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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
   Location: Albany, Georgia | I recently purchased a weanling stud colt and I want to start preparing now. I want to give him the best chance possible and i want to know how to go about it. I definitely want to prove him in the arena first and foremost, but any advice you stallion owners have would be greatly appreciated!! TIA |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
       Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Manners, manners, manners. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
           Location: Kansas | snip snip |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
     
| DustToDiamonds - 2015-06-10 5:56 AM
I recently purchased a weanling stud colt and I want to start preparing now. I want to give him the best chance possible and i want to know how to go about it. I definitely want to prove him in the arena first and foremost, but any advice you stallion owners have would be greatly appreciated!! TIA
I Am with you on this one. I did the same thing and while there are always going to be those that say cut him unless you are one of the big ranches out there...the best thing you can do is take him to the best trainer you can afford, and even though there are some pretty interesting looking studs out there, good conformation and temperament is always a must for me.
I started a facebook page for my colt and occasionally share the silly things that he does in a video, or what we are working on training wise, or where we are hauling to to hang out at a show over the weekend. My colt is 3 now and I plan on entering a few futurities, if he doesn't really do anything by his 6 year old year I will probably cut him.
If I do keep him a stud I plan on creating a logo for his name and marketing him hard. Good luck with your colt!!!  |
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  That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
 
| I would start by getting a second job. Owning a stallion can be rewarding but it is very expensive. 1) While he is young you need to teach him manners. You need to handle him every single day. Do not ever let him get away with anything. Because when he is 1300 Lbs of pure testosterone, those cute things become very dangerous. 2) Do something with him. He needs a job and needs to earn his right to be a stallion. This is the expensive part. Show him...the more you can do the better. 3) Invest in the facility. This is also the expensive part. You must be able to keep him safe and keep others safe. 4) Be willing to geld him if he isn't exceptional. (cute and funny do not count as exceptional traits)
Owning and managing a stallion is a lot of work. Every thing costs money and takes time. If he isn't nice enough to pull some nice mares, you are waisting both money and time.
Edited by Whiteboy 2015-06-10 11:18 AM
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
    
| I agree about planning ahead for expenses. It will cost money to train, haul, and prove him. Then you need to budget advertising, possible enrollment in programs, etc.
Another thing that I think you should do is be realistic about your capabilities. Your horse could have all the talent and ability in the world, but if you aren't capable of training and riding him, then he's never going to be a top horse. We have a colt that will probably be sent out to a futurity trainer for that part of his career. I don't have the time to haul to futurities, not to mention my lack of experience with them. I really want him proven so I'm going to find someone who knows what they are doing.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of very nice stallions standing, not to mention all of the okay stallions and mediocre ones. If you want to have a marketable stallion you need to make sure that he has the best opportunities to be proven. Otherwise, he'll be just another face in the crowd.
Some of the other things were already mentioned. Instilling good manners and respect are very important. As are excellent conformation, bloodlines, and temperament.
I'm in the beginning stages of this journey, so I'm still learning. But I keep my eye on popular stallions to see what it is that makes them sought after by mare owners. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
       Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Jenbabe - 2015-06-10 12:53 PM I agree about planning ahead for expenses. It will cost money to train, haul, and prove him. Then you need to budget advertising, possible enrollment in programs, etc. Another thing that I think you should do is be realistic about your capabilities. Your horse could have all the talent and ability in the world, but if you aren't capable of training and riding him, then he's never going to be a top horse. We have a colt that will probably be sent out to a futurity trainer for that part of his career. I don't have the time to haul to futurities, not to mention my lack of experience with them. I really want him proven so I'm going to find someone who knows what they are doing. Keep in mind that there are a lot of very nice stallions standing, not to mention all of the okay stallions and mediocre ones. If you want to have a marketable stallion you need to make sure that he has the best opportunities to be proven. Otherwise, he'll be just another face in the crowd. Some of the other things were already mentioned. Instilling good manners and respect are very important. As are excellent conformation, bloodlines, and temperament. I'm in the beginning stages of this journey, so I'm still learning. But I keep my eye on popular stallions to see what it is that makes them sought after by mare owners.
I know who you're talking about! LOL |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
   Location: Albany, Georgia | I am going into this with the whole mindset that if it works out for him to stay a stud then fine...if not, well, he can be a nice gelding too!! lol I want him to be something worth breeding too! But if not, its not worth the aggrevation. I plan on hauling him early and YES! MANNERS MANNERS MANNERS!! |
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  The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
    Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | I just want to say that if you are hauling him, and he can't behave and perform AS IS, but needs any sort of drugs, or Regumate to behave, PLEASE geld him! IM, it is just WRONG when people have a stallion that is a bit "much" for them to handle, so they drug him to get him to behave and/or perform in public. To ME it is a form of false advertising. People are going to se this horse that think, "Man, he sure is quite and has a nice disposition". UMMMM.... NO. And I seriously doubt the rider/trainer/owner is going to TELL people that might be interested in breeding to him that he has to be doped up to act that way! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
   Location: Albany, Georgia | I completely agree!!! I don't want to own something that could be a danger either!! |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
   Location: OH | Good luck to you, it is a tough undertaking promoting a stallion. Most start out with good intentions but bail before seeing it through. It is a lot of work. My advice would be to do it because you love it, do not expect to get rich. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
     Location: Wonderful Wyoming | RacingQH - 2015-06-12 9:52 AM I just want to say that if you are hauling him, and he can't behave and perform AS IS, but needs any sort of drugs, or Regumate to behave, PLEASE geld him! IM, it is just WRONG when people have a stallion that is a bit "much" for them to handle, so they drug him to get him to behave and/or perform in public. To ME it is a form of false advertising. People are going to se this horse that think, "Man, he sure is quite and has a nice disposition". UMMMM.... NO. And I seriously doubt the rider/trainer/owner is going to TELL people that might be interested in breeding to him that he has to be doped up to act that way!
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