AA Friendly, Hunter Producing Stallions (TB Mare)

[jswin]

I have a 15.3 thoroughbred mare (Lion Hearted - Love is Kind, by Not for Love) who was a successful hunter up to 3’ winning all there was to win on our competitive local circuit and TB circuit while she was actively showing. She has been retired as pasture sound due to a lingering/now classified as degenerative injury. She is the kindest mare you could ask for with a 10+ jump every time and I really want to retain that. She has good enough bone and good feet (slightly toed in), but isn’t a SUPER fine boned TB.

My goal is to breed her to a stallion who could improve her trot a touch (even just give her a little more lift) and improve on her hip (she’s a bit light)/strengthen her hind end. While she has won the hack on multiple occasions, I would like to see more reach and a bit more lift/natural impulsion. I do think that most of my critiques of her stem from a long time hind end injury, if we’re being fair, and may even be resolved if the injury wasn’t there. Some “bling” would be a super perk (Ella is bay with a snip, 2 hind 1/2ish socks, and a little white coronet up front).

She has been completely unflappable and husband/grandma safe since day one. A great brain/quiet disposition (which the mare has) is most important as the resulting foal would ideally be a lifetime horse for myself and potentially my daughter in the future. I would love to produce a foal who is competitive as a hunter locally and at occasional rated shows yet still has the brain to trail ride, hunter derby, and compete in hunter trials (out of the ring across open fields) or paperchase. The mare has done all of these very successfully. I have shown heavily since I was 6 years old but now, at 32, have started a family of my own and have an 18 month old daughter so showing has taken a back seat, but I’m hoping to be able to get back to it once she’s a bit older. My homebred I intended for this has also been recently demoted to an easier job due to some navicular changes stemming from compensation after a pastern fusion surgery (if I didn’t have bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all).

I have been reading obsessively but most of the threads on here are older. I had been super interested in using Cunningham due to his babies personalities (they sound like exactly what I am after) but have heard (maybe true, maybe not?) that his viability has become questionable as he’s gotten older (and I haven’t yet received a response to my email to his owner), so I’m a bit discouraged by that as he checked a lot of boxes.

Any ideas of other stallions who may check these boxes?

[weixiao]

I haven’t seen many Cunningham babies in the last couple of years and his website and FB page haven’t been updated since 2018 so I think he may not be standing to the public anymore.

Assuming you’re looking for fresh semen options, I would look at Diktator van de Boslandhoeve for sure.

Balta’Czar would likely give you bling, great temperament and jump and correct legs but may not improve the trot as much as you’d like.

Light My Fire at Dreamscape would be worth a look too, as would Con Capilot. Con Capilot was very nice in person and his babies seem to be doing well in the hunters so far but I don’t have any personal experience with them or their temperaments. Light My Fire’s oldest crop of foals is 7 this year and seem to be doing well in Europe and I’ve seen a few with amateur riders.

[SusanO]

There are some Holsteiner stallions that were jumpers in Europe and ended up doing hunter derbies here successfully. Cosmeo and Ralando come to mind but I don’t know if they are still standing at stud. Lordanos has been represented really well in top hunters but he is no longer alive. However he does have sons and grandsons standing at stud. I would see if there is a nick with TB mares. I do not consider myself any kind of expert on hunter breeding but these horses came to mind.

[fourfillies]

A second for Cosmeo. I have a similar sounding Simbalu mare. If she were a few years younger I would seriously consider him.

[beowulf]

I don’t think Cunningham is available anymore. He was used frequently on TB mares. I wonder if there are any sons standing that would interest you?

Any time someone says ‘AA friendly’, ‘hunter’, and ‘TB mare’ in the same sentence, I think of Roc USA and Amazing. But I have no idea if either are still available.

Weixiao mentioned Balta’Czar who is another wonderful suggestion. He does chrome up. SusanO mentioned Lordanos - he is my current hunter stallion crush. I don’t think he would bling, but he seems to really come through with TBs allowing their best attributes to shine. Lately, every horse I’ve watched and said to myself “wow, they look so fun to ride” has been a Lordanos baby.

Your mare’s damside is really lovely for sport.

[Nikki]

Parco hands down! The Darco lines are fantastic.

I bred this unicorn and I love him! This picture was this year at his first 1.0m class with my trainer and he did fantastic. I can PM the video. He’s very easy going, easy to ride and he’s my seeing eye horse. I can trail ride him anywhere and he’s the barn favorite. Always a gentleman and always happy. He flats perfectly and he loves to jump. Parco improved his back, front end, jump and calm temperament. My mare gave him excellent feet, a great back end and her mule ears He has a rhythmic canter for hunters, but I like to do jumpers.

Judy Yancy has frozen semen in stock and she’s excellent to with for your breeding needs. Post thaw motility was fantastic, and my mare caught on one dose.

[Adult_Am_With_A_Plan]

I would recommend Notorio ES2. He stands in our area and routinely shows at the venue I work at. Seems very level headed. The owners seem to be working hard to develop a record for him and he was champion on a number of occasions and wins the hack often. They have lots of videos on his social media page.

I know from speaking to the owner that he is shown by the pro but that his amateur owner rides him at home and does a lot of his handling. I think this one will be one to watch over the next few years.

[grzywinskia]

Jordan Gilchrist at Summer Hill Farms in Texas has a stunning stallion named shy boy. He does great in the derbies and I think a real talent for the future. He also has an incredible temperament. I know she’s crossed him with a couple of TBs.

[ElementFarm]

Assuming you want to get the foal registered, you may want to research what registries tend to have inspections in your area, and also which ones are most supportive of TB mares. Then looking at stallions approved with that registry can help narrow down your choices. Even breeding for yourself, papers do help ensure a safe landing in case you do have to sell at some point, and in the case of a mare, presumably more marketable with potential breeding as a second career.

I have a few homebreds, but 100% the easiest one to start wasn’t bred by me. He’s by Happy Wandor van’t Roosakker. I got him as a completely unstarted 4yo and he’s been super sensible and sweet. He’s got a lot of bone, so I expect the sire passes on some substance. Happy Wandor is a proven GP horse (look at the impressive photos and videos) but he doesn’t stand in the US, though the owner winters in FL, so there may be an opportunity there.
I also have a coming 3yo gelding by Landkonig. He’s out of a spicy mare, but so far he’s been laid back and chill about everything. He has ia much better trot than his dam. I don’t start mine till they’re 4yo however, and there are plenty of anecdotes about sassy, naughty babies being sensible calm riding horses, and vice versa. Landkoenig is deceased, but apparently his frozen is so good, the SO was offering LFG. I’d use him again if I was still breeding these days.

If I was breeding, I’d look hard at Con Copilot and any of the Lordanos sons. I also like the look of Cosmeo, but haven’t met any of his offspring.

For me, after a disastrous year where semen was lost/delayed in transit 3 of 5 attempts, I’d also look at stallions within a long day’s drive, and just plan to pick it up myself rather than trust FedEx.