Casall stallion...advice on marketing and career

[is_V]

Hello

One year ago I bought a 2yo Casall stallion. Now as a three year old we believe he has what it takes to be approved. The only thing is that La Silla won´t have approvals this year, maybe until next year, but they do like him a lot and are going to collect him so they can use him before I get him home (he still lives in the pasture at La Silla breeding farm and won´t be under saddle until January/February). They asked me to NOT geld him and I do have experience in handling stallions.

I really trust what La Silla thinks and does, but as the owner of such stallion, I would like to learn to do things by myself in terms of marketing the stallion and promoting his sport and breeding career. So I need advice on where and how to start. Webpage? Facebook? Any other type of advertisement? What do you like to see in a stallion advertisement?

This is my boy, he currently is 1.67m:

Bloodlines:
http://www.horsetelex.com//horses/pedigree/1680292

Casall needs no introduction. His mother is currently jumping Grand Prix (1.55) classes and is 9yo. Grandmother is international mare Cincinnati La Silla who was ridden by Laura Kraut and Jessica Springsteen.
Mother as a 7yo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqseI3oqtu0

I know important information will be revealed when he is ridden and jumping under saddle, but with this information what type of mare do you think would suit him?

Sorry if I have to many questions, but I want to be really informed so I can make my best with him.

Thank you!

[weixiao]

The first step to being able to market him would be getting him approved, I would think. Can you get him approved at another location?

[RanchoAdobe]

In order to be worth advertising, you will need to get him approved. Perhaps leave him at LS for another year until next years approvals? In the states, very very few young stallions are utilized despite phenomenal pedigrees and to be competitive you will need approvals and most likely sport results to attract a decent mare base.

[omare]

It is critical he gets good mares and makes good foals. Again–it is critical he gets good mares. You might want to get a test foal or two on the ground from a great mare that is likely to click w you stallion. It will let you know what type of foal he can make and get children in the ring sooner than later.

Admittedly I am suffering “approval” fatigue myself -sometimes I am wondering what the NA registeries are adding for a stallion owner but expense. Certificate of pedigree papers (papers that verify parentage) are looking good to me, but again I am admittedly very jaded.

[is_V]

[QUOTE=RanchoAdobe;8326222]
In order to be worth advertising, you will need to get him approved. Perhaps leave him at LS for another year until next years approvals? In the states, very very few young stallions are utilized despite phenomenal pedigrees and to be competitive you will need approvals and most likely sport results to attract a decent mare base.[/QUOTE]

I live in Mexico City so there is no problem in moving him next year to Monterrey to the La Silla approval. I don’t think there is in Mexico another Casall stallion like him (the ones La Silla approved were sold to Europe), so I am really motivated in offering him for Stud, but I’m not sure how to start promoting him. Thank you!

[is_V]

Any other ideas and opinions?

[HyperionStudLLC]

Approval is key even if he is young. A top pedigree and nice type may get you some mares in the first year. However, in the USA ,sport is almost as important. It’s a long road but can be done!

[is_V]

[QUOTE=HyperionStudLLC;8329299]
Approval is key even if he is young. A top pedigree and nice type may get you some mares in the first year. However, in the USA ,sport is almost as important. It’s a long road but can be done![/QUOTE]

Yes, I am definitively getting him to the approval, however La Silla won´t have stallion approvals this year (they will be until November 2016 approximately), so I don´t know if I should promote him or prove him with some mares before that time. La Silla will collect him, don´t know if they will try him for next breeding season, that would be a great advantage as their mares are amazing.

[vineyridge]

Can you get him out to some baby horse classes? I know he’s at an awkward age; but the bigger his resume the more likely he is to draw mares. As soon as possible, start him in age appropriate showing. In Eventing, there is something called Future Event Horses for his age group; horses then graduate to Young Event Horse classes. The horses are judged on eventer essential qualities, supposedly, even before they can jump courses.

Is anything similar available to young jumpers?

I know such classes are a staple of the German system, and the winners of the Bundeschampionat are pretty well set up for life.

[VirginiaBred]

Question, is Casall ASK the same as Casall? Are there two stallions or just one? The reason I’m wondering is I was marketing a fabulous mare for a client who said it was by Casall. When I looked at the pedigree, it said Casall ASK.

[LucyShow]

[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;8329524]
Question, is Casall ASK the same as Casall? Are there two stallions or just one? The reason I’m wondering is I was marketing a fabulous mare for a client who said it was by Casall. When I looked at the pedigree, it said Casall ASK.[/QUOTE]

ASK is the name of Rolf-Göran Bengtssons current sponsor (ASK Stud in Denmark). Casall was called Casall La Silla when RGB was sponsored by Alfonso Romo (La Silla).

[VirginiaBred]

@LucyShow

ASK is the name of Rolf-Göran Bengtssons current sponsor (ASK Stud in Denmark). Casall was called Casall La Silla when RGB was sponsored by Alfonso Romo (La Silla).

I should have known! Thank you!

[omare]

I guess there is a difference between “making” a stallion and marketing a stallion.

[is_V]

[QUOTE=omare;8329832]
I guess there is a difference between “making” a stallion and marketing a stallion.[/QUOTE]

Could you explain this?

I guess by making you mean approvals and a good sports career and also getting a good mare base and making the correct breeding decisions for him to get good results. This I intend to do and I have a certain knowledge and insight from the La Silla team.

I was asking about the marketing as this is where my knowledge fails me. I just wanted to understand what people like and what information they seek when looking at young stallions. However, I am not from the USA so maybe it is different. Thank you.

[Anne]

What are the logistics of shipping fresh semen from Mexico to the USA? That’s the biggest question I would have.

[Delyth]

Honestly, I think you are putting the proverbial cart before the horse

The majority of mare owners you are hoping to reach will not be interested in breeding to an unapproved stallion. So focus on approvals first, and showing, and then marketing. Approvals are not automatic, so spend your time and energy on getting your stallion prepped and ready. What approvals does La Silla host?

[Blume_Farm]

The only way I can see promoting your stallion to the types of mares you are interested in are by 1) he needs to be approved and 2) show what he can do in sport. That is how all the well known stallions “advertise”. No one picks a stallion just based on a FB page, a shiny magazine ad, etc. There needs to be SPT results, or competition results. With the advent and use of frozen semen it does not matter what blood lines are in your country and many bloodlines are accessible internationally. The market is full so your stallion will need to show what he can do to get the breedings.

Good luck!

[vineyridge]

La Silla has its own studbook, I believe. It seems to be modeled on Zangersheide.

I can honestly see value in having an extremely well bred Warmblood stallion in Mexico with La Silla support. Some mares need fresh. And Mexico is a big country in area. But to attract anything from other than a relatively local market, horse is going to need his approval and a stellar performance career.

It’s my opinion that all the registries in Europe are beginning to base their breeding selections on performance in actual competition.

[Lord_Helpus]

The lawyer in me first want to know if you have a contract delineating your and La Silla’s rights to any semen obtained. As owner of the horse, you own all his semen – and, unless you choose to sell it/give it away, anything obtained is yours to do with what you want.

I would not approve of any collections until you and the stud have a comprehensive agreement signed by all parties.

If I were in your shoes, I would, at the very least, want to control the amount of semen collected and stored. I can foresee a scenario in which your horse becomes a quality stallion and suddenly semen comes on the market over which you have no control, regarding sales or pricing.

Or, if the horse becomes a quality stallion and then for some reason, can no longer be collected (death/castration/infertility, etc). As owner, I sure would want to know how much semen was out there and who owned it.

Talk to an experienced equine attorney to find out what kind of a document you need to protect your interests in your horse.

[is_V]

[QUOTE=vineyridge;8332053]
La Silla has its own studbook, I believe. It seems to be modeled on Zangersheide.

I can honestly see value in having an extremely well bred Warmblood stallion in Mexico with La Silla support. Some mares need fresh. And Mexico is a big country in area. But to attract anything from other than a relatively local market, horse is going to need his approval and a stellar performance career.

It’s my opinion that all the registries in Europe are beginning to base their breeding selections on performance in actual competition.[/QUOTE]

This! Thank you!
I am not aiming at an international stallion career, at least not at the moment, but I see the potential locally. In fact a lot of the smaller breeders use young stallions and big facilites like La Silla or La Nutria promote this young stallions.

Yes, La Silla has its own studbook and they make the stallion approvals for their horses. The last one was on November 2013 and they invite international judges, for example Norbert Boley from Holsteiner Verband.

There is a stallion called Tecolote LS who did not pass his approvals but was used by La Silla anyways. He now has some really good offspring and is one of their most used stallions at least here in Mexico for the local breeders.