Gypsy Cobs and LFG

[Gail W]

One of the Stallions that we used, will not give a LFG if the mare has been running with geldings throughout the pregnancy.

[Saffron Park]

I believe to be a GYPSY COB they are under 15hh.  Over that, they are GYPSY DRUMS.

Yes but they are very broad in the hip and shoulder whilst most arabs aren't...so I'd be a bit worried about the shoulders getting stuck 

[Montana Rose]

Yeah I had a similar thought too Saff.

[Dodger]

Gypsy cobs are heavy boned but hopefully the arab genes of the mare will reduce the size down, where Dodger lives the cob mare had twins and the father was a QHxSH and the foals had smaller sized legs and shoulders.

But with the mare being the smaller boned horse, not sure how this would work out.  Might be better to put her to another arab or a smaller boned horse.

[Fiona]

Calamity Jane, I find your comments a derogatory gross generalisation that is not even representative of the majority population of "backyard breeders" and hypocritical. I have seen many horses out there bred by studs with good pedigrees going to waste, unwanted or abused (that is how I came by all the horses I have owned so far!).

Yes, I am breeding because I WANT TO! I have two very much loved mares who will never be sold, to me they are family not commodity. I would rather own their progeny than horses with pedigrees that go back 100's of years, they have temperments that I have not seen in other horses, although some say a large part of the personality is due to enviroment, rather than breeding so by breeding my own I then have both bases covered!

Yes, I am a backyard breeder, and I am doing this research so that I get exactly what I want, a horse that fulfils my needs and stands to replace my mares when they pass on. I am breeding for an existing market rather than those that breed for future sales, ie studs, and therefore have the potential for unwanted horses.

To the others who have provided advice, thankyou. the question of bone structure difference between arab and cob has been concerning me. Trouble is the breed crosses I am looking at all tend towards the heavier type! arabsrcool, getting a lighter foal first makes sense but unfortunately I'm only looking at a once off breeding, will have to do some thinking on that, the cobs I am looking at are between 14 and 15h but they are very solid, I am keeping an eye out for first crosses but most of the boys are still only yearlings/2yr olds! Dustee, I haven't seen a gypsy cross for less than $7000, and that one was a 2yr old unbroken! the purebreds are much more than that.

Your comments have also given me confidence to stick out for a LFG! at least that is one criteria I can be sure of!!!

[Gail W]

Fiona, in all this, keep in the back of your mind, that a mare will only allow a foal to grow (internally) to what she can carry. am I making sense? the size of the foal (what it grows too) is determined by Sire and Dam (don't forget the throw back, it can happen) and the quality and quantity of food it has while growing.
An example, my 15.2hh Warmblood mare was put to a very solid 17.2hh Warmblood Stallion, we sold Sampson as a 3 yr old standing at 16.2hh and still growing. 

[Ashstud]

Just please, please, please don't make the mistake of saying....oh, my mare is in her last trimester, I should up her feed.  This can make mares very fat and not just on the outside, on the inside too, cramping the foal and making for a difficult birth.

The rule of thumb is if your mare is on a sensible diet to begin with, keep her on it, do not change it unless you really have to.

The same applies to cattle and a neighbour recently lost her milker because her mother gave her more and spoilt her in the last trimester.  She got calving paralysis and never improved so had to be euthanised.

[Dustee]

I know they say that Gail but I choose to stick with 3 hands difference between mare and stallion and preferably a smaller stallion both height and build for a first foal. I knew a pony that had a foal to a clydie cross once, the foal was born way too young I think he just ran out of room and was not mature enough to survive, the mare also tore badly having him. Very sad all around.

[Ashstud]

Yeah, but then you have the case of Robyn though Dustee.  She was 15.2 - 15.3hh, and in foal to Oakey who even now only stands at 15hh.

She got tore up giving birth to Artie who was 39 days overdue and not very big at all.

[Gail W]

For a maiden mare I don't like to go anymore than 1hh than the mare.
As for my last post, the bit about the feed should have said, after the foal is born/weaned it depends on the quality/quantity of food it gets. A well balanced diet on a mare while preggers is a must and I should have made this a bit clearer, sorry for any mixups.

[Saffron Park]

Gail whilst mostly a foal will grow to the size of the uterus...in the case of big bone size differences you have a higher chance of coming up with probs. The foal might only be small height wise but will still have the bigger bones because of genetics...arabs have small hips, so will have more trouble than bigger boned mare of the same size purely because of this. Uterus might be the same size but the hole it has to squeeze out is much smaller 

Fiona if you want to add some bulk onto your mare, why not cross with a stockhorse or a quarterhorse? They are a bit chunkier but don't have quite the same broad hips and shoulders. There's some nice paint stally's around too that will give you the colour you might be after...alternatively there's also some small warmbloods going around you could consider.

[arabsrcool]

Yes it's the shoulder getting through that I would worry about.Read last breeding season vets worked for hours to try and get a foal out (arab mare served by warmblood)well they didn't even get it out dead.Mare had to be PTS.

[Ashstud]

I have heard of foals having to be cut in half because they can't get them out and they become stuck.

[DAIQUIRISTUD]

There was a mare just down the road from me. A Quarter horse mare and she was in foal to a quarter horse stallion the same size. The vet had to be called out as the foal was stuck and had died. The mare had to be sedated and the foal cut into pieces to get it out.

[ENLI]

I've only seen 2 gypsy cob stallions in the flesh but from those 2 that I've seen, I wouldn't say they were that heavy in boning... I'd say they were on a par with QH stallions I've seen if not smaller.