standing a stallion. Some get satisfaction in knowing they are contributing to the future of their breed and horse sports in general by offering breeders another quality stallion to choose from. Still others enjoy cheering for their stallion from the sidelines, reveling in his successes or seeing him featured in a top notch magazine ad. Jill Burnell currently stands four imported approved
Warmblood stallions at her Gray Fox Farm in California (with a fifth stallion soon to be added to the roster). She says she began importing stallions because she couldn’t find exactly what she wanted in a stallion here in the U.S. She admits she didn’t initially think she’d like owning stallions, but has found it “really satisfying to have more control over the babies [she produces]”, and has found that she really enjoys the stallions. “They have more personality, they’re more fun, and they’re beautiful,” she says. It can also make sense economically for a farm to stand their own stallion if they are breeding a lot of mares. Gray Fox Farm currently has forty mares, and Jill says that by owning her own stallions “I can get exactly what I want, I can save on stud fees, and it’s more convenient.” She’s also found that the stallions bring attention to her farm and more traffic to her website which is beneficial as she has foals for sale in addition to the roster of stallions available. Jill feels that “if you do it right, you can make money with stallions.” She says she had a blueprint and a plan before she ever bought her first stallion. She advises that “you have to know the market and buy accordingly.” She also stresses the importance of marketing noting that “ads have a cumulative effect” and “you have to get your name out there.” She also feels showing is important to prove her stallions and to get them additional exposure, and she also advises to “show smart” —choosing the best trainers, shows, and venues to get the most for your money. She adds that she is lucky in that mare owners seem to share her taste in stallions. Tim Holekamp owns the Olympic eventing stallion Windfall. Tim offers another perspective on stallion ownership. He says that for him “standing a stallion isn’t about chasing the ephemeral profit” but about “trying to upgrade things, trying to incrementally improve horse genetics, trying to improve the horses for everyone participating in eventing and dressage, and in particular,
32 September/October 2010
“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!”
to improve the horses available for our country’s international teams.”
American Success Story Mo Swanson’s stallion Shakespeare RSF made news in 2009, when he was the winner of America’s first 70-Day Stallion Test. His success was even more exciting because he was an American homebred, bred and raised at Mo‘s Rolling Stone Farm in Pennsylvania. Mo says she knew even when Shakespeare was a foal that he was a really special horse. According to her, “he had a certain ’it’ factor—it was his movement, his conformation, and the ’it’ factor which let me know he was a stallion prospect.” He was the top scoring colt at his inspection, and while she says it was nice to get confirmation from the inspector that Shakespeare was a stallion prospect, she says in this case she would have kept him a stallion anyhow, because she “just knew…” When Shakespeare won the 70-Day Stallion Test, Mo
says it was “a really special moment” for her husband and herself, and even more special “because we did it all ourselves, from buying the semen and breeding the mare to the 70-Day Test. It was thrilling…just thrilling.” Success stories like this are what many breeders may
dream of when they see their newborn colt. But raising a successful breeding stallion isn’t for everyone. With the majority of colts ultimately gelded, only a select few should remain as stallions. Without the owner’s dedication, experience, and financial backing to bring out the stallion’s fullest potential, in the end, it’s just another horse.
WT
Left: Shakespeare RSF years ago as a young colt. Mo Swanson “just knew” he was going to be a great stallion some day. Right: Shakespeare RSF in 2009. (This horse was featured on WT’s March/April 2010 cover.) Photos by Susan Stickle
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