Things to do before breeding

#1: Having a mare who is good enough to breed

Really important is that a mare can be registered as a broodmare in a breeding association. My Bellarina was already registered and branded as a riding horse in the Bavarian warmblood association. She has a good pedigree and conformation and I asked a lot of knowledgeable people wether they think she could be a broodmare. They said yes.
-> check.



#2: Checking the health

Every stud has to be vet checked before they are accepted for the keuring. They even have to be checked by x-rays wether they might have abnormalities in their bones. Mares don't have to be x-ray checked but I thought it would be a good idea to have this done. And my vet thought this too. The result was that she's absolutely healthy, no arthrosis, no navicular, nothing!
-> check.




#3 Becoming a member of a breeding association and getting the mare registered as a broodmare

In Germany there's a difference between "registered" and "registered as a broodmare/stud". Every foal who's breeder is a member of a German breeding association and who's Dam and Sire are registered at this association get registered as a riding horse and branded, too. No matter how good or bad they are. BUT if you want to get your mare registered as a broodmare, she has to be tested. They only take the good ones of course. They accepted Bellarina in the second best studbook of the Bavarian Breeding association. Her grades can be read below at her introduction.
-> check.


#4: Picking a stud:

That's were I am at the moment. Right now my favorite is the five year old Trakehner stud Imperio who is reserve world champion of the young dressage horses and German Bundeschampion of the 5 year old dressage horses. I will call my breeding association and ask for some advice. :)
Its soooo exciting!

Money, money, money.... ;)

Yahoooooo!!! :)

Ok, just because I can't ride my beloved mare at the moment it doesn't mean I'm lazy. ^^ Now my studies have begun again and I can only work 2 times a week or so. But I worked so much in the holidays that I got the money for the stud fee now. I mean, for any of the studs on my list. I couldn't afford for example Sandro Hit yet, but I wouldn't want him anyway. ;)

Just as a little milestone:
Money for the stud fee: CHECK
:)

Of course it doesn't stop here. I have to save waaay more for all the pregnancy checks or the insemination itself until spring, but anyway, that's already something. :)

It takes a lot to become a breeder. Because I've got time now I could tell a bit what else it already took and what it will take the next days or so.

Time-out until december...

Sorry, forgot to post the leg-in-plaster pic. ;) Now the wrap is gone. That's a new pic of her leg from today.

The vet came 5 days ago. He said it doesn't look too good at all. The hole in the tendon has closed a bit but still, 2/3 of the tendon is three times thicker than it should be... :(

He said I had two options: one is surgery and one is shockwave therapy. I decided for the shockwave therapy because a surgery is always a little bit risky, and of course more expensive. If the shockwave therapy doesn't help, I can still decide for surgery. And as Bella doesn't really have to show or to jump anymore, I would also not mind if the shockwave therapy makes her perfectly sound for light to medium dressage training again but not for jumping. That would be ok. I only want her to be a happy leisure dressage horse, a broodmare and of course happy from now on. ;)

She's not been allowed to be on the pasture for 3 weeks. I may only let her hand-graze a bit and she may be walked 10 minutes a day. And when one considers this, she's unbelievable calm. Today she was a little bit spooky because of the fast wind, buts still easy to control with only one hand. And this without any meds. Here's a pic of her from today. :) You rock girl!

Ugh... I'm not lucky...

She got a hole in her tendon on her right front foot. :( Well done Bella.

I'm glad I changed vets and I got a very very good vet right now who will do his best to fix the problem with this tendon my old vet didn't fix completely when she had 2 injuries in exactly the same sinew last year and the year before. And of thankfully she'll be still rideable with no limits afterwards.
But not the next 2 months or so.

So goodbye mare performance test, goodbye show season.
Winter starts right now for us.
(she already has her winter goat-beard.... ah, that scares me :D )

I'll post pics of her professionelly vet-wrapped leg tomorrow. She looks like she had a leg in plaster. ;)

I signed her in...

.... for the mare performance test!
I have one more month to train her to perform perfectly there!
She needs at least a 6,5 overall. :)

Mare performance test?

Oh dear, there will be a mare performance tets in october and I'm thinking about whether I should let her take part of it or not.

Maybe you're wondering what a mare performance test is and what kind of advantages it provides you.
To get a mare registered as a broodmare you only have to take part with your mare at the studbook entry at which mares are shown at hand and their walk and trot as well as their type and conformation is judged. Mares between 3 and 4 years are shown in freejumping and in free canter in the indoor, too.

But if you want to get a foal of the mare get the allowance to be keured, your mare needs to be tested even more, especially their skills as a riding horse.
Plus the foals of a succesfully tested mare will get a better grade at a foal show. Succesfully tested means with a grade of 6,5 or better.

Now I'm wondering wether she'll get this grade or not. In a way I think she'll absolutely get a grade better than 6,5 because she even got a 6,7 in her studbook entry where she could not show her strenght, freejumping, because she's already 15.

In the performance test I will have to ride her in dressage and the judges will give grades for walk trot and canter and her rideability. Afterwards one of the judges will ride her and give another grade for her rideability. Her conformation and type will be judged again afterwards and then her gaits will be judged again in the indoor when she runs free. Afterwards they judge her jumping ability and technique in freejumping.

I think she'll get good grades for jumping and rideability but not more than a 6 for her gaits I think.... well... I have to ask my trainer next week wether she think it's worth a try or not.
And I have to ask her wether she thinks I'm good enough to present her under saddle at the test. ;) ;)

Let me introduce you my one and only broodmare

Erm, well, let's pretend I own a huge and professional breeding barn and I'll present you my mare as professional as possible! :) Ok, here I go:

Bellarina *1993

Breed: Bavarian Warmblood

Pedigree: Saphir le Fol (Anglo Norman) X Dragon (Hannoverian) X Amor (Trakehner)

See full pedigree with pics here, on allbreedpedigree.

Registeres in the main studbook I of the Bavarian warmblood breed with the following grades:

Type: 8, Conformation: 7, Walk: 6, Trot: 6, Impression as a whole: 7

Final grade: 6,7

Biggest successes:

Dressage: 2nd level qualification test passing

Character tests: GHP (German relaxation test for horses) Ridden and leaded test: grade 2 (2nd best grade)

Bellarina is a daughter of the stallion stallion performance test champion of Bavaria in 1987, Saphir le Fol. Saphir le Fol was, as one expects it from a French jumper, absolutely brilliant in the parcours. He gave his offspring his dark coat, a good size and a great jumping ability.

Bellarina's Dam Bessy has indigenous and old bloodlines, which are the reason for the coolnes she gave Bellarina.

Bellarina's character can's be described with words, she's such an honest and respectful horse! Bellarina always shows you when she doesn't like something or when she has a problem with the saddle or something. She's extremely sensitive. But she would never be unfair to a rider, as long as he's not unfair to her. She's got lots of temperament but still she would never freak out, she always takes care of the humans around her which is really awesome when one thinks about her bad past in which she had been beaten over high fences by a former owner.

That's the only reason I didn't show her in showjumping classes yet... she reminds her bad past and gets really nervous and not controllable for me as a non jumper anymore.... poor girl.

Bellarina has an extraordinary good jumping ability. Her rideability is very good as well but she has a lack of power and action in her gaits though she really tries and makes a nice impression as a dressage horse.

When I look for for a fitting stud for her I want to concentrate on double gifted studs with very smoth but as well powerful gaits with very active hind legs and a good jumping ability so that I don't ruin hers. Plus I prefer dark studs, as a personal wish ;)

Finally, some pics of Bellarina: (click to enlarge)

Intruduction

Hey guys! ;)

So, this is the first post in my blog and with this post I want to introduce me and my mare to you.

My name is Manuela, I'm 20 years right now and a university student living in Southern Germany. I study Digital Media so it's like an addiction to me to keep on being online and post the whole day, when I don't spend the time with my friends or my beloved mare Bellarina.




It's all about her, the whole blog and my whole plans for the next 20 years or so. ;)

Her name is Bellarina and she's a 15 year old Bavarian Warmblood. The Bavarian warmblood breed is a relatively young German warmblood breed like the Hannoverians or Trakehners, it's only younger. ;) In this breed you are allowed to use any keured German warmblood stud and sometimes even ones from foreign countries as long as the head members of the breeding association gave their ok for him.

So my Bavarian mare has a half French pedigree and is still a registered Bavarian warmblood. Her Sire was a French Anglo-Norman but stallion performance test champion in Bavaria in 1987, so of course the head members wanted to have him for the Bavarian breed. ;)



I'll make an extra post about my mare later on, or I'll even give her her own webiste, let's see ^^



Until then, godnight,

Manuela and Bellarina

PS: The reason I write this blog in English is because I am member of more English than German horse communities. And if I write in English, everybody will understand, the Germans and the American/Canadian/British/Australian and even more horse lovers. ;)