Stallions for TB Mare (VA)

[CupOJavaa]

Hello all!

Sadly, I have decided to retire my TB event mare to a life of adventuresome trail rides.

I feel that there is still not enough TB blood in the sport world following the explosion of the WBs, so I would love to produce another TB event horse, in which case I need to find a stallion that does live cover for eligibility to register with the JC. However, I have yet to find a TB stallion in my area that really impresses me. My mare was bred to race, so she does not have necessarily the most exceptional natural movement, so a sire with a lovely natural way of going, particularly in the trot, is important. Also, I am seeing a lot of upright pasterns in the TBs, which is one of those conformation flaws I cannot overlook.

After a lot of TB stallion searching, I have decided that I might need to broaden my horizons and look at other breeds. My mare is 15.2 and solid bodied with good bone, so I do not want anything very wide or heavy (think, eventing!). A lot of TB blood would be nice! Unfortunately, now I am having a difficult time finding WB stallions in Virginia that are offered for live cover. :o Will consider AI if all else fails, but still want the stallion to be located nearby because it is important to me that I meet him in person.

Does anyone have any stallion suggestions? Any and all opinions and recommendations are welcomed!

[Simkie]

Did you ever look at Default when you were looking for a TB?

http://www.littlehawkfarm.com/default%20stallion.html

He might check a lot of boxes for you and is in VA

[Texarkana]

The MARE center still advertises Innkeeper, though he would now be in his late 20s.

If there is any chance he is still standing LC, I’d be all over it! He is phenomenal. The pictures they use don’t do him justice.

http://www.arec.vaes.vt.edu/middleburg/sporthorse-breeding/stallions/Innkeeper_1.html#

[Nootka]

Salute the Truth is in MD (he is an eventer and has produced them too) TB stallion

http://www.dodonfarm.com/willy1.html

[CupOJavaa]

Ohh I do like the looks of Default. And I’ve heard good things about Green Dancer blood. I’m going to look more into him and see if I can find out what some of his babies are doing.

Not a whole lot of info on Innkeeper on the website regarding breeding. I’ll inquire about him!

I did look at Salute the Truth and liked him, but he retired from stud duty this year at just 20 years old. Shoot!

[Simkie]

Wow, you have some neat pedigrees in VA. I thought Olivers Twist in CO was the only Horatius left standing, but Bloodhorse says you have Prompt Payment. I can’t turn up anything about him at all, but this might be the FB for the farm? Based on what I’ve seen of Olivers Twist foals–super, super sporty, excellent eventers!–it might be worth chasing that down and taking a look at him.

There’s also this Pioneering son Big Picture. I knew nothing about Pioneering until I bought one of his gelding sons. The one I have is SUCH a nice mover and very well put together and I would certainly consider looking at a Pioneering stallion to see what he looks like. There’s a pic of him on his pedigree query page and maybe that stud fee is negotiable?

If you like Green Dancer, there’s also this one?

And how about Xenodon??

[CupOJavaa]

That’s been pretty frustrating - a lot of these guys are impossible to find online. No pictures, no details aside from pedigree. I’m going to try digging up Prompt Payment and Xenodon. A quick Google and FB search has failed so will have to get more online stalkerish or straight to contact. Honestly I’m not familiar with Horatius, so I’ll look into him for fun.

As for Big Picture…Mr. Prospector, Bold Ruler, Secretariat, Native Dancer…that boy was bred for a purpose! It certainly shows in that stud fee. Pheeeeew.

That other Green Dancer babe is 29. A quick search failed me on this one, too, but wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t offered for live cover anymore.

Thank you for all of these awesome suggestions!!

[Texarkana]

Another in the area I’d strongly recommend is Swiss Yodeler in Charles Town, WV. Pedigree is here. He favors his father, Eastern Echo, a lot. While he may not look like much, he has some of the sportiest bloodlines alive. This claim is supported by the fact that Eastern Echo got a disproportionate number of steeplechasers and sport horses in his career despite only siring 500 some foals between his time in KY and MD and not specifically standing to either of those disciplines. I’ve seen a lot of Swiss Yodelers from his time out in CA- I think you have to be a bit careful about conformation, but when they are good, they are darn good.

The same farm in WV has several nice stallions to choose from. It may be worth a trip.

A friend used to stand Default back in the early 2000s. I ended up caring for a couple by him. They were always nice. But personally, if it were between Default and Innkeeper for myself, I’d go Innkeeper every time. Innkeeper’s only fault is that no one has properly promoted him online. His time at Hilltop helped, but then no one followed up. He has a lot of successful kids out there-- maybe not “Olympic” level, but doing their jobs and doing them well.

Apparently my old vet from college stands Big Picture… haven’t heard that name in years. She did not have him when I was there, but gosh, I feel like he and I crossed paths. Maybe it was a similarly named horse. I can tell you she’s good people to deal with.

[Simkie]

Here’s the info for Xenodon: http://www.pedigreequery.com/photos/XENODON.jpg

As for Prompt Payment–contact the peeps through that FB page I turned up Good place to start, anyway.

And it might be worth looking at Big Picture? And chatting with his people? Sometimes a stud fee is super negotiable, and they might be interested in the opportunity to get him some sort horse visibility. He didn’t breed any TB mares in 2014 or 2015, so people aren’t beating a path to their door for that $5k

[Texarkana]

Xenodon is a Northern Baby son? That makes this conversation interesting… that would warrant a road trip to lay eyes in my book!

I had another “great” suggestion, but I got distracted by seeing a Northern Baby son and have since forgotten what I was going to say. :lol:

[Highflyer]

If you breed to a WB it won’t matter if it’s live cover.

[CupOJavaa]

Texarkana, it does sound as though Swiss Yodeler has an impressive record for producing. You’re right though, he isn’t much to look at. Just from the one picture, I’m mostly concerned with the overall impression of him as opposed to one particular flaw. He has a powerful hind end but does not appear to match up front and I’m afraid my mare alone won’t be enough to correct forehandedness. I’ll definitely check out his offspring, though. See what he’s been matched with, if I can. Everything is worth a look.

I very much appreciate your input on Default and Innkeeper. If you don’t mind, what makes you value Innkeeer as a stud more so than Default?

Simkie thank you for digging. You are a saint.

I’m getting some pretty great leads guys. More so than what I’ve gotten on my own. I’m excited!

Highflyer, I know it won’t matter in terms of registry with the JC if I choose a WB stallion, but I still prefer the live cover option when available. Just personal preference. Will consider AI with a WB though. And it’s important to me that I meet the stallion, so must be close enough for a visit. Some might say I’m limiting myself more than I should, but. -shrug-

[VirginiaBred]

Contact Smallwood Farm - http://www.smallwoodfarm.org/Friend-or-Foe.html

They stand Friend-or-Foe

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Xenodon was a steeplechase horse (hurdles) and has sired a number of good hurdlers and timber horses, including the just crowned Virginia Timber Horse of the Year. He is owned and was bred and stands at Pageland Farm in Casanova. Sara and Bruce Collette owners. He throws nice horses, they go on to sport careers after. They’d be easy to find in the phone book, but he’s not a ‘commercial’ horse so doubt he’d show up looking for advertising.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;8694197]
Xenodon is a Northern Baby son? That makes this conversation interesting… that would warrant a road trip to lay eyes in my book![/QUOTE]

Right?! :lol:

We have a lot of chasing influence all over the place in VA! Northern Baby, Greinton, Horatius…I am jealous

CupO, last time I went looking for a new horse, I found this list of top steeplechasing sires. I found it really useful and interesting, and you might like it as a reference, too. I don’t know if it’s online anymore, but I saved it a couple years ago and that link goes to my dropbox (I think it should work! If not, I’ll figure out how to make it available to you.)

[Stacie]

Does Shannon still stand her stallion?

https://sites.google.com/site/cedarbrookfarmva/stallions

I could be wrong, but I think one of his sons is becoming an upper level eventer.

[Simkie]

One more to consider, if you’ll travel to PA: how about Mystic Replica?

(OMG, I’m only going to be 3 hours from there after we move to CT at the end of the summer! I wonder if any of my mares would be a good fit with him. HMMMMM.)

[CupOJavaa]

Thank you VirginiaBred (neighbor!). Friend-Or-Foe looks a bit straight in the hind end though. Future stifle issues?? I will look at his offspring as well. I know I can only be so picky! I think proven foals give any sire good credit.

Good info, Hunter’s Rest!

Simkie, I was able to download the list. Many thanks! I see a lot of horses sired by Northern Dancer on there. My mare has Northern Dancer in her pedigree, not too far back. As well as Mr. Prospector. Now I know that a lot of these “pure breeds” have some inbreeding down the line…But how much is too much? That might be an impossible question.

Here is her pedigree, if interested for the heck of it (she was not a successful racer hence her earnings LOL). http://www.pedigreequery.com/jolly+janet

Of course I would be willing to go to PA for the right stud…He looks like a little powerhouse. I like the angles of his hind end. Hmmm.
(Now how did I know that you have a personal love for TBs, Simkie? Hehe.)

Stacie, Just A Devil is one that I already have saved for consideration. Great minds think alike.

[Simkie]

Oh, out of a Waquoit mare! Neat!

Mystic Replica would be a total outcross and really gives you a stellar eventing pedigree

I’ve added you mare to Sport Horse Database so you can play around and see what your linebreeding looks like with various sires. She’s 4x5x6 Native Dancer, but I don’t know how much would be considered “too much” for her foal.

[Nootka]

Ok I am putting him out there because he is one of my top list stallions. He is located in FL but does event so maybe if he competes in a VA show you can go see him. It will have to be AI but worth it.

Eventing Trakehner
http://www.emeraldacrestk.com/tatendrang--pb-.html

just because it was easy to do
http://www.sporthorse-data.com/dbtestmating.php?&sireid=10556288&damid=11215118