for example if the mare has a weak back end your stallion needs to have a conformation to counteract this.
Also there are enough badly conformed and unwanted horses out there i believe that you should only breed when your horse is a very good example of thier breed or has a very good competition record.

[Pinto mad!]

western riding
-any western breed...

[chev]

That first horse is gorgeous Just.Jump - looks like a really nice cross. Have to admit I'm not so keen on the second; not so sure about the hindquarters. But I can see it's an established and recognised cross so my concerns on that score are obviously not an issue.

My main concerns with the question are that first of all the owner of the mare has asked about the same cross for two very different mares so far, that the choice seems to be mainly based on colour, and she's still asking for recommendations when nobody here has seen the mare or has any idea of what she can do or has done. WIthout that I still don't see how any recommendations can be made.

Choosing a stallion isn't just a case of picking one you like; you really do need to look at how he might complement the mare you're using too. Not just her breed in general; but that particular mare. And we still know next to nothing about her.

[Just.Jump]

Yes, I know- Hate hind ends like that one, but I just needed a picture to suit the cause- I'd much rather see the rounded QH end, where as that one has more of a very light horse hind end. But, there's no way to know how much blood of what a grade horse really has if the owners don't happen to tell you.

As far as I can tell, this breeding isn't going to happen anyway. I know that if I had a mare to breed, I would plaster a post with her conformation shots and do the initial stallion research myself. This sounds more like dreaming of what could be, which everyone does form time to time.

However, I really wouldn't drain away a huge stud fee for a western horse. I ride western and love it, but the only horses truly built for western riding are stock horses, and andalusians are FAR from that. Even thoroughbreds, which have and can be used, don't dave the turning power. I most certainly wouldn't waste the expensive fee of a spanish stallion to breed a horse that will most likely not be fast enough to compete western, and who won't have the required western build to really excell in showing- if it's not going to be a show horse, I say don't spend that kind of money.

If you were going for lower level english areas or a higher level of dressage, spanish movement would be very nice to have in a young horse.

But if you want western, stick to the western breeds- they are built and bred for it, and they are your best bet to really enjoy western. You wouldn't spend all your money on some warmblood or friesian horse to leave it for trail rides, would you? I know that I myself don't have money to burn, especially if it's not going to be returned in either a sale or the horse earning its keep. Not shallow, simply the way of the world in regards to money. Unless your cousin/friend/whoever has alot of money, I highly advise you to set your sights on an affordable, well built qh/paint/appy/quarab/etc.