2010 breeding....thinking of stallions, suggestions

[Piaffe~Passage]

Hey guys, I am going to be accquiring a TB mare soon that I use to ride. The mare is about 15.2, Needs improvment on her back(Need to shorten it up), her neck is set a bit low, and it's on the thinner side. She has a lovely trot, her canter is also lofty. I think she needs improvement on her engine, more sitting power. I would also like to add some height, and bone. She is approved ISR/OLD NA. I am looking to breed a "top quality" dressage horse. I have thought of going back to Kathy Hickerson to breed to Schroeder, I got a lovely colt by him out of another TB mare this year. The mare had a starlight baby this year, and while I like the filly, for what he is, I am not all that impressed on the improvement he did on the mare. I just don't think it was the greatest match for this mare, nothing against Starlight. I would like to stay with Fresh Semen, as she is a bit of an older mare, and has always caught the 1st time with fresh. I have looked at other stallions such as Wild Dance, Pik L, Donates, Sonntagskind, Highlight, Rousseau, and Royal Prince. I'd love more information on these stallions, temperments, offspring, the stallion owners themselves(how they were to deal with)etc, please also bring on some other stallions, as I'd love to hear about others.

[okggo]

I'm going to throw something unconventional out there - as I know you specified a dressage stallion - but Cielo B is throwing incredibly powerful movers and is crossing exceptionally well on TB mares. My filly this year is by him out of a lanky TB and this filly is a powerhouse mover and while bred for jumpers, I can see a dressage future for her. He will add exactly what you specified, engine, height, bone - improve topline, movement, etc.

I took this filly to her inspection a couple hours after receiving stitches in TWO legs and she still managed to pull off scoring an 80. Cielo is doing GREAT things on TB mares.

Frankly, you are not starting with a "top quality" dressage mare based on what you provided in your post (or maybe she is, but I'm guessing no) so it's a crap shoot anyway you look at it. I'd suggest going with something very prepotent in throwing offspring you like out of TB mares (esp mares similar to yours).

[not again]

If the mare has a low set neck, it might be hard to find a stallion that can compensate for that enough to produce a top dressage prospect. Maybe she would do better being bred to produce a hunter. Just a thought.....

[tuckawayfarm]

If you are serious about breeding a "top quality" dressage horse, I would use a mare bred for that job. There are so many wellbred mares available for free or free lease right now that I'm not sure if it makes sense to use a TB for your stated goal unless she is spectacular.

I love TBs and look for them close up in the pedigree, but I'm hoping for jumpers and most of my mares could use the refinement. :)

Good luck whatever you decide! :)

[Fairview Horse Center]

Take a look at Olivier. He is an Idocus son out of a Gelderlander mare. http://www.imajica.net/gallery2.html

[RedMare01]

Agree with the others but...

Maybe Bugatti Hilltop? Most of the foals I've seen by him seem to be on the shorter backed side. I don't know about adding height or neck, though.

Caitlin

[Dressage_Diva333]

What about Rubignon? He's got a nice neck, he's a good size, and a good mover. I met him at Edgar's shortly after he arrived there, and he was an absolutle sweatheart, with a SUPER prescence! He's one of those horses that you just have to stand back and saw "wow" :D

Might also be worth looking at Pablo, not sure if he'll add bone though. He seems very consistent though. I've seen some VERY nice Pablo babies out of mares with crappy necks, and the foals were gorgeous.

Edgar at Rainbow Equus Meadows owns both of them, and he is super to work with!

[Piaffe~Passage]

I should of stated that("Top Quality") differently, I want a dressage horse, that could potentially reach mid level dressage, it's always a crap shoot I know. I want to breed this mare to a stallion, that can help me reach that goal. She is a nice mare, and when I said low set neck, I do not mean a hunter set neck, I just would like to see a little bit higher of a setting, it's not horrid by anymeans. I don't expect at all a stallion to fix everything, if they did, it would be a perfect world. If I had pictures, I'd post them, but right now I don't have any conformation pictures of her.

[tuckawayfarm]

Sorry :o I was thinking about Upper Level potential.

I've not done much research on dressage stallions, but I can say that Edgar and Olivier's owners are both great to deal with. My Pablo colt has a much nicer neckset than his dam.

[Bibble]

All the Schroeder babies are very leggy, and nicely uphill. If you like the foal you have, maybe you should stick with him. The great character he produces is a bonus! I've seen pictures of a foal out of an appendix mare and looks just like him.

[YankeeLawyer]

Rousseau would be a great pick, imo. My filly by him this year is amazing, and in particular has an excellent shoulder, neck set, and neck generally, as well as a big engine. His offspring are very, very consistent. While I agree it can be hard to improve on a mare with a low neckset, I have yet to see a Rousseau that did not have a very good neckset, and he has obviously been bred to a lot of mares. He also is a big boy and tends to add height and bone.

In terms of temperament, my filly is very sweet, very smart, and has a very good attitude generally. She is also very gentle with people, which may seem a bit odd to say but she is incredibly respectful of your space.

[Home Again Farm]

Ditto on Rousseau. IMO he is one of the best we have here in the states. I think he'd be a safe bet to help the neckset and add to the engine. Not sure he'd shorten the back. My Rousseau colt has a great mind — easy to handle, well mannered, yet bold and a fantastic mover.

[Juniberry]

No good for fresh but Benettons Dream does amazing things on TB mares

[Piaffe~Passage]

Thanks everyone!! I'll try to get some pictures up shortly of her, we have had nothing but rain here for about 2 weeks, and I think have seen the sun once! I am definately leaning towards Rousseau, I've always liked him and his offspring.

[YankeeLawyer]

I should have mentioned that Rousseau has bionic semen. Really. My mare ovulated 4 days after being inseminated and still took on that one (first) dose - a mare that we could not get pregnant the previous year no matter what we did.