Breeding can be an expensive business so ensuring that all the pieces of the jigsaw are in place, can take time and require plenty of research to get the foal of your dreams. Lara Edwards , dressage rider and owner of Lara Edwards Stallions, explains what she looks for in a stallion:.
It is no good having a stallion that has the best conformation possible and a pedigree to die for if his temperament makes him difficult to handle. While attitude and personality will add to his stallion status, these characteristics need to be manageable. As your chosen stallion will make up half of the genetic makeup of your foal, a good temperament is vital as this is an important characteristic that will be passed on. When looking for the perfect dressage stallion, good conformation is vital to achieving movements and paces that score high percentages.
Is your Colt Stallion Worthy? Author and horseman Dr. Jim McCall is a nationally recognized expert on horse behavior, training and management. He has raised more than stallions and firmly believes that, even before you breed a mare, you should know something about how the potential colts will turn out.
The first thing to look at is pedigree. In any breed or registry, is this colt good enough to be a stallion prospect? Second is conformation. Everyone has an opinion regarding what age a colt will best resemble his future adult form. McCall believes that the ideal age is 4 months. At this age, an owner can get a good idea of the conformation the colt will have as a mature stallion, according to McCall, and can look for breeding-quality conformation.
If a young horse meets the first two criteria, an owner can probably leave a colt intact until he reaches an age where his disposition is more obvious.
Is the colt tractable enough to be easy to handle, breed or show? While most people wait until the horses have reached 2 or 3 years of age before deciding to geld or not, McCall generally decides by age months. The final determining factor is performance record. Is this horse outstanding enough to warrant being a breeding prospect? Once all of these criteria have been met and you feel you have an exceptional individual worthy of passing on his genetics, you must then decide if you are breeding for profit or pleasure.
If your objective is to preserve or improve your own bloodlines, you have a good foundation on which to build. However, unless you are going to breed more than five mares, McCall believes an owner would be better off financially, and would likely get better genetics, if he bought the stud services of proven horses. If your objective is to make a profit, your next step is to decide on a stud fee based on the stallion's economic value. Most breed associations and journals are very good at telling how many stallions are reporting, how many mares are bred, and how many live foals are produced.
This varies a bit by location, so owners should research how many stallions are in their area, what stud prices are, how many mares are in their area, and which ones are good enough for their stud's price range. In terms of marketing young horses, McCall also believes it is advantageous to leave a horse intact if you are taking him to a sale. I don't know why; it didn't used to be that way. It's just one of the changes in the economic picture that just floors me.
Developing Social Skills Dr. Sharon Crowell-Davis of the University of Georgia has done extensive research on the development of behavior in foals. Aside from being consistent in your own training methods, her observations reveal that the key to producing a well-behaved adult stallion can be as simple as letting the herd do all the work for you.
Much of Davis' research has been on mixed group herds with a stallion, several mares, and their foals. It's with his peers that he learns to place limits on his own behavior. Ideally, Davis would like to see all horses raised in mixed colt and filly groups up to about 9 months of age. At that age, they should be split up in order to avoid pregnancies. Once the colts and fillies are split up, colts that are future stallions should be kept together so that they will continue to learn how to interact in an acceptable manner and not be overly aggressive.
Davis feels serious behavioral problems can occur when colts are weaned at 4 months of age and kept isolated from their own species. Horse ownership seems like the right fit, but as anyone who owns a horse will tell you,?
It is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.? Horses are time consuming and expensive. Thinking through the time committment and expense of owning a horse before buying your first horse will help you prepare for the day to day realities of horse ownership. You've just made the tough decision to sell your horse. How can you make sure your beloved partner lands in good hands?
What should this reader do with her recently gelded horse that still thinks he's a stud? Sandy Croote, whose Miniature Horses have made it to the breed's Hall of Fame, explains how you can apply mini training to your full-size horse. Horse owners may be pleasantly surprised at just how cooperative your high-stepping horse becomes when you change to a snaffle, and put these practical exercises to work. When problems loom large or small , there's no need to go it alone. Ask yourself some key questions, and consider getting help from a pro.
Find out how much you know about stallion care with our fun and informative mythbusters' tour through a modern-day breeding barn. If you're in the market for a horse, it's extremely important to take your time and find one right for you. If you do find one that interests you, our author had listed 20 horse buying questions every potential horse owner should ask.
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Otherwise, conception rates will be undesirable because of low spermatozoa numbers, and the stallion may develop a low sex drive from overuse. Even though spermatozoa production begins as early as 12 to 14 months of age in most colts, results of numerous research trials recommend waiting until the stallion is 3 years old before using him as a breeding stallion.
Daily spermatozoa production is also influenced by season. Production of spermatozoa increases as daylight grows longer in March, peaks in May and June, and then declines significantly in July and August. Lighting programs should start around the first of December to advance the breeding season for February and March.
The perceived daylight should be lengthened to 16 hours of light per day. Lighting programs must be routinely applied every day.
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