[BaysofourLives]

So without going into the major details, I am looking for a match to my stallion. Problem is, the stallion passed away almost 2 years ago b/c of an inguinal hernia. I was able to have him collected via the epididymis (sp?), I was told his semen was pretty good considering. He has some foals on the ground from the past owner/breeder and had very good semen quality then both fresh and frozen. There is no frozen from before he was sick.

After I purchased him, the plan was to get a foal from him then most likely geld him b/c he wasn't what I would consider true stallion quality and had not been inspected, approved, etc. However, he had a fantastic personality.

His breeding is Revolution (Rantares x Highlander x Lacoste) x Shawn Sullivan (Better Arbitor x One Mans Vision x Calibon). So he was holsteiner/TB. pushing 16.2, looked more like the old school holsteiner (block head, thick body) hardly any sign of TB. Had fantastic gates and was showing a good jump although he hadn't done much jumping. I am looking to find a mare w/ size (no smaller than 16.2), a bit more refined w/ a really good jump, longer legs. Would like to produce a hunter. Looking for opinions on what bloodlines I should pursue and those I should stay away from

I did attempt w/ a mare in the past but she turned out to have issues and never took. I only have about 2 doses left, that can be split up to make more smaller doses. I have time to wait since his semen is stored, and willing to wait until the right technique or mare comes along, but any ideas out there would be appreciated.

This foal would be mine to keep and never sold. Any success stories would be great too

I realize there are a lot of horses in this world needing homes, I rescue slaughter bound horses when I'm able, but this stallion meant the world to me and I would like to keep a part of him.

[tuckawayfarm]

We were able to freeze epididymal semen from a Grand Prix jumper who was euthanized following a turn-out accident two years ago. He was exported from Germany as a youngster and never approved. He stood briefly in Argentina and the foals we have seen have been top prospects.

We are, like you, intending to use it for breeding personal prospects. Because of the limited doses available, we sought out and purchased the half sister to the dam of one of our favorite foals by him. In doing so, we are hoping to increase the odds of getting what we want.

I would advise trying to evaluate the foals your boy has on the ground. Hopefully, you will be able to replicate the bloodlines of his best offspring or at least get an idea of what he produces.

Our new mare took on the second attempt and is due next June. We diluted the straw with Inra on that try to increase the volume. Not sure if that helped or we just got lucky.

Good Luck!

[BaysofourLives]

Thanks for the great success story! Sorry to hear about your boy

Unfortunately he was not responsibly bred so I'm not a huge fan of some of his offspring, however the parts that he seemed to pass on I did like (great temperaments and movement). I did purchase his last son who I really liked, his mom was a hanoverian, but he passed away from EPM in the brain stem. yes, I've had bad luck

[tuckawayfarm]

Wow, no kidding about bad luck! So sorry you have been on such an emotional roller coaster.

The good thing about having a son that you really liked is being able to look at his dam and both her phenotype and bloodlines for clues about what your old guy crossed well with. The best part of having frozen is that you have plenty of time to find exactly what you want.

Another thought would be to look for a youngster who has the traits you loved. Buying a baby instead of breeding takes so much of the gamble out of the equation. I would probably lean that direction with a stallion without a performance history. I felt in my case that I increased my odds with the knowledge of both production history and high performance even without the benefit of an approval process. It's still a huge gamble, but that's breeding.

[BaysofourLives]

This isn't a case of breeding to get a foal just b/c I want a foal. I've proudly just purchased a stunner of a colt who is the real deal in every aspect.

It's more a personal thing. Thank you though.