Curly Stallion, Market research

[curly1]

I posted a couple of months ago about whether people would be interested in buying curly horses and got a 50/50 response.

My question this time is whether people would be interested in using a curly stallion.

I am trying to decide whether or not there is a market in this country, although they are very popular in america, Canada and Europe. My goal is to breed curly sports horses by crossing good quality mares with a curly stallion to produce sportshorses with the outstanding temperament and hardiness to disease of the curly along with the bonus of being hypoallergenic for those allergic to horses or with athsma.

I am researching whether people would be interested in using a curly stallion. The stud fee for semen from Europe is currently between £600 - £1200 and only frozen is available and once your doses have gone you have to pay again.

If you would like more iformation about curly horses please visit http://www.curlyhorses.org/index.php?page=faqcurly

Thankyou for taking the time to read this post and please vote in the poll.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Nah, if you want a curly pony, buy one with Cushings!!!!

 

[Ezme]

would a cross still be hypoalergenic? Stables that are open to the public might like it. But not sure, it'd be an uphill struggle. You'd have to really get it noticed competing wise to perk interest

 

[curly1]

Crosses are often hypoellergenic even if they are smooth coated but there are no gaurantees.

It is also worth noting that they are not curly in the summer and that unwanted curly coat in the winter can be clipped off leaviing a lovely crimpy mane and tail akin to a spanish horse.

Pure curlies often shed mane and tail hair, crosses very rarely shed the mane and tail hair.

There are curlies accross Europe compeing in all sports at a high level. I saw a beautiful curly stallion which was part thoroughbred that looked like an andalucian if you didnt know it was a curly.

Curly is a coat type not a breed so it doesnt matter if you cross it, if the gene causing the curly coat is present even in a smooth coated horse (you would need a DNA test for smooth coats) then its a curly. So you can cross with anything.

 

[zizz]

Colourthyme stud stand a curly, stud fee is £350 so no I wouldn't be interested if I had to pay £600 - £1200 for frozen semen!

 

[piaffe]

No, sorry I would have no desire to use a curly stallion on my mare; not my cup of tea at all.

 

[curly1]

Goodness me, I wouldnt charge £600- £1200, I was just using that as an example of what they are charging in Europe for the sporthorse curlies.

Colourthyme stand a lovely stallion and I would charge a similar fee of around £300.

I have been put of using the foreign curlies because of the cost so would be intested to know how much demand there would be for stallions in the UK at more sensible prices

 

[PapaFrita]

Probably not, unless the curly stallion was an exceptional jumper, but that's what I'm interested in.

 

[Rowena]

Hi Curly

With regard to cross breeding:-

We backed 2 curlies a few years ago - the purebred was so simple to work with, but the half bred (welsh cob X) was extremely sharp. This of course if fine for the more experienced horse person, but curlies are often chosen for their wonderful temperament and placid nature so not a good cross for the less experienced/confident rider.

 

[WoopsiiD]

Yes.....BUT only if it 100% guarantee that it would throw a hypoallergenic foal.
Seriously looking into the possibilty of buying a curly to ease the strain on OH's asthma and constant whinging!!

 

[happy_talk]

i said no, because for that money £6-1200, i'd rather go for a proven warmblood/sporthorse stallion, whose foals would no doubt be worth a lot more.

but, when i was looking for a horse I "discovered" curlies and really fancied one... but the only ones in the UK I could find were in scotland.

 

[jesterfaerie]

Probably not no.
If I had a mare I am sure I could find a stallion over here for half the price who has proven prodegy.
If I had someone in my close family who was around horses alot (eg if I had children etc) then I may consider it providing the stallion had everything I looked for in a non-curley stallion (temprement/competition record/proven prodgeny/etc).

 

[SirenaXVI]

Sorry, not my cup of tea at all but can see the point if you are an asthma sufferer.

One thing bothers me, if curly is a coat type and not a breed is there a stud book? If not, surely then you are breeding more bitsa's (albiet curly ones) which is not good for british breeding in general.

 

[curly1]

Horses are regsitered with the International curly horse organisation. The gene causing the curls is what they need to have to be considered a curly. Although people breeding pure curlies are trying to stick to the original bloodlines of the original curly horses, but even these are not pure and have ben crossed with many other breeds such as the morgan and quarter horse and arab. But this is similar to the thoroughbred which has also been outcrossed in the past.
Curly to curly would ensure a hypoellerbenic foal but a curly to any other breed would give an 90% chance of a curly foal.

 

[curly1]

Can I just reiterate that I would not be charging any more than £350 for a stud fee