It’s that exciting time of year for sport horse breeders!

Spring is here, and with it comes breeding season.

The abundance of stallions to choose from these days is enough to overwhelm any breeder, whether you’re considering the vast array of stallions in Europe or those standing here. And by now you should have given ample consideration to your breeding goals, considering not only the financial aspect of your decision, but also the contribution this future foal may ultimately bring to the sport horse world at large.

This isn’t a novel point, but it is an extremely important one: Be sure to begin with a mare that you admire or treasure. It’s a terrible disservice to your investment and to the industry to breed a mare whose own merits are far from what’s desirable in a riding horse. “The apple never falls far from the tree” isn’t true just for people.

It’s erring on the side of unrealistic and irresponsible to breed a mare with character, rideability or structural faults if it would be a great disappointment to find these faults repeated in her foal. After all, the stallion can only provide so much influence.

Ideally, begin with a mare whose qualities you would be quite satisfied to see shine through. Even better, begin with a mare who is a proven producer. Better still, begin with a proven producer whose offspring have a known level of rideability!

Just as with a stallion, the quality of a broodmare is best judged by her offspring. In that light, giving a mare who has a highlight, but who also needs improvement, the chance to produce a foal will be the best way to evaluate her as a broodmare.

Next, consider if you’re trying to produce this foal for the market or for your own personal pleasure. Is there flexibility in this plan? If your goal is to produce a foal to sell, consider the likely group of people you’ll be selling to.

Do you have a mare whose qualities lend better to producing a foal for amateurs or for professionals? Is her interior quality (character, nerves, energy, rideability, heart) more likely to produce a horse that anyone could ride, or will she likely produce a horse that needs a “special rider?” What conformational and athletic influences must the stallion contribute to accomplish your goal?

Dressage enthusiasts seem to embrace the option to buy foals or weanlings much more often than the hunter/jumper people do. Typically, the average buyers in the hunter/ jumper market want to be able to see for themselves the prospect’s talent before they buy. Proven bloodlines for jumping certainly can be appealing, but these buyers are far more likely to go for 3- or 4-year olds, even older horses, whose ability can be readily tested under saddle.

Free-jumping can give some in-dication of a youngster’s abilities, but many professionals won’t rely on free-jumping alone to evaluate a prospect.

Dressage enthusiasts seem to be the most committed scholars of bloodlines, so having proven dressage blood–on both the sire’s side and in the dam’s side–is very important.

Breeders who are committed to producing generation after generation of quality horses will make sure that the motherline, usually of both the sire and the dam, has proven itself valuable to its breed. That doesn’t mean that the unproven mare isn’t worth breeding. But her foals will be at a disadvantage versus foals out of such proven stock.

If you’re breeding for the eventing market, the percentage of Thoroughbred blood must be high, although the changes in the three-day structure have made warmblood influence more desirable. Pedigree for jumping absolutely must remain in the mix, in addition to the bold nature and heart that eventers love and rely on in their horses.

If you’re breeding for your own pleasure, consider what you need and like most in a riding horse. Consider the mare’s interior qualities and honestly assess if she’s “too much” for you, whether you really need something quieter. Or does the stallion need to bring some spice to the combination?

Research the stallion’s offspring to determine if he consistently produces the influence you’re looking for. Consider your mare’s conformation, movement and athletic ability, and choose a stallion who is strong where she may be weak, improving the odds that you might improve the mare through the combination.

Consider the discipline(s) you wish to enjoy and build the most positive combination possible, considering bloodlines and the innate talent of both the stallion and mare.

And be sure that you’re prepared for the financial investment and risk of breeding, that you’re sure you wouldn’t do better by simply purchasing what you can test, feel and fall in love with.

In every case, be sure to consider your registration options. You have an investment behind this new life, and it’s a really important way of advancing American breeding. For our horses to become stronger competitive forces on the world stage, registration is a breeder’s obligation. Typically this must be handled within the first two years of the youngster’s life.

Finally, consider if the foal you aim to produce, whether he or she remains in your possession or not, stands a good chance to be a contribution to the sport horse world. Will this individual bring forth the possibility for an amateur or a professional to achieve their goals? Is there a strong likelihood that his character will make the pursuit of sport and day-to-day life enjoyable? It doesn’t matter whether your goal is to produce horses with qualities that will allow them to shine in the high-performance levels or to make the amateur rider happy and fulfilled.

Let’s be responsible and healthy in our breeding goals. Let’s produce horses that allow us to enjoy our sports on any level, because they’ve been carefully bred to make the task more easily within reach.