This time of year can mean a lot of things, cold, snow, and adjusting to the new year. For anyone in the equine industry it also means the start of the busiest season of all, breeding season. No one knows that better than the owner of Vista Equine Colorado, Jake Dahl.
Breeding season can be the most crazy time of the year including long days, sleepless nights, a lot of caffeine, but it is also one of the most exciting times for the equine industry not only with the mares foaling out this year, but breeding mares for the future in preserving the bloodlines and discovering stronger genetics to breed better and better horses.
In the episode, Jake and I talk about some very interesting topics involving the breeding industry from what he has found in running a successful breeding facility for over 20 years to be the best practices, what he sees going into the future for horse breeding, and how it all comes full circle to creating better horsemen. It really is cool to be a cowboy again, referencing a quote from Jake about how between the pandemic and the network Taylor Sheridan has started with Run for a million and Yellowstone, the public has gotten excited about
riding horses and breeding their mares to make smarter, more talented equine athletes.
One thing Jake predicts for the future is cross-pollination of genetics in breeding practices to find the best possible combinations across all disciplines including reining, cowhorse, rope horses, barrel horses and more. With raising such talented young horses, it is important to implement good horsemanship into your breeding program to ensure that the humans and horses stay safe and to get them started on the right foot before heading back home to their owners or they get started in a training program.
With the start of the American Performance Horseman Competition coming up in March and other competitions like that. We are already starting to see different disciplines coming together to communicate and work together to change and promote the industry and discover what is best for the horse.
In summary, the future of horse breeding looks very bright and promising to grow the equine industry! You can listen to the full episode through the links provided below or whichever platform you get your podcasts on!
Season 1, Episode 16
Comments