HGG Community Forums

Bootstrapping is when you take either a stud or mare that has high paper levels, and pair them to other studs/mares that also have nice papers. I have a bunch of bootstrap colts and fillies that I could give ya to start out your lines, if you'd like! (Will give an example in a sec)

They are a quick way to get some higher PT show horses. Usually breeding a high PT quality stallion to lower quality mares such as foundations. High quality mares are harder to find, stallions are much easier to get hold of, and the foundation mares can be easily created, so a quick and easy way to create show horses. The term is often used for any of the higher quality mixed predigree horses though as often their lines started from bootstrapping. Foals won't pass testing for those foundation/High PT crosses, but some of the better fillies can be kept without testing to try and improve the show horse line, and bred back again to a high PT stallion

There is a bootstrapping chat full of friendly folks available to join if you would like to learn more! There is always someone around to answer questions in there.

Bootstrapping is fun - seeing how high you can get those PTs doing it the quick way. If you decide to bootstrap there are always lots of good studs in the bootstrap chat. If you after a really good one cheaply I have lots of pony sized ones and the good thing is you can use any mares to them (being careful with frame and white as usual) - both foundations or people's uneven reds/blues/golds, which you can often get relatively cheaply or pick up at auction.
Remember not to breed advice the fillies if you want to continue to breed with them.
I like to use lots of different colors with my mares and try to keep my studs non white and non frame (but pretty with satin or sooty +) and then I can pretty much put anyone with anyone :)

Because of the vast difference in breeding quality between the mare and the stallion, the foal would be altered from BA. Most people use star stallions and so crossing them to yellow and red, sometimes even blue, mares will result in a foal better than the mare, but not as good as the stallion. Because the foal is not better or even the same quality as BOTH parents, it will be altered.

One thing people also do with their studs is that they put every colour in their bootstrap line. I have ice and nexus in mine, and slowly mixing in macchiato, W8, and going to do WW soon. It's more of a fun line whose only goal is high pt, so breeding pretty horses for the sake of it when you have a very high papered stallion is usually what happens