“You may have the nicest stallion


in the world, but you won’t sell many breedings if people haven’t ever heard of him!”


Shows In The Sun) hunter/jumper circuit could easily cost $4,000 or more. A typical three day dressage show with a professional could easily cost $1,000 or more. Besides competing the horse, advertising him


is crucial. Simple basic stallion ads on a few of the primary internet sales sites will cost around $50 each on average. Print advertising is considerably more, starting around $200 for a small ¼-page, black-and-white advertisement in some prominent magazines and going as high as $1,500 for full-page color advertisements. Professional graphic design of the ads can further increase this cost. The goal of internet and print advertising is to drive traffic to your website, an extremely important marketing tool. You’ve spent the money on training, showing, and


even advertising; so now it’s imperative to make a good investment in your website, which is ultimately where your customers will visit. The quality of your website can affect the perceived quality of your stallion and leave the visitor with the feeling that either he is top-notch or he’s in a backyard operation. EQ Graphics is a company specializing in designing and managing equine websites, with basic websites starting around $2,500 and running as high as $7,500 to $10,000 or more for bigger more elaborate websites. It certainly is possible to create and manage your own website with the many affordable website design software packages available today, but it is time consuming and it may lack the polished look of a professionally-designed website. As part of your website, you can’t underestimate the


importance of a quality video of your stallion. Seeing him move freely as well as under saddle is desirable for most stallion shoppers. Adding video clips of existing progeny is a good idea too if there’s time. Videos which are poor quality or too long can lose the interest of your viewers.


Other Logistics Once all of the other pieces have fallen into place, you’re ready to begin sending out shipments of your stallion’s semen. This can be another hurdle! Do you have the facility, knowledge, and help to collect him at home? A basic lab can be set up for around $3,000, and the cost of a breeding phantom (to collect the semen) will be another $3,000 approximately. Many stallion owners prefer to haul their stallions to professional facilities for


stallion collection. This can cost an average of $200 - $300 per collection (and may vary by area), plus the time and expense of hauling the stallion to and from the collection facility. Whichever route a stallion owner chooses, this is another expense which should be taken into consideration. There are other little details as well. Stallion owners will


have to decide if they will ship using Equitainers ($220 each) or disposable shippers (around $30 each), and they need to have enough shipping containers on hand to meet the demands of breeding season. And then there is the paperwork. There are breeding contracts to be signed, breeding certificates to be sent out, and most registries have their own paperwork which must be submitted as well. Stallion owners also have to be available and “on


call” during breeding season. Most stallion owners must be prepared to collect and ship semen with very little advance notice (typically the same day or the next day.) Stallion owners have to ask themselves if their schedules will accommodate this kind of unpredictability. Some choose to send their stallion to a professional who has the facility and experience to manage stallions during breeding season. For example, Hilltop Farm in Colora, Maryland offers this kind of service for a select group of “Guest Stallions.” This can make the entire process much simpler for the stallion owner but also more expensive. It can also be difficult to juggle a stallion’s training and showing schedule during breeding season—another important thing to coordinate with the trainer.


The Benefits Your stallion has been approved for breeding, he’s with a professional trainer, he’s showing successfully, you’ve got a good marketing strategy in place for him, and you’ve got a half dozen new Equitainers waiting for shipments. Now what? Nobody knows the real figures, but it is commonly


accepted as a fact that Warmblood stallions in the U.S. average only five to six breedings per year. With some popular stallions selling closer to 30–40 breedings per year, this means that there are also many stallions selling only one or two breedings per year or none at all. Stud fees on average fall into the $1200–$2500 range. It is easy to see that the majority of stallion owners are not going to make a profit in the most literal sense of the word! However, there are many benefits to be gained from standing a stallion which can’t be measured in money. Many stallion owners take a great deal of pride in


Warmbloods Today 31


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