Where the Fun Begins!

Summer is in here full swing here…..we aren’t showing any this year but it certainly doesn’t make life any less busy! Breeding season is over & the main herd is out to pasture. I know they love the open space & fresh air, not to mention the absolute quiet they get to enjoy tucked back in the hills. 🙂 We’ve had some timely rains this spring and summer so their pasture is looking really good. We are busy haying….it’s almost time to put the first round of square bales in the hay loft so you know what that means………time for a work out! I’ll get plenty of muscle testing over the next 3 months. 🙂 We hope you summer is going great and you are enjoying your miniatures & shetlands too!

The herd enjoying their summer pasture.

It’s that time of year again to fill out futurity paperwork. I love participating in the futurity programs. I love the challenge that comes with matching bloodlines together and seeing if they can produce an offspring that carries on the desirable qualities from both parents. Futurity programs are also a way to measure a breeder’s program as to how successful it is according to the breed standard and the direction that breed is taking. Often times when the line-up is called for all the Futurity winners and you look at them together, a consistent type will emerge. It’s an impressive sight when you can actually see the type reproduced from various programs across the country. Hats off to all the breeders who are dedicated to supporting the ASPC/AMHR Futurity programs!

We have produced 2 Futurity Champions here at Outlaw Miniatures & Shetlands and both of those AMHR fillies were sired by our stallion, D&S Tom Collins, who was himself a Futurity Champion. We also have other AMHR horses who have consistently placed with Top Ten Honors the years they were shown in their respective futurities. So we feel our breeding program is on the right track to continue the growth of AMHR.

This year we have sustained all of the AMHR horses we had in the program along with 2 Classic Shetlands in the ASPC Classic Shetland Futurity program. We will be nominating our stallion, AE Bey Star, in the Classic Shetland program and 2 of the mares he has bred for this season. We feel it’s time our breeding program was beginning to show itself stronger in the ASPC division.

Good luck to everyone participating in the AMHR/ASPC futurity programs! I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts!

I love being a member of both the AMHR & ASPC Futurity programs and participating in the programs every year with the foals we raise. To me that is one of the most exciting opportunities about being a breeder – the chance to put your breeding program in the spotlight to be judged and see how it stacks up against the competition.  Futurity entries are due March 1 and it’s not too early to be thinking about the stallions and mares you want to consider nominating for 2011 or the foals that you want to sustain in the program.  Information about the ASPC/AMHR Futurity programs can be found in the ASPC/AMHR bi-monthly publication The Journal, or you can ask the chairperson of the respective futurities or any futurity member any questions you may have. If a member is like me, they love sharing information about the futurity programs and the benefits it can bring to you, the breeder, not to mention the thrill and excitement of a seeing an animal that you produced & raised go on to take Top Honors in the program. Thinking about our 2011 foal crop and their possibilities within the futurity programs is what helps me see past the wintery, bleak days of January. 🙂 We currently have proven futurity winners and futurity prospects for sale. Check them out on our For Sale page!