BREEDERS’ POINT OF VIEW By Gigha Steinman What I Wish I Knew Then
A foal’s warm breath in your ear, the dream of creating a future super star, the hope of contrib- uting to the growth of your favorite breed or sport, the sight of a pregnant broodmare happi- ly munching her evening hay—dreams and am- bitions, big and small, can lure everyday horse people to become professional horse breeders.
M
ost breeders will tell you that horse breeding is a never-ending learning process as mistakes can be expensive and disappointing. Yet frequently breeders
can avoid costly errors and experience success after heeding advice from others. Here, a handful of successful breeders share some of their lessons learned in hopes that up-and-coming breeders can avoid some potential pitfalls.
Mares, Mares, Mares One piece of advice successful breeders almost unanimous- ly offer involves mares. Anissa Cottongim breeds Trakehners at her farm Emerald Acres in Florida. “Your mares are your life in breeding,” says Anissa. “Buy the very best mares that you can.” Allyn McCracken of Bannockburn Farm LLC, Indiana, agrees.
“My most valuable lesson was that it is all about the mares— they are the backbone of your breeding operation.” Breeders also must be willing to cull any mares who are not
producing. Timothy Kammerer of Sparling Rock Holsteiners says he found out early on how important it was to know your mare and to be willing to cull. “If the best attributes of my mare’s stamm (mother line) are not being hand- ed down to my foals then I must cull the mare,” he
Nancy Debosek of Lone Palm Ranch and her homebred keur KWPN mare Vibrant LPR.
says. “Sometimes knowing if a mare should be bred at all is as important as knowing who to breed her to.” Many breeders also choose to build their mare base by keeping some of the best fillies that they themselves have pro- duced. Building a mare base of mothers and daughters (and even grand-daughters) can give a breeder incomparable insight into his broodmares and their strengths and weaknesses as pro- ducers. Augustin Walch of W. Charlot Farms in Canada supports this approach and strongly believes in breeders keeping their best fillies for their own breeding programs.
Stallions You can’t have a successful breeding program without quality mares, and you also can’t have a successful breeding program without using quality stallions. Nancy Debosek, who breeds Dutch Warmbloods at Lone Palm Ranch in Florida, cautions new breeders never to choose a stallion strictly based on his low stud fee. The stud fee may ultimately be one of the smallest ex- penses you’ll incur in breeding and raising a foal. Many breed- ers also caution against using unproven stal- lions. “Young
Dheputy, 4-year-old GOV stallion, third genera- tion from Rolling Stone Farm’s breeding pro- gram. (L-R:) Quinnten Alson (RSF handler), Cara Klothe (RSF Assistant Trainer) and owner Mo Swanson.
stallions can generate lots of excitement, but it can take several years to know what they will produce,” Nancy warns. Carrie Simmons, who breeds Friesian Sporthorses and owns Cornerstone Sporthorses in Florida, agrees. “Breeding to proven stallions increases the odds of success with your foals, and using proven stallions can also make your foals more marketable,” she says. Just as it can be risky to use an unproven stallion nobody
has ever heard of, it can also be a bad idea to choose a stal- lion based only on his popularity. “You must choose a stallion based on how you predict he will match up with your mare,” Nancy emphasizes. Anissa adds, “Never pick a stallion just be- cause he is a ‘big name’ if he doesn’t complement your mare!”
Warmbloods Today 75
POV
Courtesy Nancy Debosek
Courtesy Mo Swanson
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