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MonsterCat · Sep 5, 2019 5:24 AM

So I was thinking of starting a small bootstrap project to increase my show herd numbers, but I'm not sure of the best approach. What should I be looking for in the mares and stud I use for this?

Thanks in advance!

HunterUnderSaddleGirl · Sep 5, 2019 6:54 AM

What (most) people do is buy the best stallion they could possibly find, and just breed them to foundation mares as those are the easiest to acquire. Although really there are no rules! My line started way differently. First it was my even lined rejects. Then it was “ooh pretty pony”.

I would be happy to sell you some gold mares and as many red and blue mares that you would want if you would like that. I have lots with cool colors! But if you just want numbers then breeding foundie mares to a nice stallion works as well. I have a few stallions I would be willing to sell/give you as well.

Haltanny · Sep 5, 2019 10:08 PM

I have a bunch of extra star boys that I'd be happy to share as well.

NowandForever · Sep 5, 2019 11:05 PM

I have lots of extra high PT Star boys and a bunch of high PT speldings if you'd like to look through them. I'm almost out of barn/pasture space. I also have a bunch of older Blue mares and some older Gold mares (from lower crosses) that I'd like to get rid of.

Justa · Sep 6, 2019 12:17 AM

I always have bootstraps available in my barns, high *Star stallions and blue/gold mares both. I can't resist breeding my boot herd even though I don't have room to keep all the babies. Lol

Edit: And to answer your original question, I started my boots kind of by accident. I bought a mare named Bird at auction because she looked like a real mare I once knew and she happened to be a very high gold snip. I liked her so much, I started a line based on her and her pedigree. A year later, I have about 500 Birds in my barns, likely more. Still love them!

Kismet · Sep 10, 2019 4:19 PM

There's usually *Star stallions up for sale... Just buy one with a good PT Score (try for 12.40 or better) and then get your hands on some *Gold mares. The key with boostrapping is to NOT put your fillies through Breeding Advice because they will almost certainly get altered. You are breeding for color/PT score, and test results matter less. Once you have a good handful of mares that you're breeding each season, your byproduct will be an abundance of high PT colts who don't pass testing (test your colts, just not your fillies) and become good show ponies.

I have a giant homozygous Satin Bootstrapping mare herd and there is no way I'll have the patience to breed them all next season - I would be more than happy to give you some private broods if you manage to get a stallion, or straws. Hit me up after rollover in October :)

Cheers · Sep 11, 2019 12:30 AM

You do NOT need high paper mares to Bootstrap. In fact, the whole basis of bootstrapping is that you are perfectly capable of seeing a nice increase in quality by using created/foundation mares with a really nice stallion. Obviously as you work your way up through the bootstrapping “generations” you will use the better and better papered daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters of your original mares and will eventually end up with a Star/Gold Herd....at which point you will also obviously have a much slower climb up in quality until you hit the Breeding Quality ceiling in the game.

I would focus your search on getting the very best stallion you can get your hands on, and then just fill out your mare herd with whatever falls into your lap—yes, absolutely use lines reject mares from your own lines, random pretty girls that catch your eye at sales and auctions, whatever. But don’t stress about trying to source Blue and Gold mares unless you want to be paying the sort of prices those mares tend to command. You’re fine with creates and low gen mares.

BellaVoce · Sep 11, 2019 4:39 AM

For me, I started my bootstrapping herd with a star* 12.4PT stallion, and as many mares as I could get my hands on, of any paper level. They started as mostly 6 or 7PT yellow papered mares. Then, I started keeping the highest-papered and -PT'd mares, and only the very best of the stallions. Once a good number of mares reach gold* and blue papers, I start adding them to the pasture, taking out the yellow and red mares, replacing them with the better ones. Same with the stallions. I currently have two star* stallions (one I've bred) and an A papered.

It takes a lot of work...I honestly have a much easier time with my even-bred herds, since I don't have to consider as many factors in finding the best of the season to keep. However, it's made it quite easy to go from 6-8PT mares, up to 11-12PT mares, in about six seasons.

Good luck! I have some blue mares to give you if you need them :)

BlackWyld · Sep 11, 2019 4:53 AM

I love my bootstrap herd and all the pretty show babies it gives me!

I am fairly strict with my even breeding so my bootstrap herd gave me a place to play with other colours and bone sizes that I would normally not have on this account

I started with a couple of pretty A papered stallions and foundation mares and then moved my way up to the herd I have today that is all Stars and Golds and chasing pts into the 13's.

It can be as relaxed or as strict as you want to make it.

There are so many wonderful generous people that would be happy to help you out. :)

FeldingFields · Sep 11, 2019 10:38 PM

While I was starting my bootstrap herd, I think my mares were 90% foundations. I had a one gold mare I won as a prize in a giveaway. I would frequently chuck poor showing foundation mares in the pasture just to keep their daily payout without having to show them. There's a bunch of rank specials that I think are gorgeous but don't fit into my main lines - into the bootstrap pasture they went. As my fillies grew, I replaced the foundation mares first with red, then blue, then gold offspring. Less than a year into bootstrapping, I'm overflowing with blue and gold mares. I'm too broke to comparison test all my mares, so I pick who gets saved intact from each paper level based first on color & build. But it's really just what you like, personally.

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