Hi, looking for input on what you look at when choosing a stud for your mare for breeding. I plan on breeding my mare in 2-3 years and want to somewhat get started on finding a stud that will compliment her and add some speed.

What ever the mare lacks the stud needs to enhance.

If the mare has bad feet or off a bit in conformation ,choose a stud with great feet and legs..ect..

Same as above, make a list of what her weaknesses are and start there. Names on papers is one of the last things on my list, people a lot of times just want a foal stacked with names on its papers. The only thing I care about the names on the papers are the traits those names bring to the table & how it'll work with or against the mare. If you can find candid photos of the stud or see them in person or in a video presented, look at that over an ad photo. You'd be surprised how many studs don't look like their ad photos in real life, some have a lot photshopped and some have just some minor tweaks and all the spectrum in between. If I can go see them in person I will. And do some research on mentality too, I can pick out the best stud physically for my mare who is wildly fragile minded & hot so if I find the perfect stud physically, but he makes some hotter mor anxious foals then I'm just creating a ticking time bomb. And then decide do you want a free runner or push style & where does your mare fall in running style. I have one I'm breeding that's cutting bred and super push style and I like something fairly free running, so she's getting bred to a stud that leans to more free runners on top & bottom sides to try to make an ideal cross. You can always post some options on here and have people tell you what types of traits they've seen those studs or their bloodlines throw. Like I always liked Shawnee Bug Leo and I've talked to many trainers who think they tend to lean a little heavy on the front end riding & so is a mare I wanted to breed to him & that wouldn't be a good combo. But I wouldn't have noticed that had it not been brought up & in some videos I can see it now