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VenomVixen · May 5, 2023 7:12 PM

Hey all,

For all you established breeders out there- do you have a set program/ herds/ goals? how did you eventually come to the conclusion of what goals you were looking for and how did you set up your barns to get there? Feels like a kinda esoteric question to ask, lol.

I've just found myself lately looking to specialize or form more of a direction with my breeding and finding a hard time doing so. Especially with the new inheritable member breed name options available, which I'm excited (but waiting) to try. Ill blame a little on my 800-track mind, a little on my love for every pony and all combinations, but mostly on just not knowing where to start/ where to go next. Plus sorting the sheer volume and options has seemed a bit daunting at times.

I have a zillion horses (too many probably) and several pastures and have been breeding willy nilly for quality stock. More recently I have been a bit more precise in what horses go where to ensure the best gene outcomes with what I have - but I haven't really chased any one goal. So I guess I'm seeking both inspiration and advice from those who have done it! I have a decent little collection coming along and more aging up- so where should I go from here. Beginner me was really focused on that PT and Gold/Star, but I'm seeing it's a lot more complex than that when building some cool gene pools.

Thanks in advance <3

VenemousGiant · May 5, 2023 8:22 PM

I think being focused on building quality stock is a worthy goal in itself. The better your breeding stock is, the easier it will be to add in other genes from outside sources and hit your gene goals.
I focused originally on loud, high PT horses back when I started in September. I like spots- so I made sure I had a whole bunch of spotting genes going on. I just wanted pretty, heavy boned horses. Then I started breeding from straws and eggs I picked up from others to add into my stock, and fell in love with the splash gene. That’s where I ended up setting my focus- I am set on topping the splash club board with my cobs and sport ponies. This set me on the very expensive boosting and cloning track. I have some other side projects, but I make sure to prioritize my splash board goals every season.
I think honestly finding something you really like, like a single gene, was the easiest for me. I am adding other things into my lines that I like too, but sticking to that splash gene makes sure my neurospicy brain keeps my herd moving forward and focused instead of being as chaotic as it could have been.
Now if only I could buckle down and focus on show horses so my daily bonus was high enough to support all my foolishness… that’s another mountain I gotta climb haha

VenomVixen · May 5, 2023 10:11 PM

Thanks for the reply! Haha I feel you, I'm trying to get my stock as high as I can so when I can someday afford it I can jump into boosting headfirst. I've definitely let the neurospice take me away :)) Have a little bit of everything going on, but some patterns are finally emerging enough that that's why I'm trying to settle down and drive some focus on what direction I want to go. Or at least start using tattoos and some organizational skills to separate my herds. Lately chocolate pally and snow appy have been pulling ahead- but I love those spots oh so much too (and all those crazy fun phenotypes you can get when you mash em together LOL ). I haven't even figured out how leaderboards, cloning etc works yet, but all in good time I suppose!

VenemousGiant · May 5, 2023 10:56 PM

You can message me any time for advice! I’m also open to throwing my boosted boys at your ponies if you’d like some help getting higher PT or papers. I had help from amazing players to grow my herd which is why I am lucky enough to be on the leaderboards. I have three boosted boys I can share :)

ObsidianKitsune · May 6, 2023 3:45 AM

Usually how I start, is I'll plan a stud with all the goodies that I like. Absolutely load them onto him. Then I'll start with some matching mares. Some only half matching, and some just fillers. And one of those will pop out a foal that I really like, so the line will split, and rinse and repeat until 1 Foundation stud is the herd sire to 4 or 5 lines...

The only organization I do is labeling the horse via name. Generation and then what lines they fit into. For example 2D would be a second generation that would be a good match for my dun lines. 3MDCn would be a third gen for my macchiato, dun, and chinchilla lines. I am chaos and despite wanting things to be sort of organized, I know it ain't gonna happen and this is as close as I'll get lol

VenomVixen · May 6, 2023 8:16 PM

@venomousgiant - :x That would be amazing. This season Ill try to get my wits about me on what Im doing and Ill likely take you up on that <3 <br />
@Obsidiankitsune - Thats still more organization than I have LOL. Ive just been maniacally horse searching each barn I have for certain genes each month then trying to match those mares to appropriate studs. I have the technology to make this easier on myself, if I'd just get to it. I also feel like I kind of hold onto a lot of horses I don't need/ wont use, which clutters up the whole mix. I don't know why I get so attached to the idea of "well maybe if...."

ImagineThat1 · May 9, 2023 4:38 PM

i am Very Adhd and it absolutely reflects in my pony collection and breeding projects.. I have started to try and only keep the babies that pass breeding advice..for mares unless they are super cute lol.. then i will keep as a bootstrap breeder if it has the genes i am looking for. i’m no help lol. I was just trying to increase the pt scores on all my projects.. and adding genes to get homogeneous for the important things i was looking for.. then started only
breeding tested stallions to bootstrap mares. then i maxed out abilities on some of my favorites .. then boosted some too .. and pulled eggs from favorites to make more than one a season from favorite mares .

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