[sabrina]

As I posted a couple of weeks ago myself, mother and OH had a weeks holiday in Shetland at the begining of this month. While there my friend June took me to meet a lady who was keen to buy one of my ponies to show in C.H.A.P. classes ( this is for broken coloured horses and ponies only ) I take great care on where my ponies go and June knows this so she planned to take myself and OH to check out this person and her set up. We had a lovely afternoon meeting her horse and ponies and by the time we left she was indeed very keen to buy Buddy. On arriving home I sent her by e-mail up to date pictures, he was everything she wanted so last night he boarded the ferry and was picked up at Lerwick this morning none the worse for his long boat journey. I had not planned to sell him for another couple of years but it was just to good a chance to get him the perfect home and he will be brought down to the mainland next summer to be shown at the Highland Show and a few other big shows with her big horse. She has two young children who will love him and ride him when broken. June also took us that afternoon to check out her own ponies and her friends Charlotte of the Redsand Stud. I came home and thought about what I had seen and thought to myself as Buddy is going up its a chance to buy another colt from Shetland, saving it from going through the pony sale. I phoned June as she always tells me what she thinks and we both decided that Resand Bjorn would be a good buy. He is a big strong colt skewbald in colour and should in the future be a good riding pony. Colts at the sale can change hands for £10. The cost of feeding ponies on the Island is very expensive up to £90 for a large bale of hay last March so breeders have to sell the colt foals that they cannot run on. I believe that every breeder should get a decent price for their stock but the dealers do not think like this and will take foals away for next to nothing. I wish I could buy more but have 3 entire males and 2 geldings at the moment so that is quite enough but maybe once more in the future I will be able.

[Hermit]

You have been to JUNES!!! You should have popped in to me. I have the valley at the head of the voe where June lives!  The white croft opposite her house with the trees and the poly , the ducks on the burn etc. Shetland Paul lives over the hill facing Junes. Next time eh.

[Hermit]

Ps I know what you mean about the pony sales. Folk are trying to 'give' them away now even before the sales in October. Same with a lot of stock in Shetland, it is getting very expensive to keep even chooks. No farrier and only one vets now add to the problems of stock keeping. I dont know how anyone can keep stock that doesnt earn its keep up here. One feed merchants is already on reduced staff which to me is a sign of folk getting shut of stock. Our feed merchant could not get straw all last winter as they were keeping it down South, luckily we have learned to do our own feed as much as poss and use our hay as bedding as well!  Not for ponies though just goats and poultry. Hopefully we will get through another winter without running out, and the sea will stay calm enough for the cargo boats. Those ponies though hardy are a luxury .

[sabrina]

How lucky are you to live in such a lovely area. I try and visit June every time we make the trip to Shetland so next time I will give you a call. I wish I could buy more Island foals but I only have a small part time job now so feeding what i have takes most of my earnings. I am so lucky that I buy my hay in bulk straight of the field, the same with the straw how you all manage in Shetland with your prices for winter feed I do not know.  Island ponies are very special, they have a lovely look about them and to see ponies roaming in large areas is such a joy.

[Roxy]

If only I lived closer - looking for a new pony to drive.  Prefer to buy a weaned foal to run on, and then break  it ourselves, then we know if its not right, there is only ourselves to blame!!  Shetlands in the sales down here, at least the adult ones, can go for £200 sometimes. 

I will be going up to the Fell sales in October, and the prices of pones, especially youngsters has been very poor for the past three years or so.  Even 2 and 3 year olds have been down.  Put quite a lot of breeders off breeding foals - not much point if you are left with a field full every Autumn.

[sabrina]

A good ridden Shetland can change hands for 4 figures, the same with a well bred show mare but unre.ponies go for buttons and most of the top prices are down south. Its hard to believe that it cost more to buy a puppy even if its Cross bred than it does to get a pony foal 

[Hermit]

I think a lot of folk jumped on the bandwagon when they saw the big money some ponies where making. What was missing in their plans was all the hard work that generations of families have put into their bloodlines and the worldwide reputation that those families have built up.It is who the pony is from as much as the pony itself.

[Hermit]

I dont think it is going to get better in the forseeable future. I know one big stud is halving stock and one of the biggest is nearly down the drain.Being in business we know who cant pay their bills. If the big boys who deal with European  sales cant do it anymore what hope is there for any new foals from an unknown stud. I would not breed for breedings sake. I dont know how you think you can start breeding and sell foals in this climate when established studs are putting them for offers on the local ads. Quality is not the problem it is volume and costs. You yourself have offered ponies for free on here. I would leave the business to the June types to get the reputation back for the Islands and maybe the prices back to what they were . It is like all businesses ..someone comes up with a good thing, some see the money,, market gets flooded and ruins it for everybody. This stallion, have you seen its offspring? have you seen its temperment? have you seen its quality?Have you had a vet check? sorry but I dont think much of someone sending a Stallion away without all these checks on both sides. Also whats wrong with a Shetland Isles Stallion ...Iam sure there is one or two going cheap

[sabrina]

This is just not only shetland foals but all right down to the Bloodstock for racing. Everyone is cutting back but there will always be those who breed just to make a few pounds. These are the kind who never worm, feed, hoof trim their animals so they can sell them cheap as very little money has gone into the mare or her offspring. My 3 colts will all be vet checked before they are offered for stud, even then only to approved mares and I do know what I am talking about having been stud manager in the past. I keep my boys for the pleasure of having them not to make any money. In this climate do the job right and you have no hope of making a profit. The stock I did breed in the past has done me proud in the showring and I was lucky enough to find the mares good homes. That means everything to me. People will always buy from a breeder who has good stock, is honest and puts the welfare of their ponies first. As for the big studs, about time they stopped churning out foals with no thought of their future.

[rbarlo32]

Nope no quality here. 

He would over all champion at that show and reserve over all champion at another show.  Have a pedigree full highland show champions.  His mum has won champion the blackisle show twice.  And has the best pedigree you can get.  S0 no we are not getting him because he is cheap because there are a lot of things a lot cheaper then him for sale at the moment we are getting him because he is one of the best things for sale at the moment.

This is the stud he is from
http://www.stninianshetlandponystud.com/

[Hermit]

The studs I mean are not downsizing for health reasons at all, they all look perfectly fit to me,as from this afternoon anyway. Good luck with your venture you obviously know something others dont.

[Hermit]

Just googled, why on earth dont you buy a stallion from your next door neighbours. Also top breeders of black Shetlands in Europe. How the hell do you know the photo is what you are getting. You still need to see what you are getting and what they are selling to for reputations sake(As you have warned 'pet' owners of on local forums), He may have had an accident since the photo, hence selling blind. If you want to build the foundations of a new  stud as Redsand has done successfully you need to do some travelling, the internet is a devil in disguise. I am not saying there is anything wrong but you need to check. The owner of your new stallion should respect  this and he should be visiting you for his reputation of breeding in his name as well. Stud owners are used to travelling around Europe checking breeding opportunities, a bugger since the Norrona stopped calling to Lerwick. Also are you equipped for a stallion so close to four top  Shetland studs as in a stock fence divide, as you have said yourself many times of the visitations of your stock on neighbours on this forum. They were not happy  at all about your unregistered, untested  ram escaping on their flock book high tested ewes never mind an unwanted  stallion on their 'TOP' stud mares a wire away. It may sound fun to say my ram has escaped on this forum and get oh dear replies but the bloody guns , dogs and cliffs were out in real life . You really need to get your act together for a stallion and I do hope you can.
Tough love , xx

[sabrina]

As far as I am concerned and I do not say this to rattle anyones cage, A Stallion of any breed is only as good as the stock he sires. The best foal i ever bred is Westercushnie Reach For the Sky. I was lucky enough to sell her as a foal to someone who could see what i did. To date she has won 18 Championships and still only 6 years old. Her sire Abbotsbury Urquhart was only lightly shown but his foals were stunning out of the mares I had. Due to health problems I could never have shown Sky the way her owner has but I am still as proud. Her dam Tzarina's Aurora ( Sunshine ) had never been shown until I bought her as a 3 year old, She did less than a handful of shows with me as she did not enjoy it but her first filly Westercushnie Precious Moment did very well, as a 3 year old at the Breed Show she was Junior Black Champion, Reserve Black Ring Champion and overall Show Junior Champion. Now she has added Ridden Champion. Her sire Slacks Salvador was in his twenties when I put Sunshine to him. I had the choice of 3 blacks stallions but Salvador although only around 37ins had such presence about him that I knew right away he was the one. When I look at any horse or pony I have to like what I see first, then I study the blood lines.

[shetlandpaul]

any pictures she sounds lovely.

[RedsandStud]

Well 'Sabrina', I'm delighted that Bjorn is off to live with you and I hope you enjoy him as much as we have! 

However no just particularly impressed to see what was a positive post about somebody enjoying their horses turn into an online slanging match. It's possibly not occured to anyone but when you type 'Redsand' into google this is now one of the first websites that comes up... regardless of whether or not I'm involved in the dispute what kind of a picture does that paint of my stud?

It doesn't matter whether you're a well known stud, a newly formed stud or not even a stud at all. None of the successful studs you see today got to where they are by falling out with people on forums I can almost guarentee it! I'm entirely in agreement with 'Sabrina', a stallion should be judged by the stock they leave. If they do well in the show ring then that's an added bonus but we're better off remembering that a rosette is the result of one judges opinion on the day and nothing more!
If the allknowing parties would like to take their fountains of wisdom arguements elsewhere, as in not all over a thread about a horse bred by my stud then it would be appreciated! You're not really achieving anything but if you wish to continue dragging the breed even further into the hole you're digging then do it without dragging my name into it too because at this rate you're going to need a bigger hole!
Thank you!