Oldenburg N.A./ISR star award system...

[Equine Reproduction]

Does it make a difference to you as a breeder if the stallion you are looking at is a Star Award stallion? For those of you not aware of the system, stallions licensed with ISR/Oldenburg N.A. can receive up to 5 stars - One for conformation as judged at their approval inspection if they receive a sufficiently high enough score; One for their 100 Day Test score if they score sufficiently high; one for their performance in the competition arena; one for premium foals; and last but not least, one for performance of offspring. I will say that those stars are tough to get and I know that when I look at a stallion, I pay attention to ones that have star awards. But, I'm curious if others pay attention to it? I think the program is great in theory, but I'm wondering if it's being used by breeders when they look at stallions?

[time fault]

It used to matter when I was younger and just starting out. Now I look at who is riding the foals and what they are doing. I care more about the stallion's reputation from others vs what a registry says.

You back from over the pond yet?

[Equine Reproduction]

You back from over the pond yet?

Got back at midnight last night <groan>. 23.5 hours in airports, on planes and driving :P

[scribbles]

I would say that it is somewhat important to me? More like icing on the cake of my decision however :) For sure the fact that a stallion doesnt have stars is not going to make me not choose to use him.

[Tiki]

I absolutely do look at that, but it's not necessarily the deciding factor, one way or the other. It's an important piece of the puzzle as it indicates quality over a large range of important factors. I also really like the Star Award system for mares as that proves their quality. But breeding a 5 Star Stallion to a 3 Star Mare doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get an "8 Star" quality offspring.;) It STILL has to be a good match for the 2, but it gives you a lot of information that can be very helpful.

Those stars are VERY tough to get for stallions and they don't just pass them out freely to mares either!