Hey guys! I’m starting to think about my next barrel prospect. I want to get one or breed one that Has serious potential and at the same time, i don’t have 10,000 for a weaning so I’m doing serious research to really decide the best route to take but one thing is for sure, I want a prospect by a pink buckle stud. What I’d like to know is what is everyone else’s experience with any given pink buckle stud? Anyone who knows, has owned, has heard about or has just ridden any offspring, could you share your thoughts?

Things I want to hear more about.....

What are things each one is know to pass on?

Personailty?

Hot/ high strung factor?

maturity speed?

best producer?

skill set?

What it was like to break and train since I will mostly go no older than a 2 year old.

The few I really like so far and want to know more about in terms of what they produce, not necessarily what they are like themselves, is Freckels to Fame, The Goodbye Lane, Feel the Sting and Sly by Design! With Sly I’m curious if his babies are cooler headed and sweet like slick or cold and distant like Sky.

THANK YOU!

You can reference the studs here too: https://www.pinkbuckle.com/whos-involved/

Slye by Design and Feel the Sting are young studs. I don't believe any are of running age yet. As for the other 2, they are producing winners. Search for futurity results. 

What is the breeding of the mares you are wanting to use?  Are you dead set on only using those 4 studs? I know that you can find decently priced weanlings/ 2 year old pink buckle babies. There is a group for it on Facebook. 

You are probably gonna have a hard time finding a Feel the Sting, The Goodbye Lane or Freckles ta Fame prospect for less than $10k.

I think Slye by Design's first foals were born this year.  I think I've seen some priced $6500+

I have a 2018 Pink Buckle eligible filly for sale

https://barrelhorseworld.com/horsedetail.asp?ID=358242

I have foals by Slick by Design, Shawne Bug Leo and Dashin Dynamo and have been pleased with all of them

Thanks for replying! I haven’t decided on mare yet either! Trying to figure out more about the studs. No, I’m not dead set at all on those 4, I just like them. I’m open to any of them. That’s why I’m hoping I can get more insight on them. I know the 2 are too young but wondering about how the babies are looking so far even if anyone knows. Personality, athleticism...

I didn’t realize there was a pink buckle fb group! I need to get on there!

Even as a weanling huh? Yeah, so if that ends up being the case, I guess I’ll have to breed my own. I’m kind of curious what people think are the best bets as far as the unproven studs. I guess no one can really know but wondering if someone more familiar with breeding and the breeding world has good insight, I’m really just trying to get really educated at this point.

My hauling partner has a slick by design and he’s 3 now and his mind is amazing and he moves great too! So confident which I really like

Would love to hear how those three are different and why you like them based on your experience? Your filly is beautiful! I don’t know anything about dashin Dynamo

I have a GBL out of a $100k+ winning mare that $10k wouldn't make the down payment on. 

But he's for sale for the right price. 

Slick ships great and Highpoint is great to work with.  His fee will probably increase for 2020 with his first full crop winning a good amount at futurities this year, I think it was $2750 for this past season.

Feel the Sting is same day shipment only so he must not last for the next day but I know people who got mares bred to him first shipment no problem.  He was $3500 and may go up for 2020.  I have only seen 2 for sale, no price listed

The Goodbye Lane was hot and booked full for 2019 early.  I think he was $4500.  I haven't seen many for sale.

Freckles ta Fame is frozen only which is more expensive to breed and ship.  With him doing so well in the WPRA standings, I would also expect his fee to rise for 2020.  He was $2500 last season and I don't think I've seen any for sale.

Point is all 4 have high fees and are in demand so I would expect their foals to sell for at least $10k probably much more depending on the mare

There are several options for lower stud fee PB stallions but you really need to choose a stallion that crosses well on your mare

This was some awesome info! Thank you! As far as the studs, like you said, I need to choose a stallion that crosses well on my mare. So that is why I'm trying to learn as much as I can first so I'm able to make a really good decision on the right stud. I just don't know many details about these studs other than stats.

So I may lease a mare or buy one but this whole breeding this is a VERY NEW deal for me so how have you guys handled breeding your own? Have you already owned the mare, bought one when you knew you wanted to breed or leased one? My friend leased a nice mare from a friend and then gave her back after weaning. Is that ever done when you don't know the person? Do people ever offer their broodmares up for a paid lease or is that not a thing? If it is a thing, how do you find the right one?

Sorry for the stupid questions, just trying to get out of my sheltered bubble so I can make smart decisions and prepare appropriately lol

There is one that is Canadian owned, he is in traning in the US, but has a couple foals up here for sale with the exchange and paid in full are fairly reasonable. MP hot hayday is his name, hes a 3/4 brother to stingray. He looks nice and really promising. Might be worth checking out....

Ask away, those aren't stupid questions.

I think you need to start with your goals.  Seems like you wanna enter the Pink Buckle futurity? Or just the Open race?  Do you want to train your own horse?  

If you really feel like you want to breed, start with the best mare you can get.  Typically for broodmare leasing, most will just let you take care of the mare for the entire pregnancy as payment.  However these may not be the best mares and it can always get tricky when you are caring for someone else's horse.  I would expect $3500-$5,000 for a decent open (not in foal) broodmare.  $5k - $10k for a nice mare already in foal.  Honestly buying a mare in foal may be your best bet.  It bypasses a lot of breeding issues.  If you buy/lease an open mare, find a very experienced repo vet.  Its a lot of money at stake, so even if your usual vet is amazing, you may need to find another for breeding.  Or even better take the mare to the breeding farm or breeding center, sounds more expensive but higher success rate and less wasted heartache and guessing.  Get your potential broodmare checked out before you want to breed.  

You'll have to pay the stud fee in full, pay for several (maybe 7?) ultrasounds to follow the mare's cycle ($25-$100 each?), pay for drugs to help your mare cycle ($100?), pay for the stallion owner to ship ($250-$500?), pay to breed your mare($150?), pay to return the container ($50?), pay to check your mare ovulated ($50?), pay board for your mare if she's at a vet or breeding farm  ($10-$25 a day?) and then pay to pregg check your mare 14 or so days later ($50).  If the mare didn't take, start all over (minus stud fee).  

Then take care of the mare for 11 months.  Regular deworming, rhino vaccine at month 5,7 and 9, increase feed for last 3 months, keep off fescue the last 60 days, full vaccines and ivermectrin 30 days before foaling and then vet check at 10 hours old.  That vet check can be $200 or $2,000+ depending on how foaling went.

Take care of baby for 6 months with vaccines, deworming, registration, incentive fees and normal care can be another $1,200 or so

I LOVE my babies and breeding but its a long wait and you don't always get what you ordered.  If you know what you want, may just be better to save up and buy it.  

brag

if you don't already own a mare you are behind the 8 ball from the get go. 

Save your money and buy your prospect.

My best broodmare is in foal to The Goodbye Lane and I don't even want to sell it, but if I did, it would take a heck of a lot more than 10k for me to let go of it. 

I have a Shawne Bug Leo weanling colt and he has been such a wonderful foal.  It would also take more than 10k for me to let go of him for sure, but I have zero plans of selling him either.  He has excellent conformation, good bone, lots of muscling, his legs look great, he has a mild sweet disposition. I love him!

Ask away, those aren't stupid questions.

I think you need to start with your goals.  Seems like you wanna enter the Pink Buckle futurity? Or just the Open race?  Do you want to train your own horse?  

If you really feel like you want to breed, start with the best mare you can get.  Typically for broodmare leasing, most will just let you take care of the mare for the entire pregnancy as payment.  However these may not be the best mares and it can always get tricky when you are caring for someone else's horse.  I would expect $3500-$5,000 for a decent open (not in foal) broodmare.  $5k - $10k for a nice mare already in foal.  Honestly buying a mare in foal may be your best bet.  It bypasses a lot of breeding issues.  If you buy/lease an open mare, find a very experienced repo vet.  Its a lot of money at stake, so even if your usual vet is amazing, you may need to find another for breeding.  Or even better take the mare to the breeding farm or breeding center, sounds more expensive but higher success rate and less wasted heartache and guessing.  Get your potential broodmare checked out before you want to breed.  

You'll have to pay the stud fee in full, pay for several (maybe 7?) ultrasounds to follow the mare's cycle ($25-$100 each?), pay for drugs to help your mare cycle ($100?), pay for the stallion owner to ship ($250-$500?), pay to breed your mare($150?), pay to return the container ($50?), pay to check your mare ovulated ($50?), pay board for your mare if she's at a vet or breeding farm  ($10-$25 a day?) and then pay to pregg check your mare 14 or so days later ($50).  If the mare didn't take, start all over (minus stud fee).  

Then take care of the mare for 11 months.  Regular deworming, rhino vaccine at month 5,7 and 9, increase feed for last 3 months, keep off fescue the last 60 days, full vaccines and ivermectrin 30 days before foaling and then vet check at 10 hours old.  That vet check can be $200 or $2,000+ depending on how foaling went.

Take care of baby for 6 months with vaccines, deworming, registration, incentive fees and normal care can be another $1,200 or so

I LOVE my babies and breeding but its a long wait and you don't always get what you ordered.  If you know what you want, may just be better to save up and buy it.  

Thank you soooo much! Such great info. I totally get that breeding is really expensive too, it's just buying one on a payment plan for the same price haha

What are your thoughts on taking a leap of faith on some of these younger stud's? Finding a prospect with a good momma and an up and commer instead of the proven more expensive guys. I'm seein now that the studs, after everyone's feedback, that I'm really drawn too are not going to be doable for me already born, so i'd have to decide to breed and maybe that just doesn't make sense for me until I have a great mare worth breeding.

So if i switch my focus over to finding a nice prospect, unless i have 10k to 15k which right now and I don't lol (I mean I could possiblyyyy have that money by late fall or winter maybe but it's not a sure thing bc I'm building a new business) it sounds like one of the less big time guys or unproven studs are my best bet. You think that is too much risk? Are any of those Pink Buckle studs considered a great find and price more than others for the moment ya think?

Thank you soooo much! Such great info. I totally get that breeding is really expensive too, it's just buying one on a payment plan for the same price haha

What are your thoughts on taking a leap of faith on some of these younger stud's? Finding a prospect with a good momma and an up and commer instead of the proven more expensive guys. I'm seein now that the studs, after everyone's feedback, that I'm really drawn too are not going to be doable for me already born, so i'd have to decide to breed and maybe that just doesn't make sense for me until I have a great mare worth breeding.

So if i switch my focus over to finding a nice prospect, unless i have 10k to 15k which right now and I don't lol (I mean I could possiblyyyy have that money by late fall or winter maybe but it's not a sure thing bc I'm building a new business) it sounds like one of the less big time guys or unproven studs are my best bet. You think that is too much risk? Are any of those Pink Buckle studs considered a great find and price more than others for the moment ya think?

If you're gonna breed, you really have to start with a mare you love and would be happy to get a copy of and then go find a stallion from there. Breeding is a gamble especially when you can't afford to breed to the Dash ta Fames, Frenchmans Guy and others in that class.  I feel like when breeding to stallions that have not performed or are too young to have produced any winners, you have to have great confidence in your mare. Its kinda hard to breed a mare you don't really know or like or have any history of to a stallion that you've never met, hasn't produced anything and hasn't competed yet and then expect a superstar.  

You really need to know what you're looking for.  Do you like push style, rollback, big horses, small ones, hot ones, more laid back, you want to futurity, jackpot, rodeo or whatever?  Then look at what does that.  What's running like that or what bloodlines tend to do that?  Maybe talk to people riding those type.  Once you know what you're looking for, you can narrowing it down.  There are a lot of options!!  Sure there are bargains out there as far as stud fees and young horses, but its only a bargain if it's what you want and what suits you!

TGL babies won't get any cheaper.  His stud fee will be $6500 next year.  I'm happy i bred to him this year

Me too. And I'm not letting go of it! 

I have a 2019 Dashin Dynamo filly. I have tried to keep up with his progency that is running. Only seen a couple hit the smaller futurities and they haven't done bad. One was Reserve champ. The owner of DD has posted that all that are running have placed in the 1D thus far. I think he is going to be a good up and coming stud. He was $1250 this year and they already said price was going up next year. He ships excellent! 

I just saw you are wondering vet costs..... it will cost you no less than $1500 and that is if all goes well. My mare took with the first shipment. You are easily looking at $5k to just get your mare bred. If you don't currently have one you might as well just buy a prospect. It would be a lot cheaper in the long run. 

I’m going to book early to The Goodbye Lane this year. I was VERY impressed watching his offspring run at the Pink Buckle last year, they all had a very specific style that you could tell they were a GBL... it was pretty cool. Not to mention they were performers!

I love streakin boondox. I have seen a few of them and they are quiet and well balanced. 

I was checking out that Roarrr and he looks nice but i dont have any experience there. Freckles Ta fame is a standout to me of the ones you mentioned.

I have quite a few friends who are obssessed with their PYC horses. 

Look into PCR Pink Cadillac, if you don't have a big pocket book.  I was going to breed my older maiden mare to him this year but just couldn't get it right to get her down there to do live cover.  Greg is awesome to work with and I think he may have some prospects for sale.

Snobby goober, ain’t ya?

Kendel Owen just posted a 3 year old PB filly for sale.  Pretty dang cheap too.

I have a 2019 Dashin Dynamo for crazy town cheap. 

https://barrelhorseworld.com/horsedetail.asp?ID=358058

I bred one of my good mares to him and have seen him in person several times.  

I don't really know what that means.

I'd just like to stress what others have said - it's all about your goals.  If what you want is to raise a foal out of your own beloved broodmare and win the Pink Buckle futurity - go for it!

However, if that isn't your set in stone goal  . . . what is?  Paying into Pink Buckle is insanely expensive.  That means people have to charge a lot for stud fees and they have to get alot for the prospects.  If that program is your goal, awesome, but save up.  If you don't have a beloved broodmare - people who breed horses are crazy so buy a prospect.  (I get to say that, I'm one of the nutjobs.)  Your chances of getting what you want are much, much higher.

If budget is a big part of your goal, then look outside the program too. Just like in your business, goals are important in the horse business.  It's just that there are even more weird things that go wrong in the horse business compared to others!  ;-)