Stallion Management

In this day age age, many people are breeding horses for various reasons. Genetics, coat color/pattern, behavior, and discipline are a few considerations that a horse owner may be looking for when deciding about breeding. Whether you are breeding horses naturally, or buying frozen semen to use for artificial insemination, stallion management is a very important part of the equation when thinking about breeding.

Photo Credit: Virginia Cooperative Extension

 Stallions can have a variety of temperaments. Regardless of their behavior during non-breeding season, they still have to all be managed the same way because of what they are capable of. The first step in stallion management is figuring out what to look for in a good stallion, whether you are buying semen or the stallion. The first rule is selecting a horse with a desirable pedigree. If you are looking for a champion reining foal, you will want to look for bloodlines that have had proven winners come out of those horses. A second aspect to look for in a breeding stallion is his conformation and other desirable traits that he may pass on to his offspring. If the stallion is in bad shape, chances are that he can give some of those characteristics to his foals. Just think of it this way, half of your foal’s traits and characteristics will come from the stallion, so make sure he fits the profile.

Whether you are managing a stallion barn or just a single stallion, another thing to think about is the breeding fee. If you are the stallion owner, chances are you did not get that stallion for free so you will want to breed the stallion so that he will earn his keep in the barn. Whether you are just providing natural breeding services, or collecting and shipping frozen semen, there are several things to consider when you decide on your fee. You have to put a price on your product so that others who wish to buy it can know what to expect to pay for it. You will have to do research on your genetics and bloodlines to see exactly how much a reasonable fee would be for your stallion. You will also have to take into consideration the process of breeding that is being done and how much labor and equipment will have to be used. All of these things are helpful to think about when choosing to allow your stallion to breed.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

 Location is also a factor when deciding to own a stallion. Many people often buy stallions wishing to breed them, but live in places that are so far away that no one can afford to get there, much less get a mare there. You will want to keep this in mind when managing a stallion at your farm. Also, you will want to be in a place that is dominated by the same breed as your stallion. For example, you would not want to have a Thoroughbred stallion in a state or region that is dominated by Quarter Horses. The same would be true for the opposite, a Quarter Horse stallion in a place that has numerous Thoroughbred mares. All of these things will affect your profitability on your stallion.

Managing a stallion also takes a certain kind of facility. The first thing is that you want to maintain a clean and attractive breeding farm so customers will want to bring their mare there for breeding. As a breeding farm manager, you will also need to make sure that the layout and accessibility of your farm is appropriate for a breeding program. If you are collecting a stallion, you will not want the cooler or storage room across the farm, etc. You will also want to maintain adequate facilities to house your stallion because they can be very powerful and destructive if they choose to be. Your facilities should be extremely secure and tough to withstand any number of circumstances.

There are so many other things that go along with managing and breeding a stallion that it is a science all by itself. There are numerous publications available on maintaining breeding farms, just make sure you are getting the right information. You may also want to check out this publication for any other information you may need. http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=utk_agexani

You can always contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for more information as well.

Written By: Taylor Jones, NCSU Intern, Alamance County