How do you select the ideal stallion for your mare?

H

HHO admin

Administrator
Joined
7 December 2009
Messages
14
Visit site
Selecting which stallion to cover your mare is a big decision and there are so many things to think about. Harthill Stud has been studying bloodlines for many years and has extensive knowledge of which combinations to avoid and what can work well to produce your perfect horse.

So, what's the most important quality a stallion must be able to offer for you to choose him for your mare?

HArthill-stud-logo.jpg


Harthill Stud - www.harthillstud.com - email: info@harthillstud.com
 
The stud is genuinely interested to know what people look at first when they select a stallion to cover their mare. We know there are a lot of strong opinions on this forum, so would love to hear them!
 
When I bred my dressage filly the criteria I had for the stallion were the following.
Must be competing or has competed Grand Prix
Must be no bigger than 16.3hh
Must be very high on the German stallion rankings ie in the top 1%
Must have a very strong mother line
Must have no major weaknesses in walk trot canter or ability to do piaffe, passage, pirouettes etc.
Showjumping blood very desirable.
Must be of similar type and build to my mare.
The stallion I chose was Diamond Hit and the filly I got is now 4 and outstanding even if I do say so myself. She has incredible off the floor paces and a natural ability to sit. Watch out for her as she will be winning next year! The stallions mother goes back to international showjumpers and she herself produced 3 licensed stallions, Diamond Hit, Sandro Hit and Royal Hit. Diamond Hit has produced Grand Prix offspring, licensed stallions and top priced auction horses.
 
I mainly looked at my mare, worked out what I thought her biggeet weaknessesss was and looked at stallions which would improve upon those. I looked at temperment and I didnt want anything too big as it was the mares first foal and she has id in her pedigree so wasmt sure what she was going to bring to the foal. I also looked at what the stallion was passing on in terms of temperment and ability
 
That's great that you researched the best way to achieve what you wanted

vanessarimmer, and it's obviously paid off very well. Do you think that it is easier to apply a formula to breed a dressage horse, than to breed a horse aimed at another discipline?
 
Last edited:
mynutmeg said:
I mainly looked at my mare, worked out what I thought her biggeet weaknessesss was and looked at stallions which would improve upon those. I looked at temperment and I didnt want anything too big as it was the mares first foal and she has id in her pedigree so wasmt sure what she was going to bring to the foal. I also looked at what the stallion was passing on in terms of temperment and ability
Click to expand...
Did you have the type of foal that you were hoping for?
 
When I bred from my mare I was looking a lot at temperament as my mare is very sharp/excitable. Also bloodlines, movement/paces, conformation, preformance record. Although I choose my stallion on other factors, my mare is cremello so if the stallion is a certain colour I can choose the colour of the foal. I also choose the stallion as the owner was really helpful. I could ring ask questions and still can now!
 
We spent 18 months painstakingly researching stallions for our mare.
We ran a very critical eye over her making a note of all her faults and then tried to match her with a stallion who would improve on these points. We also had to consider what we wanted in the foal, the breeding lines, the temperament we wanted and movement. We then drew up a list of stallions and slowly whittled it down to a list of 4 or 5. We then made a point of seeing these stallions (and youngstock if any), in the flesh. The Stud fee wasn't a major concern as we wanted the best match for all our requirements and were prepared to pay. Just as well, as the stallion we ended up choosing was very pricey. Think the result is pretty good though. The link below is a video of him a few weeks ago, just starting under the saddle. He is improving massively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbAR...e_gdata_player
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top