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Sooner or later, you are going
to see a foal like this and decide it is time to breed your mare.
With the acceptance of artificially inseminated foal into the
registry of the TWHBEA, and the availability of shipped semen, it
has become possible to breed to stallions from all over the world.
The selection is literally endless. How do you choose the
right one for your mare? The temptation is to consider the
current World Grand Champion as the natural choice for your special
lady. While this may well be an excellent cross, the fact that
the stallion is a World Grand Champion should not be the most
significant reason for choosing him.
Below are some pointers to help you make your decision wisely. |
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1. |
Ask yourself what you want to be using your
foal for, once it is a grown animal.
If you want a show horse or an athlete for a
specific event, consider breeding to one of
the Adult Supreme Versatility champions.
If you are looking primarily for a hacking
horse, look at the stallions with Plantation
Pleasure Class credentials. |
| 2. |
Study your mare to see what you would
change about her if you could. Try to choose a stallion that
throws these qualities in his foals. Prioritize your
requirements such as size, conformation, temperament, gait,
and then try to balance the possible cross between the
stallion you are considering, and your mare's strong points. |
| 3. |
Remember that gait should always be your
primary goal. Breed for a genetic Walker at all times, and
NEVER breed for something like a specific color or SPOTS!!!
!!! !!!!!!! |
| 4. |
Study your mare's pedigree, and then try to
match the pedigree of the stallion so that you are not
crossing bloodlines that are too close. Tennessee
Walking Horses are more closely bred than most other breeds,
but that is no excuse for inbreeding (brother to sister) or
line-breeding (father to daughter, mother to son). The
results are always going to be unpredictable, and the chance
of producing an unwanted recessive gene are much greater. |
| 5. |
Contact stallion owners and ask for
information about their horse. Ask for videos showing
their gait, and for photos of their offspring. The proof
is in the pudding, and stallion owners are very willing to
provide positive evidence of their horse's ability to produce
great offspring. |
| 6. |
Don't select a stallion based on his
breeding fees. Many very GOOD stallions are available at
low fees, and conversely, a high price tag does not guarantee
a good foal. |
| 7. |
Ask for and then study breeding contracts.
Look for things like LFG (live foal guarantee), and additional
costs like container fees, and shipping
expenses, and nomination or booking fees. |
| 8. |
Never breed to a stallion that is not
blood-typed. |
| 9. |
Even if you never intend to sell your foal,
always consider what a stallion will add to the price you
would get if you DO have to sell the foal. Ask the
stallion owners for information on what prices the foals of
their horse are fetching on the market. Things like the
show records of other progeny by the horse will affect the
price you can ask for your foal. |
| 10. |
Contact the owners of other foals by
stallions you are interested in. Find out what the
babies are like - gait, conformation, size, health, and
disposition. Some foals can be very talented, but also what is
called 'game', or difficult to manage. |
| 11. |
Once you have chosen your stallion, stay in
contact with the owner. They should be willing to offer
tips and follow-up advice on the care and training of progeny
from their stallion. |
| 12. |
Consider this - if you CAN'T find a
Tennessee Walking Horse stallion to breed to, for whatever
reason, you can breed your TWH mare to something like an
Arabian, or Thoroughbred, or American Saddlebred, and STILL
stand a pretty good chance of getting a gaited foal.
Even if it is NOT gaited, it will still be a VERY smooth
saddle horse, and there are Part-bred registries for Tennessee
Walking Horses that will even let you raise a set of papers on
your baby. |
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Good luck, and if you need help, just
contact us and we will do what we can to assist you in your
search for the right stallion for your mare.
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