Breeding Hunter Jumpers

Since I can remember I have loved horses and I grew up listening my dad's stories about him riding all around Burlington on horses just to get ice cream as well as many other random stories. Then I really got involved in the horse world and one summer I worked on the farm where I rode and was there seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and I did this for no pay. This taught me dedication and gave me a lot of knowledge that I still carry with me 4 years later and will continue to carry with me for the rest of my life.

One thing that I learned a lot about that summer was the breeding process for hunter jumpers (the type of horses that I ride). I had always been interested in the training of hunters but had never been involved in the breeding of them so of course this heightened my curiosity. My trainer never denied me the opportunity to help with her broodmare

In my research I soon realized that the biggest part of the whole process and usually the most difficult is choosing which mare and sire to use, so a lot the resources I found put a lot of emphasis. Then I got into the different needs of the mare and foal before the foal is even born from nutrition to how much the more can be ridden. Next of course would be that actual foaling process in which the mare usually does all the work and you just watch to make sure nothing goes wrong. After the foal is born your biggest role in the whole process begins, the training and breaking of the foal. When people hear the word Ð''training' they automatically think actual riding but that's not all training is. The foal's training starts the day it is born and I will break everything down and explain the entire long drawn out process as easily as possible.

In doing this I plan on using some highly suggested books, magazines and scholarly journals to work with in my research. Some magazines like Dressage Today, Practical Horsemen and a few others will be used as well as some scholarly journals such as Equine Reproductive Physiology, Breeding and Stud Management. Also I plan on interviewing one of the well known and experienced trainers and breeders in the horse world that I believe would give me a well rounded and informative interview via email. The main books I will be using in my research include Jack Coggin's Horseman's Bible which is a large overview of all the areas of horsemanship from breeding to jumping. Another book I will be turning to is Genetics of the Horse by William E. Jones and Ralph Bogart.

I not only aim to cover the process of breeding but what it means for the future of the breeder and what good things or bad things can happen in the years to come. Could this foal making them thousands of dollars? Or is this foal going to break them in the bank? Dealing with horses is a gamble because you can't always control what happens. The horse could break its leg or win the Grand Prix so you have to plan ahead