Stud Temperament: How to Get Information?

[phippsie62]

I followed a link posted by a COTHer on a thread about stallion registries: the WBFSH World Ranking List, Studbook (Jumping) as of July, 2019. A striking number of competitors were sired by Chacco Blue. (On the dressage side, Sandro Hit seems to come up quite a bit.)

Now I’ve heard that Chacco Blue’s offspring tend to be difficult–stubborn and quirky. Whether or not this characterization has any merit, where might I find out more about the kind of temperament a particular stallion may pass on to his offspring? Is there nothing to rely on but folklore passed from one rider or trainer to another?

[Victorious]

Honestly? Word of mouth and experience is the only way to know Stallion temperaments. And even those need to be factored in with the mares’ temperament. I don’t think anyone wants to say something bad about a stallions’ get. There are oftentimes so many factors involved. I would find some offspring of a stallion you are interested in and ask the owner/trainer about them. Stallion owners will be pretty forthcoming, too, but you have to realize what business they’re in. I’ve had people call me to ask about my mares’ breeding and I was happy to chat about it with my armchair observations.
As an aside-I would look at those productive stallions and see where their babies perform the best. Are they winning in the performance hunters with a slick pro ride? Or the AA’s? Could be helpful.

[crosscreeksh]

If the stallion was close enough…I’d visit and see how he is in his home environment. If that wasn’t possible…I’d want to talk to several mare owners who have actually visited the stallion or can tell you the temperament on their foals…always remembering that the stallion is only one half of the recipe!

[OneTwoMany]

@phippsie62

I followed a link posted by a COTHer on a thread about stallion registries: the WBFSH World Ranking List, Studbook (Jumping) as of July, 2019. A striking number of competitors were sired by Chacco Blue. (On the dressage side, Sandro Hit seems to come up quite a bit.)

Now I’ve heard that Chacco Blue’s offspring tend to be difficult–stubborn and quirky. Whether or not this characterization has any merit, where might I find out more about the kind of temperament a particular stallion may pass on to his offspring? Is there nothing to rely on but folklore passed from one rider or trainer to another?

You have received some great advice above. At the risk of being repetitive, meet the stallion if possible, talk to people who have met him or worked with him. Talk to owners of his get and the owners of mares that have been bred to him. If you do enough research, you’ll begin to form an opinion which may or may not be consist with the “folklore”.

In general, people are reluctant to post negative feedback about a stallion on a public BB. There is no upside and a ton of downside. That is why you need to go out and “beat the bushes”.

[phippsie62]

Thanks for your responses! With all we know about genetics these days, it still surprises me that the damline, while present in the pedigree, is never paid any notice in lists like the World Ranking List I referenced in my original post. The stallions I would like to research are all international competitors based in Europe, so meeting them isn’t possible. No doubt they have offspring in the United States, geldings and maybe even a few mares competing here. But how to locate them?

Anyway, thanks for confirming what I suspected–there is no “formal” way to assess temperamental tendencies. I guess you really do have to pay close attention to the horse in front of you, vet carefully, and hope for the best.

[crosscreeksh]

And when you find a good one…stick with it! I think changing the sire each breeding is wrong…when you’ve got a fabulous foal on the ground…go back to the same stallion again. We own our own stallions (bred TB’s for years so shipped semen was not possible). We picked the best stallions we could afford…and kept them as the foals were so outstanding…no reason to switch. We do the same now we are breeding for sport.

[Foxtrot_s]

Yes - on a BB you never really know the qualifications of the armchair reporters - they may be able to talk the talk, but not walk the walk. Some people are vindictive and quoting info they heard about in the grapevine, and then once the word is out that a stallion has a lousy temperament, it spreads and there is no going back. I know a couple of stallions that are top producing stallions, but “word tells me”, etc.

Best is to get around and see as many as you can i.r.l.