Stallions are seasonal breeders, therefore longer daylight and warmer temperatures will begin the process of readying the stallion for breeding season.
Stallions should enter the breeding season in optimal health and body condition. Ideally, the stallion enters the breeding season in a BCS Body Condition Score of 5 or 6 to help support his increased energy demands. While the act of breeding itself may not require a substantial amount of additional energy, stallions typically show more overall excitement and activity.
Monitor weight throughout the season and adjust feed intake accordingly. Pain or discomfort can manifest itself in undesirable behaviors as the stallion experiences frustration between something that he finds desirable but elicits pain.
If a stallion exhibits either aggressive behaviors or disinterest, it is important to first rule out pain, before starting any other behavioral management strategies. Housing can also affect stallion behavior.
Stallions are often housed and handled much differently than what they would experience in a natural setting. Stallions are often isolated from other horses to ensure the safety for them and other horses.
Stallions kept in barns away from other horses may actually decrease libido in some cases. In nature, young stallions congregate together in bachelor bands, in contrast to the stallion with access to mares, known as the harem stallion. Stallions which are around only other stallions show decreased testicular size, thus, lower libido. This strategy allows them to live together with less conflict, but may adversely affect breeding stallions.
Housing stallions around mares may help horses who are disinterested or reluctant breeders. You could be paying per straw with no terms, so would receive nothing back if your mare does not get in foal, or at the opposite end of the scale, some stallions come with a live foal guarantee, and various options to try again if the first attempt is unsuccessful. Bear in mind that a number of factors affect fertility rates, many of which can be managed and improved.
Being open to using frozen semen widens your choice of stallion and, with a good vet skilled in reproduction and a reasonably fertile mare, conception rates can be very good. Home Features. Ensure that the service fee is set at market value and not overpriced. Pedigree of the stallion and your mare. Make sure that the stallion will be a suitable match for your mare and that their pedigrees will be compatible. For example, there are certain lines you would not want to line-breed, but there some that you can.
Make a list of the positives and negatives of your mare. Know your mare well—her positives and negatives—so you can find a stallion who can best complement her. If needed, you can always ask a professional to assess your mare as well. Do the same for each stallion you consider. The same applies for the stallion in observing his strengths and weaknesses.
If your mare has poor conformation, will the stallion correct this so that the foal does not inherit that? It is important that you know both the positives and negatives of you mare and the stallion so you can ensure that you are making the proper decision.
What do you want to improve? After learning the strengths and weaknesses of both the mare and the stallion, you will have a better understanding of what you hope to improve in your mare, and whether the stallion can offer that.
You want to create the best version of both the dam and stallion when breeding for your foal. Who are you breeding for: a professional or Adult Amateur? When choosing the stallion, keep in mind what your intentions for this foal will be. If you are planning to breed for an Adult Amateur, then the considerations of the stallions will vary from that of which you would consider if you were breeding for a professional.
Take a close look at the lineage and ensure that you are considering your personal plans for the foal when picking the proper stallion. Also, some lines produce a lot of leg action which many people seem to favor these days , but often with that trait you will lose some of their movement through their backs.
Additionally, temperament is also paramount. Coupling huge movement with a difficult temperament can make for a tricky horse for any rider. If the mare has previously had any foals, take a moment to look at what their records are or what their temperaments are like.
If you have a chance to meet any of them, this would be an ideal time to see what your mare can produce and what type of stallion to pair her with, so you are breeding for the very best.
Find out how many mares the stallion has served and what his foals are like. Did he produce quality foals? What traits did he pass onto them? The horse with less natural talent but a great temperament is likely to be more successful as he will be more trainable, this is particularly important during his early years of education.
Is the stallion graded and if so, with whom is he graded? Is this the type of horse you are looking to breed yourself? Like this?
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