I remember as a young child the yearly tradition of perusing the gigantic Sears catalog in the months leading up to the Christmas season. My cousins and I would eagerly flip the pages, circling various toys, dog-earing pages filled with coveted wares. I imagine that sport horse breeders feel much the same about the annual Chronicle stallion issue.

The following pages are filled with a veritable cornucopia of stallions, each one flashier, more attractive, and promising than the next. Mare owners must flip through this issue with the same eager anticipation I had as a child, and the eternal question ringing in their ears–“What if?”

Breeding horses is, I think, the ultimate “what if.” You carefully plan, strategize, match your mare with what you think is the ideal stallion for her. You adjust hormone cycles, lighting, and nature to get her in foal. And even after your perfect little foal hits the ground a year later, you still have at least three or four years to wait to see if even the inklings of your dreams are coming to fruition. There’s not much instant gratification in that.

Camille Greer, profiled in our Horse of a Lifetime: Alla’ Czar (p. 52), took a gamble on the biggest “what if” of all. She saw the chance of a lifetime appear in front of her, in the form of a flashy, older, bay stallion. And she jumped at it. It didn’t make financial or business sense, but she did it anyway. And in doing so, Greer has realized the dream of so many breeders–that of producing a consistent line of quality young horses who bring joy to their owners. Greer laments Alla’ Czar’s advancing age, but she also takes immense pleasure in seeing his legacy take root in the show ring. Her “what if” chance paid off in spades.

Tish Quirk, profiled on p. 55, has a much more systematic approach to the breeding scene, but she shares the same pride in knowing that through her stallion Best Of Luck and his get she’s created a line of top-quality horses who excel in their jobs.

Of course, deep down, every breeder wants to bring the next Gem Twist or Rox Dene into the world. That’s the ultimate dream. But I think Greer said it best when she told me that she’s very proud of producing horses who make solid partners for their riders, and who not only win, but also become valued members of their owners’ families. She mentioned one Alla’ Czar offspring who was sold to a young rider as a 4-year-old and has accompanied her young rider from the short stirrup division to the children’s hunters, and on to the junior division. That’s the kind of horse breeders want to create consistently.

Every reader with a mare in the barn (and even some without!) who flips through this issue will hear “what if” echo in his or her head over and over. “What if this stallion’s temperament balances out my hot mare’s temper?” “What if that stallion’s incredible athleticism blends with my mare’s laid-back approach to life?” “What if I end up with the next Baloubet du Rouet in my back yard?” Greer heard that “what if” and ended up with her horse of a lifetime. Who knows what you could end up with.

Molly Sorge