Howdy all! Looking for a recommendation of stallion…I have a somewhat average moving warmblood. She has Escudo and Autocrat in her bloodlines mixed with some Thoroughbred. She has an absolutely phenomenal temperment that I want to keep, but she could use height and more expression and suspension in her trot and canter. I like the flash of Sir Gregory, but Rubinero’s canter collection looks super nice. Which stallion would you choose, or do you have a better suggestion?
Of the two, Sir Gregory is a more modern type. Rubinero, despite having some TB close up, has more substance. I don’t believe Sir Gregory is known for passing on height (and I think he’s actually used as a refining sire on some older types of mares, so if you’re looking to add substance, he may not be your best bet). I don’t actually know if Rubinero passes on height, though he’s of good size himself.
I find that Rubinero’s offspring tend to have more consistent mechanics in terms of gaits, and also more reliably am-friendly/high rideability. The R line gaits (true to form in Rubinero) aren’t necessarily very flashy, but they tend to be very correct, especially in the hind end. Sir Gregory has some truly impressive offspring, but it seems more variant what gets passed on. (Some seem to actually excel in hunters, as they end up having a flatter way of going, especially at the trot - this seems to relate to the mare he’s bred to.)
Both stallions have premium mares among their offspring, and I know Sir Gregory has a long list of premium foals as well. I have heard some questions about how rideable the Sir Gregorys are. When I was researching him for a mare, people seemed to indicate that his offspring could be a bit forward/reactive - not necessarily extremely so, but not a guaranteed amateur ride.
Are you looking to stick with North American, fresh/chilled semen? And with the mare, beyond height, is she of good substance that you’re looking to maintain, or are you wanting to add some bone?
1 Like
She is of decent tone for her size (15.3 hands), so she doesn’t need more bone…just height. That being said, losing height or bone would be definitely bad. Fresh or frozen is fine as long as there is a live foal guarantee. I haven’t found any European stallions that offer live foal guarantees, so I was sticking with North American. Since my goal is to produce a horse with the potential for Intermediate/Grand Prix, power in the hind end and a good canter are important to me.
Send me a PM…I’ll be at Hilltop tomorrow to look at some of their stallions.
Before you breed, you should have your mare tested for WFFS and make sure the stallion is tested also and the people who stand them reveal his status to you. Both Animal Genetics and UC Davis do the test.
2 Likes
Neither stallion is a carrier, so I don’t need to worry 
I have a 17.2 h Dutch wb mare (Dream in gold (tb) x a Rollys Royce mare) that was bred to Sir Gregory a few years back, had a filly by Rubinero last year, and is due with a full sibling to the Rubinero any day now. I also have a 5 yr old gelding by Rubinero out of a Davignon mare that I bought as a 2 year old. The Sir Gregory was a nice type, but hunter type movement and at 4 years old is just under 16 h. She is owned by and adult amateur now and is being started under saddle.
The 2017 filly by Rubinero is aready 15.2 and very leggy and modern. She has extravagant movement and a wonderful temperament. I hope the next foal is similar.
The Rubinero gelding has a fabulous temperament and lots of suspension. He is barefoot still, but is a correct mover and will excel at anything we do with him. As a 3 yr old with one week under saddle he got a 75.3% and won a material class at his first show. In the spring of his 4 year old year (before he actually turned 4), he attended a George Morris clinic with a junior rider. George Morris loved him and said he was a nice type overall and nice jumping horse. He then did the 4 year old material class at Dressage at Devon in the fall with an adult amateur rider and placed 8th. He was the only horse in the ring ridden by an amateur and never put a foot wrong.
I love Rubinero, and am very excited about our next foal.
3 Likes
My Sir Gregory foal is on the ground now so Ican give a perspective based on my personal experience. In brief, the dam is by Der Graf and is out of a TB mare who has produced several foals, all with good dressage movement. My foal is 3 months old now and went to the Westfalen inspection as a 6 week old. I was initially skeptical about doing this so soon but the alternative was waiting a year before inspection/branding/microchipping. I went anyway and she was a premium foal and the site champion filly out of ~12 in her group. Quite nice for a foal so young. The judge commented on the quality of her gaits, which I’m sure would be even more at 4-5 months had she been born earlier in the year. She has excellent conformation and also received 8.5 for type.
Mine has multiple lines to Donnerhall which doesn’t seem to be a bad thing. It is a good nick for the dam.
Sir Gregory was a good choice for this mare (I didn’t make it, I bought her in foal) because he is a more modern type and added refinement. My mare is not tall (16hh) but has a lot of substance. Breeding her to a stallion with a lot of substance might have created a tank. :lol:
After seeing Rubinero in person I would definitely consider him as a stallion for the correctness of his gaits and his temperament. I would use him on a mare that needed more substance in her offspring as I think he does tend to add that.
If you have specific questions, you are welcome to send me a PM
We have a 2.5 year old filly that on paper is very similar to your proposed breeding ((Sir James)Sir Donnerhall x De Niro). I try to remain as unbiased as possible but she is very nice and I would have a hundred of her in my barn if I could. She was bred to be a dressage horse, but I event. In all honesty her canter is so nice I could see her being a really handy derby horse.
I have heard from other breeders that Sir James produces absolutely stunning movers. I prefer Sir Gregory over Sir James in terms of type but thought I could give you some input. I think Sir Gregory produces very correct foals. I think he will improve the elasticity of gaits reliably, and I don’t think he harms the temperament in any way.
Our filly is very sweet but can be a little feisty. She is very playful for a filly and has a lot of spunk but is all business when you handle her. She is not backed yet but I have started putting tack on her and doing the occasional in-hand work. My notes on her is that she is very intelligent: I think she will be fairly straight-forward under saddle. I don’t see her being hot but don’t think she will be a dead-head either.
She has a nice trot that is very floaty and full of suspension, but it is her canter that really excites me. It is incredibly balanced. Her paddock is on the face of a hill and I regularly see her casually canter up and down the incline that my other horses canter messily down. She’d make a really nice eventer but I don’t see her having a fifth gear. My only quibble is she is straighter behind than I like, and will only get straighter as she grows. She is also, I think, going to be huge. I’m kind of hoping she will top out at 16.2 but she’s already 16h…
Rubinero is one of my favorite stallions though, so it really depends on what you want out of the mare. I haven’t seen him add height but he almost always improves rideability. I don’t think he is as flashy, but he’s very correct and IMHO his family is quite established in terms of soundness/longevity.
Thanks so the feedback. Enjoyed all comments here. Good info!!
