Choosing the right stallion

Choosing the right stallion is probably the single most important decision you will make after deciding to breed your mare. Here are some questions to consider when making your choice.

Identifying What You Want in a Stallion
1)  Get out a piece of paper or pull out your computer. Make a table with 5 columns. Leave the first one blank, then label the rest: traits, importance, mare has, mare doesn't have. In the left most column (the blank one) write physical traits, leave some space, write temperament, leave some space, and then write color. It should look something like this...
2)  Now start by making a list of all the physical traits you want your ideal foal to have. Write as much or as little detail as you want. This is a wish list, so don't worry if some of the things you write down aren't as important to you as others. 

3)  Do the same thing for your foal's temperament (personality) and the color. When you're done, you should have a pretty complete description of your dream foal.
5) Now go through each of these traits and, in the importance column, mark each with a 1, 2 or 3.
  • 1= things which are very important to you.
  • 2= things which are of medium importance.
  • 3= things which would be nice but aren't the most important. 

6) Finally, in the last two columns, mark whether your mare has these traits or not. For those traits the mare does have, write down an "S" if the trait is strong in the mare and a "w" if the trait is not so strong. (If the mare doesn't have the trait, just mark an X in the mare doesn't have column.)

7) Now go through with a yellow highlighter and highlight those traits you have marked with a 1 which your mare doesn't have. Take a separate sheet of paper and make a list of these traits labeled, Must Have In Stallion.

​8) Now, with another color highlighter, highlight the 2's. Also highlight any 1's which your mare does have in this color. Make a second list labeled, Looking for in Stallion and put these qualities there.

9) Finally, take whatever is left and list it under the label Would Be Nice. 

Here's an example from one of my clients. She was interested in breeding a mare she had acquired who had some conformation and feet problems which we had reason to hope may not have been genetic. The mare had great bloodlines and a smart, interested personality, but had not not gotten the kind of life she needed and so was relatively obnoxious to be around. She wanted a foal with the mare's bloodlines, no conformation issues, good, smooth gait and a loving, interested personality. She had always loved the idea of having a huge, draft horse or a pony, but didn't have a strong need for this foal to be either of those unless it hapend to work out that way.
Once you've got this list, think about one more thing. Are there any traits you feel strongly about not having in this foal? This might be color, temperament, or a certain kind of build. Jot this down and compare it to your other lists. If anything on this list isn't already covered on your Must Have list, add it.
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Looking at Stallions

Now that you know what you are looking for, its time to start researching stallions.

Location

The first question here is if you want to do AI or Live Cover, or if you are open to either one. (click here to read more about that decision) If you want to do Live Cover, how far away are you willing to send your mare to breed? This will tell you if you can search for any stallion in the world, only a stallion in the United States or a stallion within a few hours of your home.

Here are some tips on finding potential stallions to evaluate - the more restricted you are in location, the easier this search will be. 

For local stallions...
  • look at Craig's List
  • look in local paper or penny papers
  • check out bulletin boards in your local feed and tack shops
  • ask other horse people you know in the area, as well as professionals such as your vet (very good resource), your farrier, local tack shop workers and more
  • look on breed websites under your state
  • look at horse buying websites (which also usually list stallions at stud) such as...
    • equinenow.com
    • equine.com
    • dreamhorse.com
    • horseclicks.com
    • horsefinders.com

For looking farther a field, add to this list
  • general website searches for stallions at stud with a few keywords you are looking for
  • search for breeders of a certain kind of horse 
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Evaluating Potential Stallions

As you start to find potential stallions, you want to do a quick check against your lists each time you come across a prospect. Look at printed or on-line information about the stallion and then email, call or write with questions about the traits you are interested in. You want a stallion that not only has these traits himself but has a history of passing them on to his offspring. Don't just look at him - look at the foals he has produced as well. (If he hasn't been breeding long enough to have this information available, you might look at his mother and father, and any full brothers or sisters he has). 
General Criteria

Once you have a stallion (or a few stallions) which interest you, make sure to check out a few general things which should be common to any good stallion prospect. These include...
  • What is his fertility rates? What percentage of mares that he has bread have gotten pregnant?
  • If you are doing AI, has he done this before? What are his AI fertility rates (these can be significantly different than Live Cover). 
  • If you are doing Live Cover, what is the stallion like when he breeds? Some stallions are pretty gentle with their mares, but some are not. Ask about injuries the breeding farm has experienced with that stallion and any mares he has bred. 
  • Also, for Live Cover, ask about what kind of facilities the breeding farm has, how many mares are breeding to that stallion at once and how often they will breed your mare once she is receptive. You want a safe place that is concerned about your mare and going to take good care of her, as well as care about her success in getting pregnant. The breeding farm should plan to breed your mare either every day or every other day once she is in heat, and there shouldn't be too many mares breeding to that stallion at a time. More than two at once, and his fertility may drop a bit - more than four at once and it will for sure.
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Meeting the Stallion

Once you have found a stallion that meets all of your most important criteria, and as many as possible of your lesser criteria, and have decided you are comfortable with the breeder's involved, do everything you can to try and meet the stallion in person. Breeders are selling a product, and do sometimes put a better face on their stallion that is deserved. It is always good to meet the stallion and determine if he really is what you are expecting and what you want in your foal. If he is the right stallion for your mare, you should fall in love with him and get as excited about him as you are about your coming foal. 

If you can't meet him, ask for video of people interacting with him or references of other clients who have bred to him before. 
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Making It Happen

Once you have chosen the stallion, it only remains to do the paperwork and arrange the details. Do this as early as possible (most breeders only allow a certain number of mares to breed to their stallion per year in order to keep his fertility strong. Many stallions may start to fill for the following summer up by January. Getting contracts signed and deposits paid will assure you priority in getting your mare in when you want to have her bred. 
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Are you really drawn to certain colors of horses? Have you always dreamed of owning a certain color horse? Do you want to learn more about Color and how to choose a stallion that will produce the color you are dreaming of? Click here to learn all about horse color!
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