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I’m super strict with my lines. I start with b stallions and require a colts and blue mares for 2g.
3g superior to above colts/fillies
4g star/gold. I fill a few super high blues that are almost gold since I don’t have enough gold mares.

I sba everything and all foals must test superior. They also must have some form of dp and typically at least one fantasy gene, but that’s still optional in later gens.

Honestly, not only does this keep me from hoarding, it also keeps the lines that I do have really good. It’s going to be super hard to get higher gems but I’d rather that than the alternative. I also have benchmarks for all gens, so I typically test against benchmarks to make sure one line isn’t lower leveled than my others.

I also have TONS of bootstraps so I can sate my hoarding obsession there. ^_^

I have pretty different rules for each account, although I do cull pretty much everything that's under 10 PT (also some accounts, all inconsistent gets spelded, some it's allowed if it's got the right paper level).
This account, I have an even-bred line where the mares just have to pass BA & (for second gen) have at least het for all of the genes I'm after (or be hom for snowflake, at which point if they're missing a copy of anything else, I'm ok with it), or (for third gen) be hom for at least one of the "important" ones and het for the rest. The boys for the even-bred line get spelded for inconsistency, then I pick the couple for each gen that have the most genes I want, and if it's close I might paper them. I also have a bootstrap group, where the boys get BA'd and everyone gets papered. The boys who pass BA get narrowed down by an inconsistent "do I like you?" system, then the ones who pass that get comp tested to whoever my current best boy is, and if they aren't AGA or SUP, they probably get gelded or sold. I'm just now getting a full pasture's worth of Gold mares, so I haven't really had to do much decision-making on my girls yet... but I'll probably start with "do I like your genes?" and then look at foal PTs.
One of my accounts, everyone just has to pass BA and be E? AtAt CprlCprl (as of recently - still getting some het mares out!) and have at least two darkening genes, then they get narrowed down from there by which other genes they have (bonus points for roan, satin, silver, and champagne; negative points for higher white factor, any danger-genes, or tobiano). The boys get comp tested, if their genes are equally close to what I want, but the priority has been genes.

TLDR: it's all about where your priorities are! Some folks have really strict rules for everything, some have a really narrow focus. I've seen where some folks have lines seeing how LOW they can get their foals' PT scores! It's all about what YOU want to breed for.

I'm fairly lax and am just now getting strict on my breeding. 2nd gen boys must be A papered, I will make an exception and use a B papered boy that's STS until I get my 2gA. Even out of C papered studs this is fairly easy for me because I usually breed C/red B/yellow foundations. I get less that pass SBA, but the ones that do are better quality. So long as my mares are red by 2g and catch the genes I'm looking for for that line they stay.
3rd gen has to be A/blue, with a few exceptions made for fillies that are homozygous for genes I'm looking for if they are Superior.
4th gen+ have to test superior and catch the genes I want.
My bootstraps now all go thru BA, colts thru SBA and must catch the genes I want and have an acceptable pt.

I breed similar to Cheers, but I'm still working on my mares benchmarks and getting all of my studs to where I want them. I'm getting closer. It took me a while to find exactly what I was breeding for.

I've made it to 4th generation star, so I have some work to do, but my lines are still very young, and I haven't cut the inconsistent stock yet.

I breed my pasture, all babies go to the barn and go through SBA without even looking at them, then performance testing, and those that don't paper to what I want are culled or saved for people that have requested that particular level. Then performance testing is done. Then I cull for genes. Comp testing. And I'm left with what I keep. I will change a stud to a mare and switch genes before I will keep a horse that doesn't meet my requirements.

Hand breeding is where I have made some exceptions just because it is so expensive and hard to get horses to pass SBA and to the level I require. But I keep them in separate lines and don't sell their stock.

I only use exceptionally perfect or RS red/B for my upper lines. My yellow/c lines are mostly 9.9. They are getting converted to perfect Foundation, foundation Rescue, and RS only. (Only one line will stay as is but it is a tribute line and will never change.) The C/yellow are mostly my fun lines. I'm still pretty strict, but I might let a flashy mare slip in.

I do cull for genes. I cut W20 out because it whites out my horses. (I have a couple I allow it in, but they have genes it doesn't interfere with.)

I keep most of my snips for show horses. I'm out of room, sadly. So I've been more things in the auction. And I just cut two lines that I loved, but couldn't make work with my other programs. (I mix my lines a lot.)

I'm still figuring out the bootstrapping thing, but it's fun. :)

That's where I am too :)

I cull my breeding stock primarily on quality - I don't really cull on colour at all (if a breeder doesn't fit their line's colour scheme they just go to my general line that doesn't have a colour scheme).

I run separate lines for exceptional foundations and normal foundations and don't mix them because I try as much as possible to breed evenly including ability. I cull all inconsistent breeding stock.

For my normal lines, 2g must be B/red and superior, 3g must be A/blue and superior, 4g and 5g must be superior, 6g must be Star/gold and superior, 7g+ must be superior (though I have next to no 6g+ breeders).

My exceptional lines have basically the same requirements just one generation ahead - so 2g must be A/blue and superior, 5g must be Star/gold and superior, etc.

I keep all spelds that have PTs of 10.7+ - this is mostly due to space issues. I don't care about my breeding stock's PT scores.

I have several different lines going with different genes and colour schemes, but will mix them around as I please and if a breeder meets all my quality requirements but not their line's colour/gene scheme, I'm happy to move them to another line. I have general lines for both normal and enhanced for anything that doesn't fall into one of my colour schemes.


I started using strict breeding standards mostly because I'm frankly overrun with breeding stock - I have over 1000 breedable mares on both HJ1 and HJ2 so it frankly takes an absurd amount of time to breed and cull through that many foals. I'm honestly hoping to get the numbers down further by going back to some of my older mares to comparison test them (they were born pre-mare comparison testing existing).

@geneverginger how do you decide which horses are the poorest performers? Do you look at each individual horses records or is there another way you use?

With my C/yellow foundation lines, all second gen mares get comp tested to an ExPerf foundation. They must test AGA or superior to stay intact. Past second gen, all must test superior to their dams and have desirable genes and consistent PT scores. I will fix PT inconsistencies only if the mare papers where I want and has every gene I want. I aim for third gen A/blue, but will let superior red papered mares stay with close to all my must have genes.

With my B/red lines, all second gen mares must test superior to their dams. I shoot for blue papers, but I still have some yellow foundations mixed in those pastures so I let some red slide. But after that it must be blue, consistent, with my must have genes.

With my bootstrap line, the fillies must test superior and be consistent to stay. I don’t worry too much about genes, since almost all of them carry what I want anyway. I’m currently working with two boosted studs, so I know none of my colts or fillies will pass BA for awhile.

I haven't yet tested him against a star stud. I will find one.