Breeding the Perfect Foal: How to Pick the Right Stallion

Whether it’s for practical reasons – you want to create a performance prospect for the market or as a future mount for yourself – or emotional, such as wanting a foal from a cherished horse, matchmaking for your mare can be a daunting challenge. To determine how best to pick the ideal mate for your mare and what you should take into consideration, we talked to three successful veterans of the breeding business: Augustin Walch of W. Charlot Farms in Stratford, ON; Jennifer Arnoldt of Dreamscape Farm in Langley, BC; and Lorrie Jamieson of Klondike Victory Farm in Red Deer, AB. Here is their advice for novice breeders.

Should I breed my mare?

All three experts advise that you start by taking a critical look at your mare, assessing her strengths and weaknesses and trying to be objective about whether she has the attributes you want to see in a foal. No mare is perfect, they say, and no stallion is either.

Arnoldt suggests taking your mare to an inspection offered by a breed registry for an objective assessment on whether she meets conformation and movement criteria for breeding approval. You’ll hear expert opinions on what her strengths and weaknesses are, and will usually get advice on the type of stallion to breed her to.

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You could also ask an experienced breeder for a critique. “If it’s an older mare with a performance record, there are certain things I’m more willing to overlook than in a younger mare that hasn’t done much, as they’ve been out there and walked the walk, so to speak,” says Arnoldt. “Some people have an emotional bond with a mare that’s been a good horse for them. They should be aware they may have the same limitations in the offspring if the mare was not a huge athlete.”

When Klondike Victory Farm chooses a stallion for one of its mares, Jamieson looks at what her weaknesses are, what needs improvement, what her mother-line historically throws and if there is a specific niche with her bloodlines. She only breeds mares that have achieved a high level of performance (at least 1.30 metre jumping), have a mother-line that is consistently throwing performance horses, or have produced performance offspring in the hunter/jumper or dressage rings. “All of our mares have good basic conformation, a trainable temperament, and above-average canter,” says Jamison. “Everything in our sport is based on the canter and good bloodlines.”

Augustin Walch says it’s important to have a good mare, as even a top stallion won’t compensate for all of a mare’s weaknesses. He believes that the mare contributes as much as 70 to 75 per cent of an offspring’s traits. He says while it’s important to know a stallion’s bloodlines, it’s equally important to know a mare’s ancestry and the horses she’s related to, as that will influence the breeding outcome. He keeps the best fillies from his program as broodmares.

Whatever your reason for breeding, Arnoldt says the goal should be to improve the next generation.

Considerations when breeding for the market

The biggest demand in North America is for the hunter discipline, says Walch, who estimates that accounts for about 90 per cent of his market. Many of those buyers are women seeking amateur-friendly mounts.

He says the type of sport horse has changed considerably since he started breeding, when bigger, substantial warmbloods were popular. Now, people are looking for more refinement for more speed and agility in jumping, and more elegance in dressage horses. Arnoldt says even for the hunter ring, horses should have a good amount of scope.

“We always breed with resale in mind,” says Jamieson. “The focus is breeding talented, good-moving offspring that have very trainable temperaments. We mainly sell when the offspring are two to four years old. Good-moving hunter types will generally sell quicker, as both the hunter/jumper and dressage riders will be interested in them. The real upper-level jumper types generally need to show more aptitude in the free jumping chute before they sell.”

“Temperament in North America is huge, along with rideability,” says Arnoldt, who has found that buyers also like attractive heads and horses that jump with tight knees. Her clients include hunter, jumper, and dressage breeders, but she’s been surprised by the interest she’s been getting from event riders looking to buy or breed upper-level prospects with better movement. She tells owners of grade mares that their foals will likely not command the same price as foals from a mare that has been registered and been inspected, and they may have to wait until the foal is going under saddle to sell it.

Questions to ask the stallion owner

Jamieson says it’s important to ask an owner about a stallion’s weak points (and most reputable stallion owners will be honest), what type of mare crosses best with him, what he has done in sport (if he is old enough), and what has he produced.

Arnoldt says one of the most important questions is about a stallion’s availability for breeding, whether his semen is available fresh or frozen, and what the collection schedule is. Ask for statistics on semen for shipping, the numbers of mares he’s bred and conception rates (around 80 per cent is good). If your mare is sub-fertile, ask about a stallion’s record for success with such mares.

Discuss your budget. Ask about collection costs and any other costs that could be associated with breeding your mare.

Narrowing your choices

Obviously, you want to choose a stallion that improves on your mare’s weaknesses. If she isn’t a terrific mover, look for a good-moving stallion. If she hangs her knees over fences, you want a stallion with tidy jumping form. If she toes in, you’ll want a stallion that has correct front legs. If she has a hot temperament, choose a stallion known for his laidback temperament.

Walch says it’s important to look at a stallion’s entire pedigree and to see what performance horses are in its lineage. He bought Rio Grande after briefly seeing him as a three-year-old in a barn aisle, but the stallion had a stellar pedigree and went on to become an international show jumper, as well as a top hunter sire. And Viva Voltaire, with three Olympic horses in his pedigree (Voltaire, Grannus and Argentinus) produced two offspring from his first foal crop that competed at the 2011 Pan Am Games in dressage.

Arnoldt says it’s important to consider whether a stallion has been licensed by a breed registry, as that will determine in what registries (or if) your foal can be registered, and demonstrates that a stallion has met certain performance and conformation criteria.

While some stallions have a propensity for one discipline over others, some are proving their versatility and it may be worth looking at stallions in sports other than your discipline of choice. Charlot Farm’s Viva Voltaire has sired successful hunters, jumpers, and dressage horses. Klondike Victory’s Talme K competed in the jumper, hunter and dressage rings and has offspring doing the same. Dreamscape Farm’s dressage stallion Sir Gregory has also been used by hunter breeders, while jumper stallion Bon Balou has produced dressage and eventing prospects.

Established older stallion vs. young unproven one

Jamieson says if a younger stallion is your choice, look at what his mother-line has produced and how well that line has done in sport, as well as what his temperament is like and if he throws it. She adds that for unproven mares, or one that’s not consistent in what she throws, an established stallion might be the best choice.

“I go with my gut,” says Arnoldt. “I have gone with younger stallions and I look for a certain type, and I look at the bloodlines.” She says if a stallion is proven with many foals on the ground, it’s easier to see how pre-potent he is and how much he stamps his offspring with his characteristics.

She and Walch both point out that the traits of previous generations may come through. For instance, Dreamscape’s Oldenburg stallion Banderas consistently produces foals that move better than he does, while W. Charlot Farm’s hunter stallion Cabardino is not tall himself, but produces tall, leggy offspring.

Rolling the dice

Walch admits that although he has been selective about the stallions he chooses, and breeds only his best mares, luck is also part of the equation when it comes to breeding an attractive horse with athleticism and a good attitude.

Jamieson sums it up: “Breeding is a guessing game and a lot can happen from conception to getting that performance horse that you’ve always dreamed about. Do as much research as possible on your bloodlines, honestly evaluate what you have and what you are hoping for – then make your best educated guess.”