Small but mighty, miniature horse breeds pack a large punch in a diminutive body. In fact, the world’s smallest horse is a miniature horse breed.

But what is a miniature horse? Aren’t we just talking ponies here?

Is a miniature horse a pony?

Crucially, no. There’s a horse fact for you to break out at parties!

Miniature horses and ponies are two different classifications of equine – it’s all to do with conformation.

Hundreds of years of selective breeding give us the miniature horses we recognise today. Stand a miniature horse next to a pony of the same height, and you’ll soon see the difference.

In general, ponies have short, stocky legs and thicker necks. They usually have a wider barrel compared to horses and have proportionally shorter bodies, too.

In contrast, a miniature horse looks just like a scaled down sport or competition horse. They have proportionally longer bodies and legs, slender necks and elegant heads.

Can you ride miniature horses?

Miniature horse breeds are not commonly used for riding – only a very young child would be small and light enough to do so. They would still need to be backed, trained and selected for an appropriate career like a regular-sized horse.

Many minis are used in driving, showing, and agility, and are also bred as pets and used as therapy animals.

Miniature horse breeds

1. Falabella

Height: 24–28 inches

Weight: 50–80kg

Country of origin: Argentina

This tiny rare horse breed is the world’s smallest, and quite possibly the hardiest because they can withstand extreme temperatures and unforgiving landscapes.

Spanish horses brought to South America from the 16th century represent this breed’s origins. After some of them ended up getting loose and turning feral – even wild – they carved a path to some of the most hard-to-reach areas, such as isolated places outside Buenos Aires. Some of this equine population joined the indigenous Mapuche people.

How did the breed become so small? Generation upon generation was exposed to harsh climates, limited food and scarce water. The Falabella grew smaller and smaller to adapt to these conditions. And, because finding food and water was so tough, they became more intelligent over time in order to survive.

Falabellas were noticed by outsiders in 1845, when Irish settler Patrick Newell observed the remarkably small horses were kept alongside the Mapuche’s riding horses. He and his family took to keeping Falabellas and breeding them. His son-in-law, Juan Falabella, took up the mantle and gave the breed his name.

Juan brought Shetland pony and English thoroughbred blood into the breed to refine the Falabella into what we know today.

2. American Miniature

Height: Less than 34 inches

Weight: 68–136kg

Country of origin: USA

According to the American Miniature Horse Society, American Miniatures are the result of nearly 400 years of selective breeding, with the earliest record of a small horse arriving in the country from overseas appearing in 1888. However, mini horses didn’t land in the wider public consciousness until as late as 1960.

The breed is understood to have been cultivated from the blood of English and Dutch working horses, particularly those put to work in mines (no prizes for guessing why!). These horses arrived in the US in the 19th century and went into the Appalachian Mountains to mine.

There is some evidence that the Shetland pony was also introduced to help achieve the desired miniature stature.

3. Dutch Miniature

Height: 42 inches or less

Weight: 68–159kg

Country of origin: Netherlands

In Dutch, this tiny horse’s name is the Nederlands Minipaard.

With a studbook established in 1993, the original rules for registration with the breed society (Nederlandse Mini Paarden Registratie Stamboek) allowed any horse under 42 inches (106cm) to register. This allowed the inclusion of greater genetic diversity when establishing this miniature horse breed.

Today, foals hoping to enter the stud book must follow much more stringent criteria. This includes having registered parents.

The breed society hosts an annual summer show for all mini breeds in July. There are no ridden classes on the schedule, but participants compete in competitions like showing, jumping and driving.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

15 rare horse breeds from Great Britain and around the world

29 fascinating facts about horses (that you will struggle to believe are true…)

Horses are amazing creatures, and however long you have been riding for, there are some facts and figures that will

How small is the world’s smallest horse and other tiny horses facts you need to know

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Do you have a handle on the world’s rare horse breeds?

All over the world lie elusive and rare breeds that you should definitely know about, many of which are British native breeds. Organisations such as the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and individual breed societies oversee populations and campaign for the breeds’ conservation.

Here, we bring you a selection of rare horse breeds from across the globe, and some interesting facts about them…

Rare British horse breeds

1. The Dales pony

• Height: 14hh–14.2hh
• Colour(s): black, brown, grey, bay and roan
• Place of origin: the Pennines region
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Dales pony is native to the upper dales of the eastern slopes of the Pennine range, from the High Peak in Derbyshire to the Cheviot Hills near the Scottish Border.

The breed originates from the crossing of Scotch Galloways used for pack work in the 17th Century, and native mares. According to the Dales Pony Society: “it was that the black Galloways of the mixed herds eventually superseded the Scotch Galloway, and eventually became the Dales Pony through a series of improvements from several sources.”

Bloodlines from the now extinct regional trotter (or roadster) breeds also helped develop the Dales pony we know and love today.

According to the Dales Pony Society: “the combination of strength, agility, thrift, hardiness and high courage, with good conformation and a calm, intelligent nature, makes the Dales Pony a first-class riding and driving pony with all the abilities of a true all-rounder.”

2. The Cleveland Bay

• Height: 16hh–16.2hh
• Colour(s): traditionally bay with black points, with a small white star the only permitted white marking
• Place of origin: the Cleveland Hills, Yorkshire
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Cleveland Bay horse can be traced back to the Chapman horse of the 17th century. According to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, it is the oldest established native British breed.

In former times, the only acceptable colour was solid bay in colour with no white with the possible exception of a very small star. Nowadays, horses outside this breed standard can still be registered to protect their genetic value to the breed. However, their passport/studbook will note the deviation.

Initially bred in the Cleveland Hills, farmers used Cleveland Bays on the land, for riding and as pack animals.

The Cleveland Bay Horse Society acts as guardian of the breed. Formed in 1884 to preserve and promote the breed, it continues its role today.

The Royal family have given the breed a great boost. The late Queen’s grandfather had been a breeder of Cleveland bays in the 1920’s, and The late Queen purchased a Cleveland Bay colt named Mulgrave Supreme. They have been known to pull Royal carriages.

3. The Exmoor pony

• Height: 12hh–13.2hh
• Colour(s): bay, brown or black, typically with pale points (mealy markings) on the face, especially around the eyes, flanks and inside the legs
• Place of origin: Exmoor, Devon
• RBST status: Priority breed

Ponies have been on Exmoor since ancient times, and this environment shaped their size, characteristic hardiness, independent spirit and native intelligence. Many consider Exmoor ponies one of the country’s oldest pony breeds, roaming the land for approximately the last 5,000 years.

In 1818, the crown sold the Royal Forest of Exmoor to industrialist John Knight. The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas Acland, took 30 of the ponies and founded the Acland herd (now known as the Anchor herd) running on Winsford Hill. Farmers from Withypool and Hawkridge, who had worked for the warden, also bought stock at the dispersal sale and founded several herds which still exist.

Although some breed Exmoor ponies on studs throughout the country, herds of semi-feral free-ranging ponies still run on the moor.

The late 1940s nearly saw the demise of the Exmoor pony.

Today, while still a rare breed, they are a popular riding pony for children and small adults.

4. The Eriskay pony

• Height: 12hh–13.2hh
• Colour(s): grey, occasionally black or bay
• Place of origin: Eriskay, Outer Hebrides
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Eriskay pony is among the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Western Isles of Scotland.

Essential to the crofting community, this breed was instrumental in the retrieval of seaweed and peat for fertiliser and fires. People also used them for transport and all kinds of farm work.

Unfortunately, like many rare horse breeds, the Eriskay declined in the 19th century due to the advent of farm machinery. By the early 1970s, there were only 20 pure-breds on the remote island of Eriskay, so a dedicated group of people got together in an attempt to increase numbers. The Eriskay Pony Society was founded in 1995.

According to the breed society, there are around 420 Eriskays left in the world.

5. The Suffolk Horse

• Height: 16.1hh–17.2hh
• Colour(s): chestnut, from dark liver to light red
• Place of origin: Suffolk, England
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Suffolk horse is the oldest breed of heavy horse to exist in its present form. They are also known as the Suffolk Punch. In local Suffolk dialect, their chestnut colour is called ‘chesnut’ without the ‘t’.

The earliest stud book of any heavy horse breed, and all modern Suffolks, are descended from just one horse, Crisp’s Horse of Ufford, which was born in 1768.

During the First World War, the strong horse was a popular working animal. Consequently, there were 1000s of Suffolks residing throughout East Anglia. They were known for their ability to be used for draught work and forestry

The rare breed declined rapidly when farmers swapped horses for tractors and machinery, and in 1966 there were only nine Suffolk foals registered.

Today, they are a popular cross to produce heavy sports and show horses, and they are being increasingly seen in ridden heavy horse classes.

6. The Hackney

• Height: 12.2hh–14hh (pony), 14hh–16.2hh (horse)
• Colour(s): solid colours, such as black, bay and chestnut, with white markings
• Place of origin: Norfolk and Suffolk
• RBST status: Priority breed

The Hackney had its origins in the Norfolk and Yorkshire Roadsters (trotting horses) of the 18th and 19th centuries, but is first mentioned in medieval times.

Early thoroughbred stallions had a great influence on the breed. According to the RBST: “Following improvements in the roads during the 16th and 17th century there was an increased demand for carriage horses and the highest status symbol was to be seen out in a stylish equipage with proud high-stepping horses.”

Known to trot at high speed for extended periods, these slender, muscular and elegant animals were perfect for the job. In 1883, the Hackney Horse Society and Stud Book was formed.

The signature high-stepping action characterises both the horse and pony versions of the breed. Efforts to preserve the breed include highlighting its versatility as a driving, riding and show horse.

Rare horse breeds from around the world

7. The Sorraia

• Height: 13.3hh–14.4hh
• Colour(s): dun of all kinds with primitive markings
• Place of origin: Portugal

Sorraia horses are a remnant population of an indigenous, South Iberian wild horse, which survived in the formerly inaccessible lowlands of the river Sorraia in Portugal until the early 1900s.

The Iberian scientist and horse expert Dr Ruy d’Andrade discovered these horses in 1920 and is responsible for their preservation.

Occasionally, locals caught the horses to train for herding and farming. However, the population is largely feral.

Today, there are only 200–300 Sorraias. Private owners hold most of this population.

All Sorraias descend from only 11 or 12 animals that d’Andrade secured in the 1930s, and in-breeding is therefore incredibly high.

8. The American Cream Draft Horse

• Height: 13.5hh–16.3hh
• Colour(s): pale cream to gold with a white mane and tail
• Place of origin: Iowa, US

The American Cream Draft is a relatively new breed and is the only draft breed to have originated in the United States. Varying reports say there are between 250 and 400 in the world.

Many believe that the Cream traces its roots back to a draft-type mare named Old Granny. She is believed to have been foaled around the turn of the last century in Iowa and was cream in colour.

Gaining popularity in the 1930s, an owner called Clarence T Rieson was especially proactive in breeding Creams. Sadly, they became popular just as mechanisation began making working horses obsolete.

The American Cream Draft Horse was recommended for recognition by the National Stallion Enrolment Board in 1948. In 1950 they were recognised as standard by the Iowa Board of Agriculture.

9. The Curly Horse (American Bashkir Curly Horse)

• Height: 14hh–16hh
• Colour(s): any
• Place of origin: Nevada, US

While there is no real limit to a Curly Horse’s size, colour and type, all carry a gene for a unique curly coat of hair.

Curlies are claimed to be the only hypoallergenic horse breed. They originated in North America with less than 1000 in the world today. Some say that a man named Peter Damele discovered them at the turn of the 20th century. He spotted curly-coated horses while riding out in the Nevada desert.

The American Bashkir Curly Registry, the first breed registry, formed in 1971.

Most of today’s curly horses have ancestry to one or more of the three stallions Copper D, Curly Jim or Eli Bad Warrior’s sire (name unknown).

The British Curly Horse and Pony society was founded in 2010.

10. The Marwari Horse

• Height: 14hh–15.1hh
• Colour(s): any
• Place of origin: Marwari (Jodhpur)

The Marwari Horse descends from the mounts of the Rajput warriors. A slender, elegant horse, it is recognisable for its inward-turned ear tips, which sometimes touch. With their lineage traced back to Arabian and Mongolian horses, this detail could link them to the Kathiawari horse.

The breed sadly fell out of favour with British colonisers, who preferred the thoroughbred.

Because the breed was rare and faced extinction, an export ban was placed in the 1930s and no Marwari horses were able to leave India. In 2000, Francesca Kelly in the United States received the first shipment of six horses.

Today, the breed is still rare with fewer than 5,000 purebred horses in the entire world.

11. German Black Forest Horse

• Height: 14.2hh–16hh
• Colour(s): chestnut (any shade) with a flaxen mane and tail
• Place of origin: The Black Forest, southern Germany

This striking, cold-blooded, light draft horse originates from the Black Forest of southern Germany, where breeding dates back to the 15th century. The records of the Abbey of Saint Peter in the Black Forest.

A versatile breed, they were originally used for farm work and forestry. Today, many people ride and drive them.

The rare German Black Forest Horse has many names. These include Schwarzwälder Füchs, Schwarzwälder Kaltblut, Wälder Horse, and Saint Märgener.

As of 2017, it was recorded that there was a population of 88 stallions and 1,077 mares, and one of the key breeding programmes is at the Marbuch Stud horse farm in Germany.

12. The Canadian Horse

• Height: 14hh–16hh
• Colour(s): most commonly black, but other colours appear
• Place of origin: Quebec, Canada

The Canadian Horse became the country’s national horse in 2002 and is registered as ‘at risk’ by Heritage Livestock Canada due to dwindling numbers. There are around 6,000 animals globally.

Canadian horses descend from a load of Spanish, Norman and Breton-bred horses sent to Canada in 1665 by King Louis XIV to his subjects in New France. From those foundation horses, a distinct breed of horse emerged, and became known as ‘Le Petit Cheval de Fer’ or ‘The Little Iron Horse’.

The Canadian Horse Breeders Association says the breed is known for “its calm and willing disposition, excellent feet, stamina and strength”. Additionally, the breed is understood to have influenced the Morgan horse.

13. The Caspian Horse

• Height: 10hh–12hh
• Colour(s): any solid colour
• Place of origin: ancient Persia (modern day Iran)

Caspian horses average only 11.2hh but despite their height, they considered horses rather than ponies due to their conformation.

The rare horse breed dates back to ancient Persia, at least as far as 3,000 B.C. Experts now believe the Caspian to be the forerunner to the Arab horse and therefore to most of the hot-blooded horses in existence today.

Caspians have spectacular action as well as speed. The breed underwent a resurgence when native Virginian Louise Firouz and her Iranian husband Narcy began a breeding programme, hearing the Caspian was an ideal horse for children.

In the 1970s, the late Prince Philip received a breeding pair of Caspians and conservation developed in the UK. There are fewer than 500 in Britain, and around 2,000 worldwide.

14. The Newfoundland Pony

• Height: 11–14hh
• Colour(s): bay, black, brown, chestnut, dun, grey, roan and white only
• Place of origin: Newfoundland, Canada

According to the Newfoundland Pony Society: “The Newfoundland Pony is known for its strength, courage, intelligence, obedience, and common sense.”

During the later part of the 20th century, the estimated population of 12,000 (1970s) dropped to fewer than 100 in the 1980s.

In 1997, the provincial government of Newfoundland passed the Heritage Animals Act of Newfoundland and Labrador. This Act provided legal protection to the Newfoundland Pony by making it illegal to transport Newfoundland Ponies off the Island without export permits. The Act also designated the Newfoundland Pony Society as the public group responsible for registering, promoting and protecting the Newfoundland Pony.

Truly one of the most rare horse breeds, there are an estimated 500–600 animals in Canada and the US.

15. Akhal-Teke

• Height: 14.2hh–16hh
• Colour(s): any colour with a metallic sheen, but frequently palamino, cremello and perlino with pale eyes
• Place of origin: Karakum desert, Turkmenistan

Developed for endurance and speed, the Akhal-Teke is one of the oldest domesticated horse breeds, with links as far back as a 6th-century Siberian burial site. Here, archaeologists discovered equine remains similar to the Akhal-Teke. According to legend, Macedonian King Alexander the Great once rode them.

In 1881, Turkmenistan became a part of the Russian Empire and the first official breeding farms of Akhal-Tekes were established. Numbers declined due to the turmoil that marked the early days of Soviet Russia.

The breed came to the United States in 1972. In the same year, the breed registry began with the founding of the Akhal-Teke Association of America.

This rare horse breed possesses great athletic ability and crossing with thoroughbreds and sport horses is common. There are an estimated 6,600 in the world.

• Enjoyed reading this? To unlock access to all kinds of equestrian knowledge, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also like…

Horse breeds in the UK from native ponies to heavy horses and all types in between

Finding the ideal native: which breed is perfect for you? *H&H Plus*

Is an Exmoor pony right for you? Tips from a breeder on buying your perfect one

The Cleveland Bay: the versatile breed adapting through the ages to the needs of man

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Topspin is a second-generation home-bred who fulfilled a grandmother’s dreams, most recently carrying Alice Casburn to take the under-25 national championship at Bramham.

Alice was six years old when Topspin arrived in the world, a giant fourth foal from his 15.3hh mother Capriati. He still lives in the stable where he was born.

“Mum’s room had a TV where we could watch the foaling,” Alice says. “I wasn’t that interested in horses then, but foals were exciting.”

Although Alice describes Spin as her mother Caroline’s “favourite child”, he lived up to his name from the outset.

“He was so sharp, I was forever falling off,” says Caroline. “Friends were always catching him and picking me up. But from the start, he felt like he could jump anything.”

Caroline produced Spin mainly for showjumping, handing over the reins to Alice to event – and credits her “short body and long legs” for enabling her to sit his spins.

“He can be vile,” Alice says, lovingly. “But I understand him; some of it is naughtiness, some is insecurity. I just laugh at him now – I’d either laugh or cry.”

From this rocky start, he’s fulfilled the family’s dreams.

“My granny helped Mum with the breeding and used to joke that Spin and I would get to Burghley one day – when he wasn’t even managing at novice.”

What canny foresight. Topspin and Alice not only made it to Burghley, but have finished in the top 10 in all of their four runs.

Topspin breeding information

Name: Topspin

Stable name: Spin

Height: 17hh

Year of birth: 2008

Breeding: by Zento (16.3½hh) out of Capriati xx (15.3hh) by El Conquistador xx

Breeder: Caroline Casburn

Best results: fifth twice at Burghley CCI5*, fifth at Luhmühlen CCI5*, 2026 under-25 national champion at Bramham, young rider European team gold and individual bronze

Meet the parents

Caroline laughs that her premise for breeding Topspin was not entirely rational. She’d evented his grandmother, Spangle, at advanced. But out of five foals, she produced only one filly, Capriati.

“Capriati wasn’t the best to breed from in hindsight; sharp with an ever-ready battery,” says Caroline. “We bred from her to keep the line, but also as she was so hot-headed we didn’t like riding her!”

Stallion AI recommended Zento, for his quiet temperament: “Although Spin’s sharp, he’s workable,” Caroline says. “If you can stay on, you can bring him back to walk and explain things to him. You’d ride Capriati for three hours and never wear her out.”

Other facts about Topspin’s breeding

1. Topsin’s great-grandsire (grandsire of Capriati) was Derby winner Mill Reef.

2. His sire’s half-brother Cento won Olympic team showjumping gold in 2000.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert insight on top horses, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also enjoy:

‘He’s fallen in love with Walter!’: Caroline Casburn on family’s second-generation home-bred, Topspin

‘He deserved this – he’s done everything for me’: veteran home-bred superstar helps rider to under-25 national title

Which top competition horse did this cute little foal grow up to be?

‘He had the X factor’: Boston Black Tie’s breeder tells the story of how the champion came to be

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Artificial insemination in horses is a technically demanding but routine part of modern equine veterinary practice. It is a modern breeding technique that can be incredibly complex and requires accuracy and strict biosecurity, plus good timing and organisation to be successful. In the UK, it sits firmly within the professional responsibilities outlined by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

If you’re planning to use artificial insemination (AI) for your mare this breeding season, how can you maximise the chances of a successful equine pregnancy? We outline the most important points to consider when using artificial insemination in horses and explain what’s involved in the process.

How is artificial insemination done in horses?

Routinely, the process is as follows…

1. Semen collection

This begins with appropriate preparation of the stallion and the environment. In well-managed studs, stallions are trained to mount a phantom (dummy) mare rather than a live mare. This significantly reduces risk to both animals and handlers. An artificial vagina (AV) is carefully prepared to replicate physiological conditions – specifically temperature, pressure, and lubrication – so that ejaculation occurs in a controlled and humane manner.

The veterinary surgeon, or suitably trained personnel under direction, must handle the stallion in a way that minimises stress and risk of injury. Hygiene is critical: the AV must be sterile or single-use lined. In addition, collection vessels must be clean and pre-warmed. Obvious contaminants, such as dirt or urine, must be avoided.

Poor technique here can compromise semen quality and ultimately fertility outcomes.

2. Semen evaluation and handling

Once collected, semen is assessed promptly and properly. This directly informs clinical decisions about whether the ejaculate is suitable for use and how it should be processed.

Evaluation typically includes motility (movement), concentration, and morphology (assessing size and shape). This is all carried out under controlled temperature conditions to avoid cold shock. Accuracy in terms of process and record-keeping is essential.

3. Extension and preparation

To preserve sperm viability and produce multiple doses, semen is diluted with an appropriate extender following evaluation. Extenders are designed to buffer pH, provide energy substrates, and reduce bacterial growth.

Controlled temperature conditions are essential to dilution. Abrupt changes can irreversibly damage sperm membranes. Again, traceability and documentation are important, particularly where transporting semen between premises.

4. Storage and transport

If semen is not used immediately, it may be cooled for short-term storage or frozen for long-term preservation.

5. Insemination and post-breeding care

Your vet will manually insert the semen at the optimum time using a pipette. The mare is typically scanned via ultrasound 24–48 hours post-insemination to ensure ovulation has occurred and to check for any fluid buildup in the uterus. A second ultrasound scan is performed 14–16 days after breeding to confirm conception.

Can AI be carried out at home?

AI can be carried out at home, at an equine clinic or at a specialist breeding centre. So what might influence your choice?

“Studies show that pregnancy rates improve with minimised potential stress,” says equine vet and breeding expert Emma Cooper MRCVS. “Certain horses may be more relaxed at home, but you will ideally need stocks for ultrasound scanning and insemination.”

Insemination with frozen semen is particularly difficult to carry out at home, yet fresh and chilled also need a vet’s input.

“An AI package at a stud or clinic could well prove cheaper, as driving and visit fees often add up to more,” says Emma. “The benefit of a clinic is that the vet can examine a mare as often as necessary without the owner having to be there.

“Every mare is different, but an experienced repro vet with knowledge of AI will be able to see more detail in the uterus and follicle to tell exactly where she is in her cycle. Better care will most likely bring a better result – and fewer scans could lower costs.”

Pros and cons of artificial insemination in horses

It sounds so simple – and often it is – yet AI can disappoint the unwary. Take a look below at its pros and cons in summary:

Advantages

• Reduced risk of injury to mare and stallion
• Access to geographically distant or elite stallions
• Allows use of chilled or frozen semen (genetic flexibility)
• Better disease control (no direct contact)
• Precise timing with ovulation → often good conception rates

Disadvantages

• Requires veterinary expertise and monitoring (costly)
• Variable fertility with frozen semen
• Not permitted in some studbooks (e.g. Weatherbys/The Jockey Club for thoroughbreds)
• Handling/storage logistics for semen

How much does AI cost?

Artificial insemination in horses can incur rapidly mounting costs, which you will need to add to the other costs of breeding a horse.

Pre-breeding assessment

Vets recommend a thorough pre-breeding check, which should include a complete gynaecological assessment, including ultrasound and appropriate tests for infections that can affect fertility (such as a blood test for equine viral arteritis and a swab for contagious equine metritis) as well as a general health check, including a worm egg count.

The mare’s vaccinations should also be up to date.

This is likely to cost between £215–300, including VAT, and is vitally important.

Cost of insemination

Costs for insemination can vary hugely depending on what clinical costs include. However, in addition to the cost of semen, you should be budgeting:

• Chilled semen package = at least £525, including two pregnancy scans (including VAT)
• Frozen semen package = at least £625, including two pregnancy scans (including VAT)

There are many potential additional costs, such as sedation, treatment for infection or infertility, such as uterine lavages and other additional treatments.

In other cases, the mares will be straightforward, and the costs may be less.

Be wary of additional charges

“Make sure you know the costs up front,” says Emma. “Ask if stud or clinic prices include extras such as livery, drugs and pregnancy scans, and whether you’ll pay the same the second time around if your mare does not conceive on the first cycle.

“Most AIs are fine, but complications can occur. Not all mares cycle every 21 days. Others produce excessive uterine fluid so that when the embryo enters the uterus it cannot survive.

“There’s also a reasonably high rate of twinning with some mares. The uterus is typically not large enough to sustain both embryos. While there’s a high success rate if one is ‘squeezed’ within the appropriate time, this does involve a risk to the other one.

“We don’t always know of potential problems until we start looking.”

Consider that a healthy foal, or that the foal will mature into a quality horse, is not a given. As such, careful consideration is essential from the outset.

What is the success rate of artificial insemination in horses?

Conformation, temperament, size, soundness and freedom from hereditary conditions – all these will influence your choice of stallion. But will your chosen stallion’s semen get your mare in foal?

You also want to obtain a fertility record from the stud manager. That said, relevant fertility data can be hard to obtain, warns Fred Barrelet, a Newmarket reproduction vet.

“The key measure of a stallion’s fertility is his per-cycle conception rate, but many stud owners don’t publish this,” he says. “The number of mares he gets into foal tells you nothing about the time taken. What you need to know is the breeding efficiency achieved with his semen.

“Ask the stallion owner, stud or semen vendor for the number of mares that become pregnant per cycle. A lot depends on management and the individual mare, but you need to hear an answer of about 50%.”

Semen quality/handling, timing and the standard of clinical management also affect success, although no single variable determines outcome. Rather, the pregnancy rate reflects how well these elements align.

Mare selection

Younger mares generally have higher conception rates. With advancing age, there is a higher incidence of degenerative changes within the uterus. Such changes mean that after breeding, fluid and inflammatory debris do not clear as well, resulting in an increased chance of persistent uterine infections.

This is one of the most common causes of subfertility.

In addition, the cervix of older mares may not relax as effectively during oestrus, which can hinder both semen deposition and uterine clearance.

Egg quality also declines with age, so even when fertilisation occurs, early embryonic loss is more likely. So clinically, this means older mares often require more intensive management.

Semen types: what are your options?

A good semen sample will contain billions of sperm, but which type is best for your mare?

• Fresh: straight from the stallion (who must be on-site or nearby), fresh semen offers the highest fertility rates and lasts longest once inseminated. Its lifespan is usually three hours from collection, but this varies between stallions.
• Chilled: next best fertility-wise. Chilled semen is mixed with extenders, preservatives and antibiotics to lengthen its lifespan to up to 30 hours. This enables insemination at home and widens stallion choice to further afield in the UK, or even Europe. Timing is still an issue: it must be ready at the premises prior to your mare ovulating.
• Frozen: fertility rates associated with frozen semen have improved with the use of extenders and veterinary management. It can be stored ready for use and opens up a worldwide pool of stallions. However, it requires considerable veterinary input, and can push up costs (insemination must take place within six hours prior to, and four hours after ovulation). Sperm from certain stallions has better post-thaw motility – swimming ability – than others.

Semen choice will largely depend upon your mare’s age and breeding health. Fresh or chilled will maximise an older mare’s chances of conceiving – provided it arrives on time, prior to ovulation.

Getting the timing right

During the horse breeding season, a mare ovulates (releases an egg) every 18-24 days – a process called cycling. Each egg forms inside the ovary in a structure known as a follicle.

“A mare is in season – or oestrus – for four to seven days, although this can vary from two to 12 days,” says Emma. “She is then out of season (in dioestrus), for 14-15 days.”

Timing and logistics therefore play a crucial role in successful AI.

“The stud team must work within a relatively narrow biological window as to when the mare is going to ovulate working with perishable materials,” adds Emma.

“It can be harder than one might think to predict ovulation and select the best time to inseminate a mare. Each mare is individual and reproductive cycles will vary. Therefore, veterinary teams must monitor her frequently and diligently monitoring using ultrasound, particularly when breeding from older mares.”

Vets can manipulate the point of ovulation to enable insemination of semen at the optimum moment, according to its type.

“During a season, follicle growth goes hand-in-hand with an increase in the oedema [fluid] within the mare’s uterus,” explains Emma. “When the follicle reaches a key size of 35mm we can use either one of two ovulation-inducing drugs, Chorulon and Ovuplant.

“The mare should then ovulate within 24-48 hours, which gives us a window to order and inseminate semen prior to ovulation. Follicle size may be smaller, though, particularly in ponies, so it helps to know a mare’s breeding history.”

Health is key

According to the British Equestrian Veterinary Association (BEVA), due to the serious concern of the spread of infectious diseases, it is best practice to only accept semen from a stallion for AI tested for contagious equine metritis (CEM), equine viral arteritis (EVA) and equine infectious anaemia (EIA) after 1 January 2026.

Generally, vets request that this certification arrive with the semen at delivery, otherwise they will be unable to proceed with insemination. This is already mandatory for all EU/foreign stallions – it is illegal to use semen from an unknown source or imported from abroad without the required health documentation.

It is wise to request this certification for UK stallions as well.

How do I prepare my mare for artificial insemination?

Good general health is essential for a mum-to-be, so keep your mare’s vaccination and worming programmes up to date and her hooves and teeth well maintained.

But how else can you prepare her for AI?

“We’d rather see a mare too light than too heavy, so aim for fair condition,” says Edward Matson of Twemlows Stud Farm and AI/ET (embryo transfer) centre. “Like females of all species, horses are more likely to conceive on a rising plane of nutrition.”

If you’re sending your mare to a stud or clinic for AI, pre-entry health requirements could include checks for CEM, EVA, EIA and strangles.

Edward points out that pre-breeding examinations are not always definitive in predicting a mare’s chances of conceiving.

“It is difficult to assess a maiden [first-time] mare’s reproductive health before she comes into season,” he says. “A specialised equine repro vet might suggest endometrial swabs or more complex biopsies with a potential problem mare.

“Around 80% of problems occur once the semen is inserted in the uterus, however. You can’t tell too much till then.

“If your mare has foaled previously, give the vet as much information as you can about her breeding history. This should include her own breeding information, the type of semen used and the cycle she conceived on – or why she didn’t. This can save a lot of time and money.

“Be realistic with an older maiden mare. She may be super-fertile or she may not, but you won’t know until you try.”

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Preparing your mare for breeding: the pre-breeding checks every owner should know about

Understanding the equine breeding season and your mare’s oestrus cycle

Do you really know enough to put your mare in foal? I love my horse, but I regret breeding him…

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Boston Black Tie (DJ) is the result of a careful breeding plan.

“It took me a long time to breed a hack,” says Stephen Howard. “I point-to-pointed his great-grandmother, Lovely Grange, and didn’t want to sell her. She had four foals, one of which – Boston Bellissima – I kept. In turn, she had DJ’s mother, Boston Boudicca.”

Stephen was instantly impressed by the newborn DJ.

“He had something – an X-factor or swag – that made you think he was special, though not necessarily a hack right away. They all develop differently.”

Stephen’s friend Nicki Faulconbridge first saw DJ as a two-year-old and a year later, Stephen granted her her wish to purchase him.

“He’s never been to Nicki’s, though,” says Stephen, who remains a key DJ team member and fan. “He went straight to his producer Helen Baker and he’s lived there ever since; he’s a bit precious and they know exactly how to handle that.

“He’s very intelligent and quick to learn – as many of Kilvington Scoundrel’s progeny are. That can be to a hack’s detriment as they think they know best. But he’s right up there as a hack for me and has done far more than we could ever expect really. He keeps coming back out and we’re ultra-grateful for that.”

He adds with a wry smile, “I’ll not be letting go of his sister Boston Bed Of Roses.”

Boston Black Tie breeding information

Stable name: DJ

Height: 153cm

Year of birth: 2017

Breeding: by Kilvington Scoundrel out of Boston Boudicca

Breeder: Stephen Howard

Best results: Hickstead Derby Meeting hack champion on both his visits, and two-time Royal International hack champion.

Meet the parents

“DJ was his mother Boston Boudicca’s first foal,” says Stephen.

His sire, Kilvington Scoundrel is a decorated stock-getter of HOYS champions.

“Scoundrel is so prolific at breeding that quality type. At the time, if you were thinking of breeding a hack, you’d have to try him. He’d gone by that point, but there was semen available so it was worth a try.”

Kilvington Scoundrel’s semen is no longer available but, luckily, Stephen has a full yearling sister – Boston Bed Of Roses – waiting in the wings.

Other fact’s about Boston Black Tie’s breeding

1. The Boston prefix has been associated with Welsh ponies since 1968. Stephen inherited the stud, which is based five miles outside the village of Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, in 1996.

2. Boston Black Tie’s pedigree includes Dolphin Supreme and Yealand Nemesis, who have been responsible for numerous show pony and hack champions.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert insight on top horses, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy:

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Which top competition horse did this cute little foal grow up to be?

‘Heartbreaking for everyone’: human error means wrong horse contests HOYS championship – and loses supreme spot

10 of our favourite snaps of cracking gallops at the 2025 Royal International

‘Diva and proper showman’ crowned Royal International champion – after rider sings her way round the ring

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The breeding of Lordships Graffalo has resulted in one of the greatest eventers to have graced the planet, but he was something of a “thug” in his foalhood. Still known for his habits of tugging his grooms to tastier grazing, chewing ropes and upending wheelbarrows, “he used to walk over everyone” as a curious, independent baby. So let’s learn more about his early life.

Originally called Hermes, his stable name was changed to Walter at four after a horse transporter his owners knew. He was raised in Essex, at Writtle College, as his dam – Cornish Queen – had been loaned to Lordships Stud by her owner Pennie Wallace, as part of a breeding programme.

“His mum was so fiery, they had to lead her in a bridle at Writtle or she’d dance on her hindlegs,” says Pennie. “None of her foals were straightforward, but it did Walter good to live out in a herd.”

Caroline Farr, Lordships Stud manager, remembers Walter as “a very friendly foal. He loved interacting with humans and other horses and was always inquisitive and up to something”.

At two, he returned to Pennie, who sent him to Ros Canter as she liked how Ros was producing his older half-sister Pencos Crown Jewel. It was shrewd foresight – Ros had yet to compete at five-star and there was no assurance of the megastar she would become.

“All the ducks aligned for Walter,” says Pennie. “I knew Cornish Queen had good bloodlines, but I never dreamt she’d produce what she has. Walter is out-and-out talented, but it also needed Ros to bring that out. You need the right rider with the experience and talent.”

Lordships Graffalo breeding information

Stable name: Walter

Height: 17hh

Year of birth: 2012

Breeding: by Grafenstolz out of Cornish Queen (by Rock King)

Breeder: Pennie Wallace and Lordships Stud

Owners: Michele and Archie Saul

Best results: three-time Badminton and two-time Burghley winner; European individual and team champion; Olympic team gold medallist

Meet the parents

While Grafenstolz needs no introduction as a top-ranked eventing sire, Walter’s damline is equally illustrious. Cornish Queen was bred by Olympic gold medallist Bridget Parker – a niece of her Munich 1972 ride Cornish Gold – and sold to Pennie Wallace. Although Cornish Queen didn’t compete beyond pre-novice (BE100), her mother Cornish Faer (by Ben Faerie) contested Badminton and Burghley.

“They all had an amazing jump and a type,” says Bridget. “I hope people realise how much comes from the mare.”

Other facts about Lordships Graffalo’s breeding

1. Graffalo has a full sister, Pencos Sovereign, born 2023.

2. His part-Arab great-great-granddam (April The First, dam of Tregea) won a 7ft 2in puissance.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert insight on top horses, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy: 

Watch Lordships Graffalo cross-country schooling as a six-year-old under Ros Canter

Lordships Graffalo – meet Ros Canter’s supreme star who eats tack, licks cars and loves a cuddle

‘Lordships Graffalo is an absolute clown’: Sarah Charnley on 10 years grooming for Ros Canter – and juggling it with a full-time job

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

British breeders haven’t always had it easy. For decades, the assumption has been that the most exciting stallions stand in Germany or the Netherlands – and that British mares need to look overseas to find genuinely top-quality bloodlines. But the picture has shifted considerably in recent years with a wide range of UK stallions at stud now available.

This new generation of stallions is standing on British soil – from young horses in their first or second year of breeding to competition-proven sires whose offspring are competing at the highest level. Post-Brexit logistics have made importing semen more complex and more expensive. The result is a growing appetite for high-quality stallions standing closer to home – and the British stud industry is rising to meet the demand.

Whether you’re breeding a future grand prix dressage horse, a top-class eventer, a careful showjumper, or a quality native breed, there are British stallions worth considering at every level and price point. Below, we’ve gathered some of the most interesting UK stallions standing at stud – by discipline, with notes on what each is producing, what kind of mare they suit, and how to book.

Jump to:

• UK dressage stallions at stud
• UK showjumping stallions at stud
• UK eventing stallions at stud
• UK showing, native and pony stallions at stud

UK stallions at stud: dressage

Sezuan’s Donnerhall (Sezuan x Sir Donnerhall I)

This dark chestnut Oldenburg stallion has stood in the UK since 2024, bringing one of the most exciting young dressage sire lines to British breeders. By the three-time World Young Horse Champion Sezuan – unbeaten at FEI young horse level, with scores of over 9.7 in the five- and six-year-old finals – Sezuan’s Donnerhall has the pedigree, the conformation and the performance record to back up the hype.

He won his 14-day performance test in Neustadt-Dosse on 9.34, then dominated his 50-day test at Schlieckau on 9.19, including a perfect 10 for canter and 9.5 for rideability, willingness to perform, and overall impression. He’s described as having outstanding paces and first-class rideability – qualities he passes on to his offspring.

His damsire, Sir Donnerhall I (by Sandro Hit), is one of Germany’s most influential dressage sires, and his dam, Siola, is a three-quarter sister to the licensed small tour stallion San Schufro. A strong all-round option for breeders looking to produce a top-class dressage horse with both expression and trainability.

Year of birth: 2015

Height: 171cm

Studbook: Oldenburg

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £1000 + VAT

For more information: visit elitestallions.co.uk

L’Espoir (Lord Loxley I x Warkant)

A standout from the 2009 Danish Warmblood stallion licensing, L’Espoir now offers UK breeders – particularly those in Scotland and the north of England – access to a top-quality dressage sire.

He achieved the highest-ever score at the Danish 35-day test in 2009, recording 944 with three perfect 10s and no score below nine – a result only two stallions have since exceeded. The Danish breeding director Karina Christiansen described him as “the prototype of the future dressage horse,” and the judges at Redefin called him a “miracle mover.”

He has competed internationally to inter I. His offspring have been fetching top prices at European auctions, including Lord Schufro (€220,000 at the 2012 AOS Auction) and Loui (€55,000 at the 2016 Westfalen Winter Auction). His progress is reflected in the latest Baileys Horse Feeds British Breeding Futurity all-time sire rankings, where he has climbed from 102nd to 52nd – a clear signal that his offspring are making their mark.

Year of birth: 2006

Height: 169cm

Studbook: Danish Warmblood (approved across multiple European studbooks)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: Available on enquiry (fresh and chilled semen, concessions available)

At stud with: Romanno Stud, Lanarkshire, Scotland

For more information: visit romannostud.co.uk or phone 01899 810223

Durable (Spielberg TN x Obelisk)

A British-based grand prix dressage stallion with international competition status, exceptional offspring quality at home and a temperament breeders and riders alike rave about, Durable is one of the most accomplished options for UK dressage breeders.

Bred in the Netherlands by M.M.J. Bekkers, Durable has been competed throughout his career by Norfolk-based Nikki Barker (née Crisp), who took on the ride when he was six and has produced him to international grand prix level.

He’s by Spielberg TN – by Sandro Hit out of an Oldenburg damline – and his damsire Obelisk traces to one of the most respected Dutch breeding families. International dressage judge Isobel Wessels, who first judged him as a four-year-old when he won the young dressage horse final at Hartpury, describes him as having “all the ingredients to be a top horse” – combining ground-covering extensions with a “bouncy, closed canter” and the ability to “close and sit and take the weight behind” for piaffe and passage.

His progress as a sire is reflected in the latest Baileys Horse Feeds British Breeding Futurity all-time sire rankings, where – competing against international sires from across Europe – he has climbed from 100th to 35th position. That’s one of the biggest individual gains in the rankings.

His temperament – “incredibly soft, like riding liquid” in Nikki’s words – combined with his presence and power, makes him a strong choice for breeders looking to produce a quality grand prix dressage prospect.

Year of birth: 2008

Height: 178cm

Studbook: KWPN (AES licensed)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £1350 + VAT

At stud with: Nikki Barker, Norfolk

For more information: phone +44 (0) 7775 811918

UK stallions at stud: showjumping

Billy Congo (Vechta x Animo)

One of British showjumping’s most successful homebred stallions of the modern era, Billy Congo combines a top-level competition record with a proven track record at stud – making him one of the most distinctive options available to UK breeders.

Under William Funnell, Billy Congo had a remarkable career on the international circuit. He was the most successful stallion on the 2013 Global Champions Tour, with second-place finishes at Monte Carlo and Cannes, and fourth at London. The same year, the pair took team gold at the European Championships in Herning. Other career highlights include wins in the CSI5* grand prix in Donetsk, the CSI3* grand prix in Lummen, and the 1.55m at Rome – plus a double-clear in the CSIO5* Hickstead Nations Cup.

He retired from top-level sport in 2019 after finishing second in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hickstead the previous year. At stud, Billy Congo has proved as productive as he was in the arena. His offspring include Billy Buckingham (a 2018 WEG team horse and Hickstead Derby winner), Billy Fanta (FEI Young Riders gold with Samantha Cohen in 2019), and CCI4* eventers Billy Liffey, Billy Cuckoo and Billy Bandit. Known for his scope, technique and competitive spirit, he passes on the qualities that made him a star to the next generation.

Year of birth: 2001

Height: 168cm

Studbook: AES (approved)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £600 + VAT

At stud with: The Billy Stud, Surrey (frozen semen via Rozel Breeding and Stallion AI Services)

For more information: visit thebillystud.co.uk

Copain Du Perchet (Conteur x Calypso II)

A genuine five-star competition stallion whose offspring are already showing they’ve inherited his ability, Copain Du Perchet CH is one of the most exciting established showjumping options for UK breeders.

Under Ireland’s Cian O’Connor, Copain Du Perchet won five-star classes in Dublin, Aachen, Falsterbo, Rotterdam, Villach and Treffen, with earlier success under Switzerland’s Edwin Smits. He went on to become a cornerstone of Emily Moffitt’s grand prix string at Poden Farms, jumping at the highest level on the international circuit and contesting Nations Cups at Dublin, Calgary, Gijón, and Al Ain. Lorenzo De Luca brought him out once more at the CSI4* in St Tropez before his retirement was announced in February 2023.

“It’s every girl’s dream to have such a beautiful horse like Copain,” Emily said at the time. “I remember seeing him for the first time and being in awe, and that feeling has never faded.”

He was lightly bred during his sport career, but his offspring are already making their mark – names to watch include Camillo du Perchet, Hermes du Perchet CH, Cullinan du Perchet, and Cassiopee Du Perchet. He comes from impeccable jumping lines, with his sire Conteur tracing to Contender, and his damsire Calypso II a renowned producer of international sport horses.

Year of birth: 2005

Height: 173cm

Studbook: CH (Swiss warmblood)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: from £700 + VAT

For more information: visit stallionai.co.uk

Golden Hawk (Vigo D’Arsouilles x Chin Chin)

One of British showjumping’s most successful international stallions in active sport, Golden Hawk has been a flag-bearer for Ireland’s Shane Breen and Hickstead-based Breen Equestrian on the world stage for over a decade.

A powerful, attractive stallion with elite AES grading, Golden Hawk has earned over £350,000 in prize money and has proved his quality across grand prix, Nations Cup, derby, puissance, six-bar and speed classes. Headline results include a win at the CSI5* London Olympia in 2018, the CSI5* Oslo grand prix the same year, the CSI4* Liverpool grand prix, and second in the 2022 Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby. He was also part of the third-placed team in the 2017 CSIO5* La Baule Coupe des Nations and finished second in the 2016 Dublin grand prix.

His sire Vigo d’Arsouilles took World Equestrian Games gold under Philippe Le Jeune in 2010, and his dam Ta Belle van Sombeke is a top breeding mare who jumped to 1.60m under Jos Lansink. She has produced multiple grand prix horses, including Glock’s London, Wabelle de Muze and Casimir de la Pomme.

Golden Hawk has excellent fertility rates and has sired more than 20 horses competing at 1.45m or above. His standout offspring include Scarteen and BE Golden (both competing internationally to 1.60m under Shane Breen), BE Golden Lynx (who jumped the Aachen Nations Cup in 2025), and Evita Van’t Zoggehof (ridden by Lorenzo De Luca).

Year of birth: 2005

Height: 167cm

Studbook: Belgian Warmblood

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £1,000 + VAT

For more information: visit breenequestrian.com

UK stallions at stud: eventing

Future Hepsilon (Upsilon x Heraldik xx)

The only licensed son of the record-breaking eventing stallion Upsilon standing in the UK, Future Hepsilon brings one of the most exciting young eventing pedigrees available to British breeders – and has already proven himself a versatile and competitive young horse in his own right.

By Nations Cup gold medallist Upsilon and out of a dam line that has also produced a Nations Cup gold medallist, Future Hepsilon is a unique combination of genetics from two of the most influential bloodlines in modern eventing. His sire Upsilon – by Canturo – is now an established producer of young horses and sired the back-to-back Young Event Horse World Champion Golden de Beliard. His damsire Heraldik xx, a thoroughbred, topped the WBFSH sire rankings for eventing for five consecutive years.

His own competition record is exceptional for his age. In 2022, he was one of only two horses in the UK to finish in the top 12 of all three British national five-year-old championships – the Burghley Young Event Horse, NexGen, and the BE CCI1*-S Young Horse Championship. He has also competed at newcomers in showjumping, with plans to move up to Foxhunter in 2026.

His dam line is impressive. The first four dams produced over 64 horses jumping at 1.40m or above – including Chanyon (sixth individually at the Tokyo Olympics), Ben Maher’s 1.50m horse Wintu, the Danish Nations Cup silver medallist HS Chaccophanie, Paul Schockemöhle’s stallion Qualdandro, and Embassy II (winner of over €1 million in prize money). From the same four-generation dam line comes Yasmin Ingham’s Nations Cup eventer Night Line, who placed 5th at Burnham Market CCI4* and 8th at Bicton 4* in 2021.

Year of birth: 2017

Height: 170cm

Studbook: AES

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £795 + VAT

At stud with: Future Sport Horses, East Yorkshire (semen via Stallion AI Services)

For more information: visit futuresporthorses.co.uk or phone Julia Hodkin on 07951 519 288 or 07775 633 004

Timolin (Totilas x Sion)

Bred at Catherston Stud, Timolin holds the highest scoring average of any horse or pony ever presented at the British Breeding Futurity three times. He was the overall highest-scoring dressage yearling in 2012 (9.38), reserve overall champion two-year-old in 2013 (9.34), and the highest-scoring three-year-old in 2014 (9.43) – a score that remains a record for a three-year-old dressage horse. He was also the Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain stallion grading champion.

Under saddle, Timolin has competed successfully across multiple disciplines. As an event horse with Aimee Stunt, Gubby Leech, and Izzy Taylor (the latter standing in for the novice national championships at Gatcombe, where he finished sixth), he has competed to within one point of advanced. As a dressage horse, he progressed through the levels with Lizzie Murray to win at grand prix in 2023, with Charlotte Dicker now continuing his international career.

His standing as a sire is genuinely remarkable. In the latest Baileys Horse Feeds British Breeding Futurity all-time sire rankings, Timolin leads the eventing rankings and holds third position among the dressage sires – the only stallion to feature in the top of both lists.

He has over 26 Elite scores at the BEF Futurity, and standout offspring include Tremarl Timber (HOYS Price In-Hand Champion 2025), Tremarl Timpani (HOYS Riding Horse Champion 2025), Catherston Timeless (winning at grand prix), and Catherston Tuxedo (SHB-GB Stallion Grading Champion on a record 9.35, and the holder of the Futurity’s highest-ever score on 9.775).

Year of birth: 2011

Height: 170cm

Studbook: British Warmblood (BWBS, SHB-GB Champion, AESB, BHHS, Hannoverian Verband graded)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £1,200 incl. VAT (chilled, frozen or natural/fresh; £150 collection fee)

At stud with: Catherston Stud, Over Wallop, Hampshire

For more information: visit catherstonstud.com or phone Jennie Loriston-Clarke MBE FBHS, Anne Dicker or Billy Moran on 01264 782 716

Future Guilty Pleasure (Levisonn x Cantoblanco)

One of the most exciting young eventing sires available to British breeders, Future Guilty Pleasure has already established himself as a triple national champion sire of futurity eventers – and is producing the kind of stock that British eventing breeders have been crying out for.

Future Guilty Pleasure was the national champion of the AES Stallion Licensing (from over 90 stallions inspected). As a competition horse himself, he progressed rapidly through the eventing levels – in his first full season in 2023, he went from BE100 to Intermediate and CCI2* in just three months, winning a BE100 on his dressage score of 18, finishing second at novice, third at intermediate, and 11th in his first CCI2*.

CCI5* eventer Alex Bragg has called him “naturally gifted for all disciplines.” His pedigree is built for the job. He’s by Levisonn — double champion of the Holsteiner Performance Test for both showjumping and dressage, and sire of 1.60m showjumpers and CCI5* eventers.

His damsire, Cantoblanco, was a Holstein champion stallion and a Bundeschampionat finalist. The dam line also traces back to Future Gold Digger, the highest-graded BEF event foal between 2005 and 2011 and a maternal sister to Olympic individual silver medallist and three-time Rolex Kentucky CCI5* winner Winsome Adante.

His progeny record is already exceptional for a stallion of his age. He has been a triple national champion sire of futurity eventers (with each of his first three crops), British Futurity Best Newcomer Sire 2019, and is now a sire of licensed stallions, Burghley Young Event Horse finalists, multiple British Breeding national champions, top-price auction lots, and elite Futurity eventers. His offspring have been competing successfully internationally, including in Australia and at Westfalen NA inspection sites.

Year of birth: 2016

Height: 168cm

Studbook: AES (Life Approved), SHB(GB) (Life Graded)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £895 + VAT (fresh/chilled, with NFNF or LFG terms; frozen on a £395 booking + £500 28-day scan structure)

At stud with: Future Sport Horses, East Yorkshire (semen via Stallion AI Services)

For more information: visit futuresporthorses.co.uk or call 07951 519 288

Amiro Z (Amigo Toss xx x Ramiro Z)

With almost 70% thoroughbred blood, an international showjumping record to 1.45m, and an eventing-focused offspring profile already producing horses at four-star level, Amiro Z is one of the most exciting eventing-orientated stallions available to UK breeders.

Amiro Z jumped internationally to 1.45m, including qualifying for the Lanaken World Championships for six-year-olds in 2012. His sire Amigo Toss xx was an Argentinian thoroughbred brought into Zangersheide to add blood to Holsteiner lines, and his damsire is the legendary Ramiro Z – known as the “King of Sires,” with grand prix wins and Nations Cup appearances, jumping over 2.20m in puissance.

His damline is exceptional. His dam, Renomee Z, jumped at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the 1998 World Cup, and her full sister is Ratina Z – one of the most successful jumping horses of all time, with nearly €1 million in lifetime earnings, two Olympic team golds plus individual silver, double gold at the 1997 European Championships, and victory in the Aachen grand prix under Ludger Beerbaum.

Other relatives include international grand prix horses Comme Il Faut, Freedom Z and Crown Z. Amiro Z’s offspring are now making a significant impact at the highest eventing levels. His daughter, Caunton First Class, placed 16th at Blenheim with Sarah Bullimore. His son Corimiro placed first in two CCI2*, was the highest-placed British-bred at the eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S at Blenheim 2024, and went on to contest his first CCI4*-L at Boekelo – one of only five combinations to go clear inside the time.

His offspring are bold characters with good temperaments, inheriting their sire’s jump, power and rideability.

Year of birth: 2004

Height: 170cm

Studbook: Zangersheide (Z)

WFFS status: negative

Stud fee: £1,000 + VAT (booking fee £250 + VAT, pregnancy fee £750 + VAT payable 1 October)

At stud with: Elite Stallions

For more information: elitestallions.co.uk

UK stallions at stud: showing, natives and ponies

Turberry Top Cat (Cusop Dimension out of Caterina (by Kilvington Scoundrel))

A quality 138cm part-bred Arab (PBA) stallion with a strong show ring CV, Turberry Top Cat is an excellent option for breeders looking to produce children’s show ponies – including those wanting horses eligible for Arab Horse Society registration.

Turberry Top Cat was the National Pony Society (NPS) Young Stallion Award winner in 2014, the NPS Stallion Awards winner in 2017, and finished fifth overall in the NPS Stallion Awards the same year.

Described by his stud as oozing quality, with a “fabulous turn of front, exquisite head, lovely conformation and an outstanding mover,” he produces stock with the elegance and quality demanded in the show ring. His dam, Caterina, was second at the Royal International Horse Show as a ridden show pony – a damline pedigree credit worth noting for showing breeders.

He is registered PBA 30% Arab blood, meaning all his offspring are eligible for registration with the Arab Horse Society. He is a full brother to Turberry Tom Kitten, who stood at Stanley Grange Stud for two seasons before being exported to Australia.

Year of birth: 2009

Height: 138cm

Studbook: Part-bred Arab (PBA 30%)

Stud fee: £550 from frozen, £650 for chilled

At stud with: Millbry Hill Stud, North Yorkshire

For more information: email office@millbryhillstud.co.uk

Skellorn Bronze Soldier (Skellorn Prince Consort out of Burside Penny Black (by Rotherwood Beechnut))

A standout Welsh section B stallion of his generation, Skellorn Bronze Soldier represents one of the most distinguished British Welsh pony breeding programmes – and gives breeders access to some of the section’s most respected old bloodlines.

A homebred for Kerry Wainwright at the Cheshire-based Skellorn Stud – founded by Kerry’s grandfather Les Wainwright in the 1960s – Soldier has been a flag-bearer for the operation for over a decade. Under regular handler Stuart Mason, he was crowned Welsh section champion at the Royal Welsh in 2019 – the ultimate accolade for any Welsh breeder. He has now qualified for the Price Family Supreme In-Hand final at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) five times, equalling the qualification record of Castle Emperor and bettered only by Rosslyn Sweet Repose.

He has also proved his breeding influence, jointly topping the Royal Welsh sire ratings in 2022. His son Skellorn Royal Anniversary won at the Royal International Horse Show 2025 under Tori Oakes – one of a relatively small group of offspring on the ground, given his sparing use at stud.

Soldier’s pedigree traces to many of the most influential names in Welsh section B breeding – Solway Master Bronze, Gredington Tiwlip, Downland Chevalier and Kirby Cane Pilgrim – making him a strong outcross option for British Welsh pony breeders.

Year of birth: 2007

Height: 134cm

Studbook: Welsh Pony and Cob Society (Section B)

Stud fee: From £300

At stud with: Skellorn Stud (Kerry Wainwright), Adlington, Cheshire

For more information: email skellornstud@hotmail.com or phone 01625 572356

Tiger Attack (Dolphin Supreme x The Outlaw)

A versatile sport horse stallion with a stellar competition record across in-hand, eventing, dressage and working hunter, Tiger Attack is one of the most exciting options at Hampshire’s renowned Catherston Stud – and a strong choice for breeders looking to produce a quality sport horse with significant blood.

A homebred for Billy Moran, Tiger Attack made his name first in the in-hand ring, winning the Ottergale Supreme three years running, the £1,000 North of England Supreme two years running, and the Martin Wood £1,000 Supreme final. He qualified for the Cuddy in-hand finals as a two-, three- and four-year-old.

Under saddle from his five-year-old season, he took to eventing “like a duck to water” – winning the Southern combined training championship, the Hartpury five-year-old young event horse qualifier, and the Dauntsey Park regional final, before completing the Badminton Grassroots final with a clear cross-country round and a top-20 finish. He has also competed successfully in British Dressage (qualifying for the regionals) and in showjumping, while continuing to win in the show ring (Royal Windsor flat sport horse class, 2018).

Standout progeny include three-time Royal Windsor winner Stage Diva; HOYS, RIHS and Royal Windsor champion Ladies Man; Price Family Supreme In-Hand winner and reserve champion Tiger Cub; and the promising Tiger Feet.

He passes on his quality of head, turn of front, elegant movement and excellent temperament. Standing at over 60% thoroughbred blood with 9.5 inches of bone, he is a strong option for breeders looking to add blood while retaining substance.

Year of birth: 2012

Height: 165cm

Studbook: Sport Horse Breeding GB (graded); registered NPS and Sport Horse Ireland (entry level)

Stud fee: £800 frozen

At stud with: Catherston Stud, Over Wallop, Hampshire

For more information: visit catherstonstud.com or phone Jennie Loriston-Clarke MBE FBHS, Anne Dicker or Billy Moran on 01264 782 716

Frequently asked questions about UK stallions at stud

How do I book a covering with a UK stallion?

Most UK studs require a nomination form and a booking fee before semen can be dispatched or a mare can visit. Each stud operates on its own terms – some on a no foal, no fee (NFNF) basis, others on a live foal guarantee (LFG), and others on a non-refundable booking fee plus a pregnancy fee paid later in the year. Contact the stud or owner directly to discuss their specific arrangements, lead times, and any veterinary requirements for your mare.

What’s the difference between fresh, chilled and frozen semen?

Fresh semen is collected and used immediately – typically when the mare visits the stud or the stallion is on the same yard. Chilled semen is collected and transported the same day, with insemination usually within 24 to 48 hours. Frozen semen is preserved in liquid nitrogen and can be stored indefinitely, meaning it can be shipped internationally and used at any time. Fresh and chilled semen generally have higher conception rates, but frozen semen offers more flexibility – particularly for international breeding.

How do I choose the right stallion for my mare?

Consider your mare’s bloodlines, conformation, temperament, and competitive record alongside what you’re hoping to produce. A heavier mare may benefit from a stallion that brings blood and refinement; a sharper mare from a calmer, more rideable type. Look at the stallion’s offspring competing at the level you’re aiming for, and consider their temperament and trainability. Many stallion owners are happy to discuss whether their stallion is a good match for your particular mare – and the studs and owners featured in this guide are no exception.

What is WFFS, and why does it matter when choosing a stallion?

WFFS (Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome) is a recessive genetic disorder identified in the warmblood horse population. A foal that inherits the gene from both parents – meaning both the stallion and the mare are carriers – is born with severely fragile skin and joint connective tissue and typically doesn’t survive. Carriers themselves (horses with only one copy of the gene) are completely unaffected and live and compete normally. WFFS is specifically a warmblood concern: studies suggest around 7-12% of the warmblood population carries the gene, while it’s effectively unknown in native breeds. Responsible breeders test their mares for WFFS before using a stallion, and a covering should only be undertaken when at least one parent is confirmed negative. If both parents carry the gene, there’s a 25% chance the foal will be affected. All the stallions in this guide are confirmed WFFS-negative, meaning they’re safe to use on any mare – including untested mares. Where a stallion is a carrier, breeders should test their mares and only proceed if the mare is confirmed negative.

What is a sire ranking and why does it matter?

Sire rankings – such as the Baileys Horse Feeds British Breeding Futurity rankings and the WBFSH (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses) rankings – measure a stallion’s overall breeding influence by tracking how his offspring perform in competition. A stallion who consistently produces high-scoring offspring will rise up the rankings. These rankings give breeders an objective measure of a stallion’s performance beyond his own competition record and can be a useful signal of whether his offspring are genuinely making their mark.

What’s the difference between AES, BWBS, KWPN and other studbooks?

Each studbook is a breed registry with its own standards for approval, inspection and grading. AES (Anglo European Studbook) and BWBS (British Warmblood Breeders Society) are British-based, while KWPN (Royal Dutch Sport Horse), Hanoverian, Oldenburg and Holstein are European studbooks with strong UK breeder bases. A stallion may be approved by multiple studbooks, meaning his progeny can be registered with several societies.

Can I use frozen semen from a UK stallion overseas?

Yes – frozen semen is the standard option for international breeding, and most UK studs ship internationally. Post-Brexit, additional health certification and customs paperwork are required for export to the EU, which the stud or its agent (often Stallion AI Services for many of the stallions featured in this guide) will arrange. Lead times and costs vary, so it’s worth contacting the stud well in advance of when you need the semen.

What should I ask a stud before booking a covering?

Useful questions include: What’s the stud fee structure (NFNF, LFG, or split)? What’s the chilled or frozen availability? What are the shipping costs and lead times? What health screening has the stallion had (WFFS, PSSM1, OCD)? Has the stallion’s semen been tested for fertility? Are there concessions for mares with proven competition records? What’s the typical conception rate? Don’t be afraid to ask – established studs and experienced owners want to make sure the match is right too.

• For unlimited access to expert breeding advice, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

What makes a good broodmare – and does your horse have what it takes?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Preparing a mare for breeding starts months before she sets foot on the stud. Breeding a horse is expensive, time-consuming and full of variables you can’t control, but getting the preparation right can make the difference between a smooth season and a costly one.

One commercial breeding operation estimates that the cost of breeding a horse and keeping it to three years old sits at around £15,000 – before backing and production costs are added.

Breeding soundness examinations

Whether you’re sending your mare to stud for natural covering, taking her to an AI (artificial insemination) centre, or having your vet inseminate her with chilled semen in her own stable, the pre-breeding checks she needs are essentially the same. The mare doesn’t have to travel for the disease risks to apply – semen and equipment do – and a vet performing AI at your yard will want to see the same negative swabs and certificates that a stallion stud would ask for.

Before any mare is bred, she needs what vets call a breeding soundness examination – essentially a full pre-breeding MOT. It’s a catch-all term for the checks your vet runs to confirm she’s healthy, free from infection, and physically capable of conceiving and carrying a foal.

It says nothing about her quality as a riding horse or her temperament; it’s purely a check on her reproductive health. Done properly and in good time, it protects your mare, any other horses she may come into contact with, and your investment.

Why swabbing matters when preparing a mare for breeding

Venereal bacteria – those passed between horses at covering, or carried on semen and equipment during AI – are the single biggest infectious risk to a breeding operation. They can quietly reduce fertility, are awkward to treat, and one of them, the organism that causes contagious equine metritis (CEM), is notifiable in the UK, meaning vets are legally required to report it.

A confirmed case can shut down movement on and off a stud entirely.

Three bacteria are of particular concern: the CEM organism itself, and two others called Klebsiella and Pseudomonas. All three are covered by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) annually updated Codes of Practice – voluntary guidelines that apply to all breeds of horse and pony, not just thoroughbreds, and the standard reference that most reputable studs and AI vets will expect mares to have been tested against.

Mares and stallions can carry any of them with no outward signs at all, which is exactly why swabbing isn’t optional.

Swabs are taken by your vet from the clitoral area (and, separately, from the lining of the uterus when the mare is in season). They’re then tested at an HBLB-approved laboratory by bacterial culture, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), or both. PCR, which detects bacterial DNA directly rather than waiting for a culture to grow, is now widely used alongside traditional culture.

A few practical points worth knowing:

• Swabs must be taken after 1 January of the breeding season in which the mare will be covered or inseminated. A negative result from the previous year doesn’t carry over.
• Clitoral swabs can be taken at any time and from pregnant mares, including before foaling.
• Endometrial (uterine) swabs must be taken when the mare is in season, because the cervix needs to be open.
• Allow at least seven days for results. If something positive turns up, you’ll need time to treat the mare and re-swab before breeding goes ahead.
• Get the testing done in good time. If your mare is travelling, that means before she leaves home; if she’s being inseminated at the yard, it means before the semen arrives. Either way, no certificate means no breeding.

Once everything comes back clear, the mare is issued with a laboratory certificate confirming her status for the current season – the BEVA mare certificate is the standard document. No reputable stallion stud will cover a mare without seeing it, and no reputable vet will inseminate one either.

EVA and the wider disease picture

Equine viral arteritis (EVA) is the other infection every breeder needs to think about. Mares should be blood-tested for EVA after 1 January and within 28 days of covering, and stallions must also be EVA-free – a point that matters just as much when you’re using imported semen as when you’re sending your mare to a UK stud.

The 2019 UK outbreaks were a reminder that the virus doesn’t only affect Thoroughbreds, and recent disruption to vaccine supply has made surveillance and biosecurity even more important. Talk to your vet about current testing recommendations for both your mare and the stallion you’re using.

Equine herpesvirus, strangles and other infectious diseases are also covered in the HBLB Codes, and any responsible stud or vet will expect mares to be up to date on flu and tetanus vaccinations as a minimum.

For some breeds, there’s an additional layer of pre-breeding screening to think about. As Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS of Endell Equine Hospital previously told H&H, “further tests [may be needed] if there’s a risk she’s a carrier of a breed-specific inheritable condition, such as hoof wall separation disease in Connemaras.” Your vet or breed society will know what applies.

The physical examination when preparing a mare for breeding

Swabs are only half the picture when preparing a mare for breeding. Your vet should also give the mare a thorough physical check before breeding goes ahead.

Externally, the focus is on the vulva, which provides the first line of defence against infection ascending into the uterus. If the vulval lips don’t form a good seal – common in older mares, those in poor condition, or mares with poor conformation – air, dirt and bacteria can be drawn in.

A short procedure called a Caslick’s operation can fix it: the vet stitches the upper part of the vulva closed under local anaesthetic, leaving a small opening at the bottom for normal urination. It’s a routine job that prevents a lot of larger problems.

Internally, the vet examines the ovaries, uterus and cervix by rectal palpation, almost always combined with ultrasound. The vagina and cervix are also examined visually using a speculum. Hamilton-Fletcher recommends “a full gynaecological examination of the external genitalia and the cervix for conformation and health, and an ultrasound examination of the uterus and ovaries to look for cysts, tumours and other abnormalities that might suggest breeding complications”.

Cervical damage – usually tearing or scarring from a previous difficult foaling – is one of the things they’re looking for, because it directly affects the mare’s ability to conceive and carry.

Ultrasound will also pick up uterine cysts and free fluid. Cysts can interfere with conception and embryo monitoring; fluid in the uterus needs to be cleared before breeding.

For mares being inseminated at home or at an AI centre, ultrasound has a second job: tracking the mare’s cycle so that insemination is timed as close to ovulation as possible. Chilled and frozen semen both have a short window of effectiveness, so the scanning becomes part of the routine, not an optional extra.

In some cases – particularly with older mares, mares with a history of pregnancy loss, or mares whose history is unknown – your vet may recommend a uterine biopsy. A small sample of the uterine lining is examined under the microscope, and the degree of scarring (fibrosis) it shows is one of the best predictors we have of whether the mare is likely to carry a foal to term. For a heavily fibrotic uterus, the honest answer may be that breeding isn’t worth pursuing.

Hygiene and the human factor

It’s easy to focus on the mare and forget that bacteria travel on hands, equipment and clothing too. Disposable gloves, changed between every horse, separate sterile equipment for each animal, and clean water are basic requirements wherever breeding work is happening. Reputable studs run tight protocols; ask about them if you’re new to a yard.

Plan early, save money later

The single most useful thing an owner can do when preparing a mare for breeding is start the conversation with their vet in good time – ideally in late autumn or early winter for a spring covering. That gives you room to swab, blood-test, address any conformational or uterine issues, get the Caslick’s done if needed, and have certificates in hand before the stud or AI vet asks for them.

Breeding will always involve a degree of luck. The preparation is where you give yourself the best possible chance.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

Insurance for broodmares and foals – how can breeders protect themselves?

Is ICSI in sport horse breeding a miracle tool or a misunderstood risk? H&H investigates

Embryo transfer in horses: how it works and what it costs

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Equine breeding season occurs in the spring and summer. It is during this time that mares go into recurring cycles of oestrus, giving a window of approximately five to seven days in roughly every 21 days in which a mare is “in season”.

Breeding a mare takes careful preparation and precision, with plenty to work out in advance. From choosing a stallion and selecting a broodmare to working out how much it costs to breed a horse, a healthy amount of research should go into your decision.

When are mares in season?

Mares are seasonally polyoestrus, which means they recurrently come into season at a particular time of year. Generally speaking, a mare’s breeding cycles take place between April and October. However, this – and cycle length – can vary horse to horse.

In winter, a mare’s reproductive system goes into a rest period, known as anoestrus. After this winter inactivity, the cycle usually begins again in spring.

The mare does not suddenly begin to cycle regularly, but has a “transitional phase” when the length is variable. Once the mare is truly in the breeding season, her oestrus cycles last around 21 days.

Equine breeding season – understanding the oestrus cycle

Most mares have a 21-day oestrous (breeding) cycle. This is divided into:

• Oestrus (average five to seven days)
• Dioestrus (14–16 days)

The cycles begin at puberty (approximately 18–24 months) and continue throughout the mare’s life.

Oestrus

During this time, the mare is receptive to the stallion. Typical signs of oestrus include:

• Adopting a urinating stance, raising the tail raised and uritinating in small squirts
• Opening and closing the vulval lips, known as “winking”

During this time one or more ovarian follicles enlarge and burst, releasing an egg. This is ovulation.

The mare normally ovulates approximately 24 hours before the end of oestrus, and its exact timing is only determined by performing ultrasound scans of the ovaries.

Dioestrus

The mare’s receptiveness ends and she may flatten her ears, swish her tail or squeal/kick out at the stallion.

How long is a mare pregnant for?

If breeding is successful, mares are pregnant for about 11 months, though a gestation period anywhere between 320 and 350 days is completely normal for horses.

Manipulating a mare’s breeding cycle

Factors such as daylight, nutrition and temperature influence the equine breeding season.

Daylight controls the production of hormones that trigger a mare’s cycling. Therefore, the natural breeding season in the mare is strongest from May until August, when the days are longest, and the weather is warmest.

During the spring, or the months of February to April, the weather is unpredictable and the daylight hours relatively few. This irregularity and limited daylight window creates variability in the mare.

At this time, it can be difficult to predict when the mare will ovulate. This makes is all the more tricky to determine an accurate time to cover or use artificial insemination (AI). Therefore, it is not cost-effective to breed her, whatever breeding method you choose.

During the early equine breeding season, it’s possible to artificially manipulate the mare to encourage normal cycling, which can shorten this uncertain transitional period. Vet use two main methods to do this.

Light

Studies have shown that artificially increasing daylight to 14–16 hours daily for a minimum of eight to 10 weeks can induce normal cycling.

Progestogens

Progesterone treatment suppresses the release of luteinising hormone (LH), which allows LH to build up and be stored.

When progesterone treatment is stopped, a surge in LH induces a strong oestrous which usually results in ovulation.

ReguMate (Altrenogest) given orally once daily for 10-15 days is commonly used during the transitional period. Mares come into season four to seven days later and ovulation occurs seven to 12 days after treatment has stopped.

Vets also use progesterone releasing devices, which are placed in the vagina for 10–12 days. These medicines are shown to encourage ovulation and result in more successful insemination.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

11 supplements formulated to help hormonal mares

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Considering artificial insemination for your mare? Here’s what you need to know first…

Do you really know enough to put your mare in foal? I love my horse, but I regret breeding him…

Breeding from older mares: is it a good idea and what are the best methods?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Breeding your own horse is, for many owners and riders, an appealing proposition – the chance to produce exactly the type of horse you want, from bloodlines you’ve chosen, with every stage of their development in your hands. But how much does it cost to breed a horse?

It’s certainly not a cheap way of getting your next horse, and the costs involved with breeding a horse are often significantly higher than buyers and breeders anticipate. It’s important to say upfront: most small-scale breeders don’t make money from breeding horses. “Making a bonfire out of banknotes would be a cheaper hobby,” as one hobby breeder puts it.

Caroline Ironside of MFS Stud Farm in Scotland, who has been breeding sport horses for 30 years, calculates that she needs around £9,000 per foal simply to break even – and that’s before accounting for the value of her own time, her land, or her stabling.

As Eva-Maria Livesey, executive director of British Breeding, points out: “Our foals are actually remarkably cheaply priced, given that there’s a lot that goes into them that breeders don’t even think about as a cost.”

Understanding what goes into producing a horse helps explain why good youngstock costs what it does – and why, more often than not, the breeder is subsidising your purchase.

It’s also worth knowing that British breeders operate at a structural disadvantage compared to their European counterparts. In Germany and the Netherlands, horse breeding is classified as agriculture, giving breeders access to subsidies, tax advantages and cheaper land and feed that British studs simply cannot access. In the UK, horse breeding is classified as a leisure industry – regardless of how professionally it is run. The result is that British-bred horses often cost more to produce than equivalent horses on the Continent, for reasons entirely outside the breeder’s control.

Costs involved with breeding a horse

I’m going to lay out the costs of breeding a horse. All prices quoted are approximate and based on prices at the time of publishing (April 2026). These costs will vary significantly depending on your location, whether you have your own land and facilities, and whether everything goes to plan, which, with horses, it often doesn’t.

I’ll cover the costs of:

• Stud fee
• Veterinary fees
• Stud keep charges
• Cost of foaling down
• What can go wrong – and what it costs
• Subsequent costs
• What happens next

Stud fee

While natural covering is still used, artificial insemination (AI) with chilled or fresh semen is the most common method of breeding sport horses. Stud fees can vary from a few hundred to many thousands of pounds – importing semen from a top international stallion can cost £2,000 or more – but an average fee for a good, proven stallion is likely to be in the region of £1,000 plus VAT.

If you’re using a stallion standing abroad, be prepared for significant additional costs on top of the stud fee itself. Post-Brexit, a single semen shipment from Europe that once cost around £30 now costs in the region of £240, with mandatory veterinary documentation adding a further £25. Health papers, collection and delivery charges can add £150-200 or more to the bill. If your mare fails to hold on the first cycle – which is far from unusual – those shipping costs alone can exceed the price of the semen itself.

“Before we’ve even started, our costs are way up compared to European breeders,” as one breeder puts it.

Veterinary fees associated with breeding

Vet fees are unavoidable, but most studs offer all-in-one packages in conjunction with a veterinary practice. Prices vary from around £275–450 plus VAT for the first cycle using chilled or fresh semen, though costs have risen in recent years partly due to the consolidation of equine practices into large corporate groups.

Package components vary, so make sure you understand exactly what is and isn’t included. Packages for maiden mares and those over 18 can cost more. You can opt to pay vet fees in the usual way rather than via a package if you prefer.

If you’re using frozen semen or embryo transfer, costs increase considerably – a full embryo transfer package from a top-level mare can run to £4,500 or more, with recipient mare hire adding a further £1,000 on top.

Stud keep charges

If your mare is to be covered naturally, she’ll need to go to stud. The use of frozen semen requires a high level of veterinary attention, so sending your mare to a specialist stud is recommended. With fresh and chilled AI, it is possible to breed from an experienced broodmare at home.

The length of stay at stud will vary. If you live locally, your mare can travel to and from the stud between insemination and pregnancy confirmation. But a resident mare that doesn’t hold for two or three cycles could be away for three or four months.

Grass keep will lessen costs, but these will soon add up if you want your mare stabled.

There’ll also be routine costs to consider – teeth, feet, and worming – as well as specialist feed in the last trimester and booster vaccinations prior to birth.

Cost of foaling down

Experienced breeders can foal their mare at home, although the vet will need to attend afterwards to check the mare and foal. If you decide to send your mare to stud to foal, she will need to arrive in good time and stay until the foal is strong enough to travel home. As well as the foaling fee – typically around £400-500 – there’ll be around four weeks’ keep, some of which will be stabled.

What can go wrong – and what it costs

It’s worth remembering that complications occur all too often, no matter how much care is taken or expertise deployed.

A joint infection can add £4,000 or more to your costs. A retained placenta will require immediate veterinary treatment – typically around £250. A retained testicle in a colt can cost £750 to correct. A plasma transfusion for a foal that has not received adequate antibodies from its dam can run to £1,000. And that’s before accounting for the possibility of losing a foal or a mare entirely.

As one breeder who has experienced all of the above puts it: “Where there’s livestock, there’s dead stock.” When budgeting for breeding, build in a contingency – ideally of several thousand pounds – for complications you hope will never arise.

Subsequent costs of breeding a horse

Once the mare and foal are home, the ongoing costs begin. The foal will need a passport, microchipping, sometimes a DNA test, and registration with the relevant breed society. If he is a colt, there may also be the cost of castration, typically around £500.

If you chose to keep the foal, you’ll then likely need to keep the foal for at least three years before they are backed. Over this time, you’ll be paying the normal costs of keeping a horse, such as feed, worming, vaccinations, and foot trimming.

For those without land, field rent and livery charges must be factored in. Budget a minimum of £2,500 per year for basic keep, though the real figure is often considerably higher – one commercial operation estimates it costs an average of £15,000 to take a horse from conception to three years old when all costs are properly accounted for.

And this is before backing and production costs, which is where the value of a horse increases significantly – but where the expenses do too.

What happens next

The table below covers costs up to the point of backing – but it’s worth understanding that this is where the significant value increases begin, and where the costs continue to climb.

A horse that goes from unbacked to backed sees a notable spike in value, simply because it can now be ridden. From there, value tends to plateau between the ages of four and six, while the horse is developing but unproven.

In dressage, for example, the movements that really move the market – flying changes, the beginnings of piaffe and passage – typically emerge at six or seven in a professionally produced horse.

Each additional year of keep, training, and competition entry fees adds to the total cost of production.

So how much does it cost to breed a horse?

The table below gives an approximate guide to the costs involved in breeding a horse from conception to three years old, assuming everything goes straightforwardly — which it often doesn’t. Travel costs are additional, and if your foal is a colt, castration costs will also apply.

Is it worth it?

For most small-scale breeders, the honest answer is that it rarely makes financial sense. The costs are high, the risks are real, and the market for youngstock is currently challenging.

And yet the breeders who remain are, almost without exception, passionate advocates for what they do – producing horses with individual care and attention that, at its best, results in animals that are better prepared for long-term soundness and rideability than those raised in larger, more industrial operations.

If you’re considering breeding your own horse, go in with your eyes open, your budget stress-tested, and a healthy contingency fund. But if you do produce a horse that goes on to fulfil its potential – knowing you were there from the very beginning – there are few things in the equestrian world quite like it.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

Do you really know enough to put your mare in foal? I love my horse, but I regret breeding him…

7 things you always wanted to know about breeding, but were too embarrassed to ask

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

Insurance for broodmares and foals – how can breeders protect themselves?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

H&H’s Bethany Stone talks frankly about the lessons she learnt and why she believes you should think twice before putting your mare in foal

Talking horses is my job, but it can also be a painful point. Why? Because I don’t ride anymore, and I regret breeding my horse.

I’m physically able and mentally eager to ride horses. After all, horse riding first captivated me and brought me into the equestrian world as a child.

Since then, I’ve learned that loving and owning horses means just 10% of your time with them is spent riding, and do I relish the 90% that is, essentially, hanging out with and caring for a horse.

But I’d be lying if I said riding wasn’t important to me.

Sadly, my horse is the reason I can’t afford the cost or time to share one to ride, let alone buy a horse or rehome a ridden equine. As his breeder, it’s also my fault he’s here and therefore I’m responsible for him.

‘Intermittent lameness transformed into rearing’

When asked if I have a horse, I pull up a photo of my dark bay part-bred warmblood: 16hh, 11 years old, homebred, rather handsome.

“How lovely!” people reply. “And what do you do with him?” And I have to say: “Nothing, I retired him at six. He’s got a catalogue of medical issues, and he’s been retired for nearly half his life.”

I don’t usually say I regret breeding my horse. Instead I’ll talk about how we had a great start together – hacking, training, beach riding, going to our first shows.

Then, very subtle and intermittent lameness signs transformed into napping, bucking and rearing.

Several trips to equine hospital, joint injections and a year of unsuccessful rehab later, I had a horse who had completely soured.

So, I decided to put us both out of our misery and retire him to the field.

Pip is a lovely person and we have a bond again. He’s a living link to his fantastic dam, who I owned for 18 years until she died.

People often ask me why I don’t rehome or loan out Pip as a companion.

As his owner and the reason he exists, it’s a risk I could never take. Partly because he’s frequently tricky to handle, partly because I really love him, but mostly because he requires specific support thanks to his health conditions.

He’s been through so much, so if he ever fell into the wrong hands I would never forgive myself.

‘Another horse is missing out’

It’s hard to imagine there’d be any harm in breeding just one or two foals. But the cumulative effect of many individuals can lead to thousands of extra foals on the ground.

World Horse Welfare has done much to highlight the impact with their “Need to breed?” campaign, highlighting the vast number of horses they, as one charity, take in each day.

In fact, there are fewer and fewer places available as centres close and more owners give up horses.

Small-scale and one-off breeders – like me – also contribute to the problem World Horse Welfare identified.

You might be thinking that’s a bit like pinning carbon responsibility on individuals when corporations chuck out tonnes of it – and I grant you, there are parallels.

But having a whole life in your hands feels like a much bigger contribution than declining plastic straws.

I also believe that sometimes the smallest voices can merge to make the biggest statements.

Breeding Pip meant triggering a chain of events that means another horse who might have enjoyed a loving home with me is now missing out.

My horse’s stable represents one less knowledgeable and capable home available for the many thousands of horses in the UK who are suffering needlessly due to overpopulation.

‘He was a guinea pig’

My expertise in horse management has increased tenfold since my family decided to put my mare in foal.

We used guidance from knowledgeable contacts, but looking back with the benefit of hindsight nearly 12 years later, I don’t agree with everything they advised us to do.

For example, Pip was born with a bent forelimb. The advice we interpreted was to wait and see and that our colt didn’t need to see a farrier for many months.

Having spent my career interviewing top vets, farriers and academics, my feelings on this have totally flipped. If I could go back, I’d be calling an excellent farrier immediately, sending photos and asking how soon they could come out to inspect my foal.

To this day, Pip overloads the inside of that leg – you can tell by his hoof conformation. I didn’t know better, but I’ll always worry that leaving the leg unaddressed has contributed to his issues.

This, for me, is one of the astonishing things about breeding horses. As naive as my parents and I were, there were absolutely zero barriers to prevent us breeding from my mare.

That naivety, however loving and well-intentioned, has without doubt contributed to my horse’s medical and behavioural issues.

Every horse person, from amateur to professional, makes mistakes. But breeding my horse also made him a guinea pig for our amateur have-a-go breeding efforts, and that isn’t fair.

I often think about how differently I would do things next time, from birth to backing, but I can say with certainty there won’t be a next time.

‘He has a great life’

It’s important to say that my sensitive, tricky horse has taught me to be a much more sympathetic owner.

I now use positive reinforcement training and am far more focused on the three F’s in my care than I ever was before.

He has a great life, and I’m committed to giving that to him – even if it means riding is out of the question.

If everything went as planned with Pip, if we were sailing around grassroots eventing tracks, enjoying long hacks and getting stuck into training, I accept that I might feel much more positive about small-scale breeding.

Encouraged, I might have bred more foals only to encounter issues down the line or having to sell, thereby losing security over my stocks’ future.

‘Something to be taken extremely seriously’

I’m aware I might sound callous or selfish, and if you’re reading this with a homebred or two in your paddock, I’m not trying to point the finger or make you feel guilty about the wonderful horses you love and care for fastidiously.

Like mine, many homebreds have an unconditionally loving home for life. A great many others aren’t so lucky.

I simply hope to give would-be one-time breeders a little perspective. I understand why you want to breed a foal; it’s probably for the same reasons I did.

However, it’s something to be taken extremely seriously. Be extremely critical, honest and accountable regarding how much you know.

Be responsible and highly informed for every single step, from choosing your stallion to weaning, and from backing to producing. And you should not rely on “wait and see”.

My honest opinion to amateur horse owners is: don’t breed. Your next horse is among hundreds of horses out there already who are perfect for you. The one you breed might not be in that herd.

● Are you an amateur rider who breeds or has plans to do so in the future? We’d love to hear your views at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Do you need to breed? Stark warning to horse owners

Twice as many foals are produced by people who will only breed one to five foals than by people who

Breeding from older mares: is it a good idea and what are the best methods?

An ‘incredibly sad day’ as equine charity closes two centres and 33 jobs lost

Equine welfare charities reflect on the challenges of 2025 – as the number of owners giving up their horses increases

‘Heartbreaking to see him so afraid’ but foal dumped at six weeks old learns to trust thanks to positive reinforcement training

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

ICSI – intracytoplasmic sperm injection – has become routine in sport horse breeding. The technique allows foals to be produced long after a stallion’s death and from mares still competing at the highest level.

Yet unease persists. In some corners of the sport – and under plenty of social media posts – ICSI horses are still dismissed as “less robust” or “test tube horses”, with critics questioning whether they are as durable as those bred naturally.

More than two decades after the technology first appeared in horses, the question is no longer whether it works – but whether the concerns surrounding it are grounded in evidence.

ICSI involves fertilising a mare’s egg in the laboratory by injecting a single sperm directly into it before the resulting embryo is transferred to a recipient mare. For a full step-by-step guide to how the process works, see our explainer on ICSI in horse breeding.

Why do some breeders remain cautious about ICSI?

When ICSI entered equine reproduction in the late 1990s, there were no mature competition horses to assess and no long-term data to reassure sceptics. The technology also arrived alongside wider debates about assisted reproduction in humans, where science often advanced faster than public understanding.

“In the early years, there was a natural degree of caution,” says Lorna Wilson of Elite Stallions, whose team were the first to offer commercial ICSI services in the UK.

“It was new, and people didn’t fully understand the process. When that’s the case, assumptions can fill the gap.”

Some of the hesitation was instinctive rather than evidence-based. During a 2023 British Equine Veterinary Association debate, Professor Madeleine Campbell described the so-called “yuck factor” – a general unease around technologies perceived to interfere with nature.

Confusion with cloning – a separate and more invasive procedure linked to documented complications – has also contributed to lingering concern.

Over time, “we don’t yet know” in some quarters evolved into “there must be a problem”. Anecdote travels faster than data, and isolated disappointments – inevitable in any breeding programme – were sometimes attributed to conception method rather than genetics or management.

More than two decades later, ICSI is embedded in commercial sport horse breeding, with notable exceptions such as racing. The question now is not whether the technique works, but whether horses conceived this way perform differently from those bred naturally or via artificial insemination or embryo transfer.

So what does the evidence actually show?

Are ICSI horses less durable?

At present, there is no scientific evidence that ICSI horses are more fragile or less durable over a long career.

“Based on current scientific knowledge, there is no biologically plausible mechanism suggesting that ICSI would negatively impact musculoskeletal development, soundness or long-term athletic performance,” says Carlos Ramires Neto, vet and co-founder of assisted breeding specialists Genetech.

A peer-reviewed study in Reproduction, Fertility and Development compared American Quarter Horse foals produced by natural conception, embryo transfer and ICSI. Researchers found no meaningful differences in birthweight, growth measurements or placental function between the groups.

Early developmental data is similarly reassuring. A 2026 study in Theriogenology compared embryos produced via ICSI and conventional IVF and found no differences in gene activity between the two methods.

While embryo studies cannot predict how a horse will perform later in life, they offer no evidence that the fertilisation technique itself alters normal biological development.

What does the sports data show?

Assessing performance in the arena is more complex.

Studbooks do not routinely record conception method, making direct large-scale comparisons between ICSI and naturally conceived horses difficult. There are currently no comprehensive lifetime datasets comparing injury rates, career longevity or level achieved between horses of identical breeding conceived by different methods.

That absence of formal data cuts both ways: there is no proof of disadvantage, but nor is there definitive, career-spanning proof of complete parity.

One useful lens is the offspring of long-deceased stallions, where frozen semen supplies are limited, and ICSI is frequently used to maximise it.

Take Chacco-Blue, ranked third among showjumping sires on the 2025 World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses list despite having died in 2012. Foals born many years after his death – particularly during the period when ICSI became more widely commercialised – are likely to include a significant proportion produced using the technique.

According to Hippomundo data published in 2025, 66.8% of Chacco-Blue’s offspring aged four and older are active in international sport. Of those aged eight and above, 68.6% have completed a 1.45m class or higher at least once.

A similar pattern is visible with stallions such as Cumano and Heartbreaker, whose recent progeny are progressing into international sport as expected for elite lines.

“What we’re seeing so far is comparable progression,” Lorna says. “There isn’t a pattern of them failing to progress.”

If ICSI carried a systemic disadvantage, one might expect a consistent drop-off at key transition points – from young horse classes into open sport, or from national to international level. So far, no such pattern has been demonstrated.

Genetics still matter most

Expanded access to genetics should not be confused with guaranteed success.

ICSI is most often used for high-value, deliberately planned breeding combinations. Elite mares, often still competing internationally, are paired with proven stallions. Embryos are frequently sold into professional production systems.

“The mare and stallion combinations tend to be of very high genetic value,” Lorna says. “And if someone has invested significantly in an embryo, they’re likely to invest in the training and management as well.”Carlos agrees: “Genetic quality and training environment remain fundamental determinants of performance. When analysing results, those factors must be considered alongside the reproductive technique.”In other words, while current data does not suggest that ICSI limits performance, it would be equally misleading to attribute success to the technique itself.The fundamentals – genetics, management and horsemanship – remain decisive.

Welfare concerns and the breeding process

Performance is only part of the debate. For some critics, the concern lies in the process itself.

Technically, ICSI is more invasive than artificial insemination or standard embryo transfer. Ovum pick-up involves collecting eggs from the ovaries using an ultrasound-guided needle while the mare is sedated.

Although generally well tolerated in experienced hands, it is more physically involved than uterine flushing and carries a small risk of complications.

Lorna admits she once shared some hesitation.

“I always thought ovum pick-up sounded more invasive,” she says. “But when you look at the whole breeding cycle, it isn’t always that simple.”

Some embryo transfer programmes involve repeated hormonal synchronisation, frequent scanning and multiple uterine flushes. In certain mares, that level of repeated intervention can increase the risk of uterine irritation or inflammation.

By contrast, ICSI allows embryos to be frozen and transferred later, reducing the need to synchronise multiple recipient mares for each cycle.

As with any reproductive technique, the welfare debate is nuanced. Outcomes depend less on the headline method and more on case selection, frequency and clinical standards.

ICSI is a breeding tool – not a shortcut

Today, the balance of evidence suggests that ICSI changes access to bloodlines, not the biological foundations of the horse itself.

“There is no scientific evidence that ICSI-born horses are less athletic or less durable than naturally conceived horses,” Carlos says.

The technique does not alter inheritance, nor can it compensate for poor conformation, management or training. It is a reproductive tool – one that expands breeding options and preserves valuable genetics – but it does not rewrite the fundamentals of sport.

Ultimately, success in the arena still rests on the same variables it always has: breeding choices, horsemanship and opportunity – not the method of conception.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking equestrian news throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Embryo transfer in horses: how it works and what it costs

Insurance for broodmares and foals – how can breeders protect themselves?

Studbook takes ‘ethical stance’ as registration of foals bred via certain reproductive techniques to be banned

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an assisted equine reproduction technique in which a single sperm is injected directly into a mare’s egg in the laboratory to produce an embryo.

Once considered a niche technology associated with human fertility treatments, ICSI is now increasingly common in sport horse breeding. The modern breeding technique allows breeders to produce embryos from valuable mares, maximise limited semen supplies and preserve genetics from stallions long after their death.

ICSI is used alongside ovum pick-up (OPU), a procedure in which eggs are collected from a mare’s ovaries. Together, these techniques form part of a process known as in-vitro embryo production (IVEP).

How does ICSI work in horses?

1. Egg collection (OPU)

Eggs are collected from the mare’s ovaries using an ultrasound-guided needle while the mare stands under sedation.

2. Fertilisation

In the laboratory, a single sperm is injected directly into each mature egg.

3. Embryo development

The fertilised egg develops into an embryo over around seven to 10 days.

4. Transfer or freezing

The embryo is transferred to a recipient mare to carry the pregnancy, or frozen and stored for future use.

5. Gestation

Although fertilisation occurs in the laboratory, the foal develops normally in the uterus of a mare.

What does ovum pick-up (OPU) involve?

The procedure is carried out with the mare standing under sedation. An internal ultrasound probe allows the vet to visualise the ovary and guide a needle into each follicle to collect the fluid and oocyte (egg).

Typically 15 to 20 follicles may be collected during a session. The eggs are then matured in the laboratory before fertilisation.

OPU is generally well tolerated by mares and can be repeated every three to four weeks, provided sufficient follicles develop.

The technique can be particularly useful for:

• mares that cannot carry a pregnancy
• older mares with reproductive challenges
• competition mares that remain in work

Because eggs can be collected in a single procedure, disruption to training schedules is usually minimal.

Why is ICSI used in horse breeding?

ICSI has become increasingly popular because it allows breeders to:

• maximise limited frozen semen supplies
• breed from stallions that have died
• produce embryos from mares still competing
• breed from mares unable to carry a pregnancy

Because only a single sperm is needed for each egg, one straw of semen can be used many times.

More than two decades after the technique was first introduced in horses, there is currently no scientific evidence suggesting that ICSI-conceived foals develop differently from those conceived naturally.

What is the difference between ICSI and IVF?

ICSI is a specialised form of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

In conventional IVF, eggs and many sperm are placed together in a dish and fertilisation occurs naturally. In ICSI, however, a single sperm is injected directly into the egg.

Conventional IVF is not reliably successful in horses, which is why ICSI is used instead. Success rates vary depending on factors such as mare age, egg quality and semen quality, but laboratories commonly report embryo development rates of around 60 to 70%.

Is ICSI available in the UK?

ICSI was initially more widely available in North America and continental Europe, where specialist laboratories were established earlier.

In the UK, a number of veterinary reproduction centres now perform ovum pick-up, with eggs transported to specialist laboratories for fertilisation. Domestic laboratory capacity has expanded in recent years, making the technique increasingly accessible to UK breeders.

As a result, ICSI is now commonly used to expand access to valuable bloodlines and increase flexibility in breeding programmes.

Is ICSI safe for horses?

More than two decades after the technique was first used in horses, there is currently no scientific evidence suggesting that foals conceived through ICSI develop differently from those conceived naturally.

Can a competition mare produce a foal using ICSI?

Yes. Eggs can be collected from mares while they remain in training or competition. The embryo is then transferred to a recipient mare to carry the pregnancy.

Why is ICSI used instead of IVF in horses?

Conventional IVF does not work reliably in horses, so ICSI is used instead, with a single sperm injected directly into the egg.

Can semen from a dead stallion be used for ICSI?

Yes. Because only one sperm is needed per egg, ICSI allows breeders to maximise limited frozen semen supplies, including semen collected before a stallion’s death.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking equestrian news throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

How much does it cost to clone a horse? Plus 9 other interesting cloning facts

Breeding from older mares: is it a good idea and what are the best methods?

What makes a good broodmare – and does your horse have what it takes?

Embryo transfer in horses: how it works and what it costs

Modern breeding methods: what are they and which one is right for your mare?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Knowing how to handle a foal from an untouched state so they become a polite member of equine society is really important for their future. We’ve all handled poorly educated horses at some point, and frankly, it’s not always fun. Unhandled or poorly handled horses can be difficult to manage, and in some cases, even become dangerous.

As breeders and owners of foals, we have a responsibility to make sure our foals receive good quality handling. This early interaction with us establishes trust in humans, and a good foundation for training as young adults. Your vet and farrier will thank you, too!

When to start handling a foal

While this all makes sense, it’s not always clear how to progress. Some people suggest handling foals as soon as possible. I don’t show my mares and foals, however, so at the point of weaning the foals are unhandled. One of my mares can be very foal-proud and if left to it, she won’t let me near her foal for up to two weeks.

To mitigate against this, I feed her in the field every day from about a month before foaling. Even with a new baby, she can’t resist the rattle of a bucket! So my foals are used to hard feed before they are weaned, and personally, I find this so helpful when they are weaned.

Even before I was a mum myself, I hated hearing foals cry for their mums, and I find it even worse now. So I do the weaning slowly and in stages.

After speaking to in-hand showing buff Ian Boylan – handler and producer of Dakiora Royale, the reserve champion in the prestigious 2025 Price Family supreme in-hand championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) – who has seen countless foals and young animals come through his production yard, I was pleased to hear I’m not the only one who wants their foals to remain as relaxed and stress-free as possible.

“We actually have a stable block that I call ‘the nursery’, in which we keep the foals,” says Ian. “They can all see each other and we encourage them to pair up, and make friends with another foal so that they have as little stress as possible. Then they have three meals a day, and it’s important that they have a deep straw bed so that they are encouraged to lie down and relax.”

He adds: “We also allow them plenty of ‘play’ time together in the indoor school. It’s all really about their wellbeing.”

Even with the best of intentions, though, the reality is you’re left with an animal who has no idea how it’s expected to behave. So far this year alone, I have had two broken headcollars and just this morning, my now fairly civilised filly attempted to exit her stable over the door when I led her playmate out. So how do the pros do it?

How to handle a foal

“As well as our own foals, we have a number come into the yard for handling,” says Ian. “Some arrive untouched, and obviously, they are all different and they all move forwards in their own time, but we approach things in the same way.”

Ian stresses that it’s all about routine when approaching foal handling, and that each foal will progress differently.

“We just try to do everyday, normal things,” he says. “We teach them to lead, to stand still, to be groomed and to have their feet picked up. Everyone’s an individual, aren’t they? So, some come round really quick, and others take a little bit longer.”

How to teach a foal to lead

I always find teaching a foal to lead a sticking point. Given that putting pressure on even the most experienced of horses’ headcollars doesn’t necessarily work when leading them, it’s no wonder that it doesn’t work with an inexperienced foal whose instinct is to pull back against the pressure. So how does Ian do it?

“Horses don’t like pressure around their heads. So we use a lunge line with a loop at the wither. The rope goes then goes through the loop and round the foal’s bottom and back through the loop and the headcollar. That way, the pressure is increased around their bottom when you pull the rope, and the foal is encouraged to move forwards.

“We teach everything to move like that,” Ian affirms. “Once they’ve had that experience maybe two or three times, they realise that there’s nothing to be scared of, and they just go forward. It’s pretty straightforward, really.”

To be show ready, you will need your foal to be able to trot up comfortably beside you. Sometimes, foals find a person running beside them unnerving, so make sure you factor in plenty of practice before the big day, and be ready to revert to using the lunge-line around their bottom to encourage them to trot for the first few attempts.

Foal handling tips

I’m often alone in the stable block and have no phone signal, so I’m mindful of safety. Ian agrees it’s important to remain safe at all times – and H&H recommends wearing protective gear, including a riding hat and gloves, when handling foals.

With this in mind, he says: “We just try to keep it really simple and progress sensibly. For example, when it comes to picking up feet, start with the front legs, and once the foal is comfortable, move on to the hindlegs.”

I approach grooming with a similar path; I start with the bottom half of the neck, and progress to the wither and shoulder. Then I move further forwards around the more sensitive ears and head, and then I move over their backs, hind quarters, the belly, and finally, their hindlegs.

Ian says: “The same applies if you want to introduce rugs and so on – take it slowly and sensibly.”

“We don’t push them too much so they’re not stressed, and just do the same thing every day. It’s just a process of creating a routine and then that routine then just becomes the norm. You have to do everything in the same way every day – the unknown or change is something that unnerves them.

“Consistency, is key; I’m a bit regimented in the way I do it, but I think it makes the foal more relaxed because they know what’s coming next and they know what to expect so they become comfortable with it all.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025 and beyond, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Build your confidence in handling horses on the ground, whether you’re a rider or the vital helping hand

Rewarding or hair-raising? 6 expert tips for preparing mares and foals to be a breeder’s shop window in the show ring

A progressive approach to weaning foals *H&H VIP*

Ready to wean? A progressive approach is preferable to sudden separation, explains Kelly Harrison-Tait MRCVS

Celebrating the HOYS supreme in-hand champions 2000–2025

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Cloning horses is no longer the alien concept it once was. While still being far from being commonplace, this technology has developed beyond recognition over the past two decades, with cloning and cloned bloodlines now more accessible than ever to British breeders, and playing an important role in genetic preservation.

What is a clone?

A clone horse is a genetically identical replica of another horse, with no programmed changes to their DNA. The pair are genetic twins, but born at different times.

Horses are typically cloned in order to preserve their valuable bloodlines, often in cases where a superior or highly valuable horse has died or been gelded and therefore is unable to produce offspring. The science is also increasingly being used for the genetic preservation of rare and endangered breeds.

Is cloning horses legal?

Yes, although the rules around it vary between equestrian industries and studbooks. While cloning is prohibited in the thoroughbred industry, since 2012 the FEI has allowed the participation of clones and their progenies in equestrian sport.

How does cloning horses work?

Cloning horses involves a tissue sample being taken from the horse and the DNA-containing nucleus of a cell transferred into a recipient egg, or oocyte, which has had the DNA removed. This egg is then implanted into a recipient mare to be carried to term.

Cost of cloning a horse

Breeding a horse is costly, but cloning is more so. The first step in the cloning process is preserving the cells, which costs £600+VAT via British company Gemini Genetics, along with a storage fee of £12+VAT per month until you are ready to proceed with the process. The next stage, in which the cells are cultured, costs around £1,400+VAT with Gemini Genetics.

When it comes to the actual cloning procedure, the cost is much more. It varies per species, but expect to pay in the region of $85,000 to clone a horse with Gemini Genetics’ partner company, leading USA-based cloning company ViaGen.

Is it possible to clone a horse that has died?

Yes, but you have to move fast – time is of the essence in a post-mortem situation. Tissue samples must be taken by a vet after a horse has died and Gemini Genetics states that the maximum length of time it can accept the biopsy samples is five days post mortem, as long as the animal has been kept in optimal conditions during this time (approximately 4 degrees). The chances of successful preservation decreases with every day the horse has been deceased. They offer instructions for taking samples in an emergency.

Famous cloned horses

There are now several examples of top horses who have been cloned. The double Olympic silver medal-winning showjumper Gem Twist (Good Twist x Noble Jay) has two clones: Gemini CL, born in 2008, whose progeny include the top-level showjumpers H5 Ganesh Hero Z and Next Twist Van’t Ruytershof, and Murka’s Gem, born in 2011, stands at Stallion AI Services in Shropshire and his offspring include a licensed son Lisbrogen Gem Twist.

The top Olympic eventing stallion Chilli Morning has three clones on the ground, known as Deuce, Tres and Quattro and officially registered as Chilli Morning II, III and IV. Chilli Morning IV (Quattro) is ridden by Gemma Stevens (née Tattersall), Chilli Morning III (Trey) is piloted by Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian and Chilli Morning II (Deuce) by German Olympic champion Julia Krajewski.

The Chilli clones hit the headlines when Deuce and Quattro scored the same dressage mark at the seven-year-old World Championships in 2024, with Quattro going on to win the competition and Deuce finishing sixth. Quattro continued his success in 2025, stepping up to four-star and finishing eighth in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Horse Trials.

Another of William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic partners Tamarillo has also been cloned; Tomatillo was born in 2013, and has competed up to four-star level with Aaron Millar.

The famous Irish stallion Cruising has also been cloned; Cruising Arish and Cruising Encore were born in 2012. Both have showjumped and they stand at Hartwell Stud, with several offspring on the ground between them.

A clone of Nick Skelton’s prolific showjumping partner Arko III was also born in 2021, seven months following the death of Arko himself.

Charly Van Ter Heiden, who won Luhmühlen Horse Trials in 2021 with Mollie Summerland, has also been cloned.

Do cloned horses look exactly like the original?

Although clones are genetic replicas, they do not tend to look identical to the original horse. The most obvious difference is often a variation in markings. White markings are not driven by genetics, but due to random migration of white cells during foetal development. This means that the shape and positioning of white markings is likely to differ between the original horse and its clones.

Do cloned horses have the same personalities?

Horses’ personalities are influenced by their environment as much as their genetics, meaning the personalities of clones can vary compared to that of the original horse. According to the team at ViaGen, though, clients always report that their clones remind them of the original animal’s personality, even if they are not exactly alike.

Is it possible to clone a cloned horse?

Yes it is possible – a clone is a normal animal, so the procedure is the same – and several clones have been produced from other clones, usually in cases where people wish to continue just one line.

Can I clone my dog (or cat)?

Yes – ViaGen works with cloning pets (dogs and cats) as well as horses. The process is broadly the same, although the costs differ – expect to pay in the region of $50,000 (£38,000) to clone a dog with ViaGen, in addition to the costs involved for cell preservation and storage via Gemini Genetics.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Embryo transfer in horses: how it works and what it costs

‘He is wonderful across country – like he’s done it all before’: meet Chilli Morning’s three clones

Your breed needs you: push to save our rare horses *H&H Plus*

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

“We didn’t have a wheelbarrow to our names,” say breeders Richard Miller and Meirion Davies of the early days of Heniarth Stud. But 30 years later, they’ve made history, with three “Heniarth” ponies qualified for the prestigious Price Family supreme in-hand championship at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS). These are section A mares Heniarth Yours Faithfully and Heniarth Sh-Boom, and section B Heniarth Derring Do.

So how did they do it? Read on for six tips from the experts…

1. Invest in a strong female line

“I’ll never forget the time my mother said, ‘Some idiot’s just paid £4,500 for a Section A mare,’ unaware that we’d purchased her,” recalls Meirion.

But this was strategic.

“We sold five animals that day and consolidated on one good mare,” clarifies Richard.

2. Take note of a young pony’s pedigree

This pair are self-confessed “pedigree anoraks” but insist this is key to breeding and should also inform decision making when buying future prospects.

“If you know how a youngster is bred, you’ll know what it will do, how it will mature and perform,” says Meirion.

But not too closely… They would encourage anyone looking for a future star or diamond in the rough to consider pedigree and conformation together.

“When I was working with thoroughbred yearlings in Kentucky, that was the frustrating thing; many were million-dollar animals, but people weren’t actually looking at them but seeing them as a commodity for the bloodlines,” says Richard. “It must be a 50/50 thing.”

3. Don’t get caught up in a prefix

While the Heniarth Stud prefix is now world-renowned, they’d caution anyone buying a new pony to take heed of the pedigree, and not be taken in by prefix alone.

“A lot of people trust in a prefix, as they would a designer handbag, because of the brand, but they won’t care what’s behind it even though that’s what will come through; blood will out,” says Richard.

4. The run of luck

“You can breed some fantastic ponies that just don’t get the break,” says Meirion. “We have just been lucky this year it all fell into place.”

He points to the fact that this season’s HOYS-qualified ponies from Heniarth Stud are with top producers, including Simon Charlesworth.

“When somebody with their capabilities has a good animal, it is given the best possible opportunity to shine; it’s put on the right stage at the right time looking great, so it has the laws of probability on its side,” he says. “It has a fighting chance, but it still has to have the run of luck.”

5. Online research

Richard and Meirion encourage aspiring breeders to make the most of online pedigree facilities.

“It is one of the most hugely important tools we have,” says Meirion. “Of course we have the stud books, but they sit on the shelf. Now you can access all the information on your phone!

“If we’d had something like that in the ’70s when we were really young and learning about pedigrees it would have been so much easier.”

6. Full dedication

“Give it all you’ve got,” is Richard’s advice for up-and-coming breeders. “You don’t have to have lots of land or money, but you have to be dedicated. We didn’t even have a wheelbarrow to our names when we started here, but 30 years down the line…”

Ultimately, successful breeding blends knowledge, patience and putting your heart and soul into the game. Lady luck may play her part, but the key to excellence lies in Heniarth Stud’s vision and dedication.

• To read our exclusive interview with Heniarth Stud’s Richard Miller and Meirion Davies in full, pick up a copy of Horse & Hound magazine, in shops from Thursday 25 September

Did you enjoy this article? You may also like to read…

‘Plough your own furrow and breed what pleases you’: advice from Heniarth Stud’s Meirion Davies

The dedication, joy and magic of HOYS to be shown on free-to-view television

‘I want everything to look easy and effortless’: meet 2025 HOYS judge David Bennett 

‘Passion, dedication and expertise’ as 2025 HOYS supreme judges confirmed

Set your horse or pony up for in-hand showing success by mastering these 8 key skills

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Meirion Davies and Richard Miller breed ponies under the Heniarth prefix. Their successes include 55 winners of 27 championships at the Royal Welsh show, 29 individual HOYS qualifiers, and LIHS Best of Breeds.

This time of year can be very stressful for breeders in all disciplines, fretting that all will go well with foaling and whether or not a maiden mare will accept her new role. Between planning and waiting, there are plenty of worries to keep you awake for the birth!

The reward is the breeder’s gift: the honour of being the very first person to see the manifestation of their dream.

Nothing can beat the feeling, in the early morning mist, of seeing your foal, fawn-like and ethereal, up on its feet. It makes your heart beat a little faster. Hopefully, the mare’s ritual, a pirouette around her foal, and the sound of mutual whickering soon follows. Finally comes the satisfaction of the slurping, suckling sound. All is well.

Some foals arrive as if from Ikea, flat-packed, taking days to unfurl. Others “make an entrance” – statuesque, their outline sculpted – cast from their future promise with that necessary “it factor” for showing already present.

It’s a tough call, that immediate evaluation of the newborn. But by the age of 10 days, you can evaluate most foals’ potential.

A duty of care

Our foals are the result of years of planning and immeasurable investment in time, patience and worry.

Despite this, the mares foal outdoors at Heniarth. We interfere very little with the birth, just moving in to spray the foal’s navel and ensure it receives critical colostrum.

The mares are inoculated eight weeks prior to foaling, so this ensures the foal has some level of immunity. Then we withdraw, allowing the combination to bond.

However highly we rate our mares and foals, or how excited we are to show them, we have a duty of care for all we breed.

On show

At Heniarth, we approach showing a broodmare and foal with delicacy. Once we have a thriving foal, we enter a maximum of three shows, limiting the number for their wellbeing.

A show mare’s foal should have as normal a life as possible, with daily turnout to run and tire itself out so it can sleep and grow while enjoying the luxury of its stable at night.

In the ring, the foal handler’s role is to place the foal in a position where the mare is always alert, looking for it, capitalising on the bond without stressing the mare.

We do little handling of the foal beyond teaching it to tie up next to its dam. So when showing it, we sometimes lead from the other side of the mare, with the rein over her back so that the foal relaxes, trotting freely alongside.

However, if the dam does well, we will often forego the foal class in order to save the mare from tiring and keep her fresh.

When it comes to colts, our ethos is that few are good enough to remain stallions. Those who fall short should nevertheless be set up as youngsters to have a great life as a gelding, hopefully bringing immense fun for a child in the show ring.

Breeding brings challenges, but also great rewards beyond that breeder’s gift, such as watching a pony we have bred winning for new owners.

This spring, we’re thrilled to see a foal we sold to breeders in Sweden return to the UK. Seven years later, he has fulfilled his promise and is already notching up titles. We look forward to following the rest of his show season.

Enjoy what you breed

I close with one piece of advice for all breeders: plough your own furrow. Create what pleases your interpretation of a breed or type’s description.

Showing is only the opinion of one judge on a specific day, you have the other 364 days to enjoy what you have bred.

Good luck with the breeding and showing season. Never mind thinking your geese are swans, may your swans be foals!

● Are you tempted by the breeder’s gift? If not, what is holding you back? Let us know. Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also be interested in:

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

‘Practice makes perfect’: how to impress the judge when showing in-hand

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Set your horse or pony up for in-hand showing success by mastering these 8 key skills

Insurance for broodmares and foals – how can breeders protect themselves?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

For small-scale breeders with just one or two broodmares, welcoming a healthy foal is a thrilling moment – but it’s also a time of significant risk.

While professional breeders often accept some losses as part of the job, for small-scale breeders, a single incident can be devastating as the cost of breeding a horse is huge in the first place. Having the right insurance in place is one way to help manage those risks and protect both your mare and foal throughout the breeding journey.

Does standard horse insurance cover a broodmare and foal?

The short answer? Not really. Most standard equine insurance policies do cover broodmares, but usually only for general accidents, illness or mortality. If death results from pregnancy or foaling complications, a standard policy typically won’t pay out unless you’ve added specific breeding cover.

Equally, most standard veterinary fee policies exclude pregnancy-related issues, such as complications during foaling, injuries sustained during covering (whether natural or AI), or fertility treatments. However, some insurers will still cover illnesses unrelated to pregnancy, such as tendon injuries, even if the mare is in foal.

“Breeding risks generally aren’t included in standard policies,” explained Alice Holbrow, equine and partnership manager at Agria. “While we will insure a broodmare, in the UK, we apply a blanket exclusion to anything related to breeding risk.

“Breeders would need to look for specific breeding risk cover, but that can be difficult to find, as most products currently aren’t really designed for the amateur market.

“Breeding is inherently high-risk, and from a commercial perspective, it’s easier to insure, as the expectation is that experienced professionals are managing the process.”

To be fully protected, you’ll likely need to explore specialist broodmare insurance – but be aware, many of these products are geared towards professional, sport horse breeders and can come at higher costs.

Brokers like KBIS, SEIB and Lycetts work with multiple underwriters to create bespoke policies, which aren’t always widely advertised but can include cover for veterinary fees, pregnancy complications, and loss of foal.

“We have a team of specialist brokers who can offer advice on the cover available to you and provide bespoke insurance products,” said Beth Hutchinson, account executive at Lycetts. “Policies to consider would include insuring the mare for all risks of mortality and emergency surgery costs.”

KBIS also offers a standard catastrophe breeding cover product. This includes protection for accidental external injuries and specific foaling risks such as uterine tears and C-sections.

“In addition, the same policy covers the foal for the first 89 days,” said Harriet Walker, KBIS operational manager. “It doesn’t cover congenital problems or illness, but most risk at that stage comes from foaling injuries or the foal’s early movements as they find their feet.”

When can you normally insure a foal?

For a normal horse insurance policy, foals are typically eligible for coverage at around 30 days old. “We have no age-related policies, and our lifetime equine insurance covers them from 30 days until the end of life,” Alice explains.

But there are specialist policies for younger foals. Lycetts and KBIS, for example, offer cover from 24 hours old, which gives you peace of mind during those critical early days after birth. Veterinary fee cover, however, usually starts a bit later, typically around 90 days old.

If you want coverage even earlier, you’ll need in-utero insurance. Some insurers – like Lycetts – offer cover for foals from around 42 days of gestation, and this isn’t limited to thoroughbreds. While in-utero insurance is more common in the racing industry, many providers will also insure sport horse foals – although it can be expensive.

Do your homework and check the small print

It’s essential to read the terms and conditions of any policy carefully. Pay close attention to exclusions, claim procedures and age limits. Some policies require specific health checks or declarations at certain stages of the pregnancy, and you’ll want to know exactly what’s expected to avoid invalidating your coverage.

Also, be aware that some policies exclude certain interventions, such as assisted foaling or treatment for retained placenta – check your terms carefully.

If in doubt, speak to an equine insurance broker who understands breeding risks – they can advise on the right policy for your setup.

“The key message for consumers is to read your policy wording carefully before putting your mare in foal and consider whether those risks are covered,” Alice added. “If you’re in any doubt, pick up the phone and speak to your insurance company – each provider will have different terms and conditions.”

The bottom line on broodmare and foal?

Standard horse insurance is unlikely to give you full protection for your broodmare and foal, but there are specialist options out there if you want extra peace of mind.

It’s worth weighing up the risks and speaking to both an expert and your current insurer to decide what level of cover feels right for you.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also enjoy reading…

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

How do you insure a horse that is worth as much as a house?

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Exclusions, death cover and other common horse insurance misconceptions

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The first successful use of frozen sperm to create IVF equine embryos has been recorded in the US, in a “milestone” for breeding.

Researchers at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California carried out the study and hope the findings will be useful for clinical applications, as well as opportunities to study fertilisation and embryo development.

They used defrosted sperm to fertilise oocytes (eggs) and create embryos, before analysing stages of embryo development, which they compared to those achieved with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection – injecting a single sperm into an equine oocyte).

IVF has historically had little success in horses. There have been recent advances, but only using high-quality fresh sperm, which limits its use.

Sperm from five different stallions was used on 109 oocytes, and scientists compared the early stages of development at several different points.

The researchers found a “similar success rate” between IVF and ICSI, using thawed sperm, with IVF embryos showing faster progression to the blastocyst stage – an early embryonic structure, which is a rapidly dividing ball of cells.

“Our team is excited to advance IVP [in vitro production] of equine embryos to overcome historical challenges,” said equine reproductive specialist and study co-author Dr Pouya Dini.

“The ability to use frozen-thawed sperm for IVF would be a valuable addition to current equine-assisted reproductive technologies and would benefit both stallion and mare owners.

“This collaborative effort is the first step in evaluating the expansion of future equine IVF applications in the clinic.”

This is still early days and the authors stressed that more research is needed.

“Caution is warranted in the interpretation of these findings, as no data on pregnancy establishment, early pregnancy loss or foaling rates is available for IVF-produced embryos in this study,” states the study, published in the January 2025 edition of scientific journal Theriogenology.

“Additionally, long-term studies on the effects of the fertilisation technique on the offspring are lacking. Nevertheless, these results mark a promising start in this novel approach.”

It concluded: “Further studies are required to assess the pregnancy potential of these embryos before IVF can be fully established as a commercial tool.

“Nonetheless, IVF in horses is a promising technique that offers valuable opportunities to study fertilisation in an in-vitro setting.”

Tullis Matson, of Stallion AI Services, told H&H this is a “huge breakthrough”.

“There is still work to be done on how viable it would be to transfer these early embryos to a mare,” he said, echoing points raised by the researchers.

Mr Matson also considered other ways in which the technique would compare to ICSI. He noted that specialised labs are required for ICSI, which makes it a costly option. Both techniques require egg removal from mares.

He also said that ICSI can lend itself to stallions with lower sperm counts or poorer quality sperm, as well as situations where semen supplies are limited – such as semen stored from stallions who are now deceased. This is because only one sperm cell is required to be injected into the egg with ICSI, whereas IVF involves combining an egg and multiple sperm in a petri dish.

“It is definitely a milestone, it’s just a question of how easy it is for this knowledge to be transferred into the industry,” he said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Modern breeding methods: what are they and which one is right for your mare?

‘Pushing the boundaries’ in breeding horses – vets discuss how far is too far

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The top lot of Book One at the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket (8–10 October) was a Frankel filly, who was knocked down for 4.4m guineas (£4.62m), the second highest price for a yearling in European auction history.

Out of Group Two Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Aljazzi, the filly was sold to Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing, alongside agent Alex Elliott, after he saw off a determined effort from Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The filly will be trained in the UK.

“Kia and partners wanted the filly very badly,” explained Alex. “A Frankel filly from that family and with that physical make-up – she was always going to be a collector’s item. It is a deep price tag and, though we had discussed her at length, I obviously did not see her making that, but we had very much homed in on her.”

Consignor Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud said: “To be honest, I was hoping she would make a million and that would have been nice, but obviously some good players had her valued at twice that. We are obviously delighted. Mitsu Nakauchida is a great trainer and a lovely guy and he loved her, and obviously Kia, Amo and Alex loved her too – it is unbelievable.”

Top priced colt in Tattersalls Book One sales results

Amo Racing invested significant sums throughout this year’s sale with the second highest-priced lot, a Wootton Bassett colt, knocked down for 4.3m guineas (£4.515m) – a new record price at Book One for a colt – to Amo, with Coolmore the underbidders.

The record price for a yearling sold during Book One was achieved in 2013 by a Galileo filly when she was sold for 5m guineas. She was out of Alluring Park – this colt’s granddam – and was also bred and sold by Lodge Park.

After the sale Jamie Burns of Lodge Park, who led up the colt and was surrounded by family, said: “He is a beautiful horse and the family has always done us well, and, hopefully, he will be the next one to enhance the pedigree.

“I was not expecting that! I was not really thinking when it went over four million – emotion took over, it was surreal and all pretty special.”

Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott said: “If you were going to paint a racehorse, he is as close to perfection as you can get. From the top to the bottom, from the farm he came from – the amount of time and money and love that the Burns family has put into that page, it just does not take any explaining to anyone.

“For us to be part of that, to buy into that is just phenomenal. I said, ‘Kia, you have been second in two Derbys, this is the horse who could take you one place better.’ He has got every right, if he can run how he looks to have a spot in a stallion shed one day.

“I am very honoured to be a small part of the process, thankfully Kia has faith in his team, I just hope he gets rewarded for what they are doing.”

Kia Joorabchian added: “For us to get to the next level we have to target the best stock. When we saw this colt, every member of my team said ‘We can’t leave without him’.”

Of the 345 lots sold, the total turnover was 127.8million guineas (£134.2million), with the average lot price of 370,501 guineas (£389,026).

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout Horse of the Year Show, London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘She’s going to be just fabulous’: filly sets record with eye-watering AU$10m price tag

‘It has been an honour’: new world record price set at horse auction

Galileo filly becomes highest priced yearling sold in the world this year

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A European studbook has announced plans to ban the registration of foals born via certain modern breeding techniques, based on welfare grounds.

The Swedish Warmblood Association (SWB) announced that offspring produced by intra cytoplasmic injection (ICSI) and ovum pick-up (OPU) may not be registered with the association’s studbook from 1 March 2025.

OPU involves collection of oocytes from a mare’s ovarian follicles, carried out under sedation. ICSI is the lab-based process whereby a single sperm is injected into the matured oocyte, which is incubated to encourage an embryo to develop, then transferred into a recipient mare. OPU is carried out in countries around the world including the UK, but is prohibited in Sweden.

Per Jansson, chairman of the SWB board, told H&H the decision was the outcome of a “complete review and evaluation” of the studbook business – and that the association has reviewed its equine welfare regulatory framework annually since 2020.

“According to the Swedish animal welfare act, operative intervention without medical reason, for example OPU, is not allowed, which in practice means that Swedish mares need to travel to other countries where OPU is allowed,” he said, adding that foals born via embryo transfer can still register with the studbook as this procedure “requires no operative intervention and is not painful for the mares involved”.

Mr Jansson said SWB has no “technical” way to ensure breeders are complying with the rule, but the association will require written confirmation when a foal is registered.

“Horse welfare always weighs more heavily for SWA than purely commercial interests. We want to emphasise how important we consider the ethical stance is in the breeding industry and we would like to support the Swedish values and regulations regarding animal welfare,” he said.

World Breeding Federation (WBF) vice president Eva-Maria Broomer told H&H it is “not uncommon” for a studbook to set a precedent; for example some studbooks do not allow cloned horses.

“With these sorts of things it becomes difficult when one studbook makes a decision and others haven’t followed suit, because people will just do it anyway and register elsewhere,” she said.

Dr Broomer said ICSI “raises a range of questions and challenges”, and that the WBF is “monitoring the situation carefully” and gathering data.

“These techniques can be used as a force for good, for example in becoming an important tool in allowing us to preserve and strengthen important breeding lines, but they can also be misused and abused. To prevent this we need full traceability and transparency,” she said.

“This is also important for buyers who should know if they are purchasing an ICSI foal or horse. Issues that are not yet fully understood include if there are long-term impacts on equine health or any discernible health differences between ICSI foals and those who were produced the conventional way.”

Dr Broomer added that the importance of genetic diversity should also be considered.

“Here, again, ICSI can be a force for good by permitting us to use horses for breeding that would not have been able to produce offspring in the conventional way,” she said.

“On the other hand, it could become a limiting factor if it leads to the use of fewer mare-lines by allowing more foals to be produced from a smaller number of lines.”

Equine-assisted reproductive techniques (ART) have come under increasing discussion, and were the focus of a debate at the British Equine Veterinary Association congress in September where industry experts discussed “How far is too far?” (news, 24 October 2023).

It was agreed across the board that pain control during ART procedures needs to be a major focus – and that the breeding industry needs to focus on the lack of research around ART including whether pain is assessed well enough, and whether fertility clinics should be licensed.

You might also be interested in:

‘Pushing the boundaries’ in breeding horses – vets discuss how far is too far

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Equine breeding veterinary specialist Emma Houghton MRCVS from Bell Equine in Kent, explains what owners need to know before attempting to breed from older mares, while Selene Scarsi speaks to breeders who have done so successfully

Maybe your mare has finished a long competitive career, or you can only now afford to put her in foal. But is she still a good prospect for breeding if she’s in her teenage years or beyond? Breeding from older mares comes at a cost in terms of fertility, which peaks at six- or seven-years-old. Studies have shown that both pregnancy and foaling rates decline markedly after the age of 12-13.

Mares very rarely progress as far as a reproductive senescence (menopause). But as they age, the interovulatory period (time between seasons) increases, and their oocytes (eggs) are of poorer quality.

The 60% chance per cycle of a healthy mare becoming pregnant when mated with a fertile stallion reduces to 20-40% if she is older. This means that she may need to be covered over more cycles to achieve a viable pregnancy, which increases veterinary, stud and semen costs.

Reasons for reduced fertility

•  Older mares are more likely to suffer from pregnancy loss during gestation. A significant number occur in the first 40 days (known as early embryonic loss); a mare aged 11-plus is up to four times more likely to lose a pregnancy than one aged two-four. Another study has shown incidence to be as high as 20% for mares over 18 years (compared with a 6-15% occurrence in younger mares). Chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo, aged oocytes and poor uterine conditions are the main cause of this embryonic loss.
•  Poor conformation is another factor. Older mares may have reduced integrity of the protective barriers of the reproductive tract — including the vulva, vestibular seal and cervix. Their vulva can tilt, which, alongside a sunken anus, may result in defecation onto the vulva, causing contamination of the reproductive tract and the risk of uterine infection.
•  Older, maiden (first-time) mares are more likely to have a tight, fibrotic cervix. All mares develop a transient inflammatory response to breeding, but this is usually cleared naturally by healthy, younger mares. In older mares with a fibrotic cervix, the fluid is unable to drain as efficiently and can accumulate, requiring veterinary treatment and management.
•  The mare’s uterus may have a poor ability to nurture the pregnancy due to age-related development of endometrosis (uterine degeneration). This can occur in both maiden mares and those that have previously foaled.
•  Ovulation failure is seen in approximately 5% of cycles, but increases to 13% in older mares.
•  Uterine cysts can be identified in 55% of older mares that have been previously bred. While small cysts are unlikely to cause a problem, numerous large cysts may inhibit normal embryo development and require surgical removal.
•  Older mares may be suffering from age-related conditions, such as Cushing’s disease, which can cause irregular or absent oestrus cycles.

Should I breed from my older mare?

There are other points to consider.

The mare should be in a good body condition, or on a rising plane of nutrition. She should also be sound, as any chronic lameness may worsen when the foetus becomes heavy.

If she’s a maiden mare or has just foaled, she is more likely to become pregnant than if she is barren (not covered or failed to conceive in the last breeding season). In addition, knowing the reproductive history is important as 33% of mares that have experienced abortion subsequently aborted in the following pregnancy. Any previous reproductive trauma or infections should be taken into consideration.

Choosing a fertile stallion is essential. In the UK thoroughbred population, 20% of stallions have been associated with increased early embryonic losses — this may be due to management, venereal diseases and mare-stallion gene incompatibility, but also due to genetic abnormalities of the stallion.

While your breeding method may be dictated by stallion choice, artificial insemination (AI) is the preferred option for older mares. With natural cover, a significant amount of contamination can occur, which could lead to fluid accumulation or infection.

Mares can also experience chromosomal problems: an aged oocyte with a chromosomal problem may either not develop or develop to an early stage before it then regresses, resulting in pregnancy loss. And finally, an older mare may produce a smaller, poorer-quality foal because her uterus has developed age-related changes that result in poor placental development.

Improving the odds

Practical measures can increase your chances of success when breeding from older mares.

It is important to screen for venereal diseases by testing for equine viral arteritis (EVA), equine infectious anaemia (EIA) and contagious equine metritis (CEM). Your vet will also perform a thorough gynaecological examination to assess her perineal anatomy, before performing ultrasonography of the uterus and ovaries.

Once she is in season, an endometrial swab should be taken to test for uterine infection (endometritis) — and any infection should be treated before breeding continues. Due to the higher risk of endometrosis in older mares, a uterine biopsy may be performed to help determine the degree of degenerative uterine changes present and assess the prognosis of a successful breeding.

Ideally, older mares should only be inseminated once per cycle due to their increased susceptibility to post-breeding inflammation. Plan the procedure as close to ovulation as possible. Ovulation-inducing drugs such as Chorulon or Ovuplant are frequently used to assist with this.

Another examination is required post-breeding, to ensure that ovulation has occurred and to assess any fluid accumulation. It is vital that fluid is cleared from the uterus before the embryo descends from the oviduct into the uterus, at around day six. If necessary, uterine lavage and drugs such as oxytocin may be used.

For mares with poor perineal anatomy, a Caslick’s procedure can be performed. This involves suturing the vulval lips together to prevent air and infection entering the vagina.

Breeding from an older mare can be rewarding, but risks and lower fertility rates must be taken into account. It is recommended to consult vets that are registered on the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Approved AI list, as these vets will have been on regular reproductive courses and are therefore up to date with the latest research in this area.

Breeding from older mares: what experienced breeders say

By Selene Scarsi 

Caroline Ironside of MFS Studfarm in north-east Scotland has successfully bred from several older mares, all of whom have been at the stud for many years.

“Most of the mares at the stud are over 14, and all have been with us for a long, long time. This means that we have a really good idea of what they match well with; we know what does and doesn’t work with them, and the type of stallion they can go to,” says Caroline.

“When you see their stock under saddle, you get a much better idea of temperament and rideability – there is less unknown, whereas often with a young mare it’s a complete guess in terms of what they’ll produce.”

Of course, the older the mare the more difficult it is to get her in foal, but Caroline ensures a daughter of her mares remains at the stud, in order to keep the line going.

“Once they are in their 20s, most will have a foal every second year. We base it on the mare and how they’re looking health-wise,” says Caroline. “If they don’t go in foal then we’ll leave it and try the next year. If they can’t, then we retire them.”

In terms of management, special attention is paid to nutrition. “Some mares are good-doers and others lose condition quite easily, but you do tend to notice a greater loss of condition as they age – carrying a foal takes more out of them, so we need to supplement a little bit more,” says Caroline. “We take blood samples from older mares, just to check they aren’t missing any essential vitamins or minerals.

“We home-grow our hay and haylage, and the feed is tailored to balance that, so there’s plenty of attention to feeding regardless of age. However, the older mares will have a slightly more tailored diet to be triple sure there are no inconsistencies or deficiencies.”

Emma Blundell of Mount St John Stud adds: “An older mare might not have as much milk, the milk might start losing some of the nutrients, or the colostrum might be of lesser quality. We test all the colostrum irrespective of age, as sometimes it’s not as good and foals will require supplementation, but this is more likely to happen with older mares.”

Independent equine nutritionist Fiona Watkins agrees: “Once the mare’s forage and concentrate requirements are met in full, a breeder may want to look into specific supplementation that may affect milk and colostrum quality. This includes omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E – particularly beneficial for its antioxidant properties – live yeast and dietary protein.”

Conception rates

When it comes to breeding from older mares, Emma insists that the key is treating each horse as an individual.

“Some mares at 21 look like they’re 16, others less so. They will tell you when they’ve had enough. The conception rates will be lower with older mares: some might get in foal, but will struggle to maintain the foal because of the condition of the uterus,” she says.

“We ensure all of our mares are in top shape before delivery, with regular turnout and time on the horse walker, but I cannot stress enough how much of a physical exertion having a foal involves. There’s lots of extra weight – not just the unborn foal itself but the fluid around it, too – and it’s a lot to carry around all the time, especially towards the end. This inevitably takes its toll much more on an older mare,” explains Emma.

For those who are able, embryo transfer (ET) – the technique of removing (flushing) an embryo from the uterus of one mare (the biological dam) and placing it in the uterus of a younger recipient mare – can be the best of both worlds.

“It’s such a great way of ensuring you hold on to the really special genetics, but are then able to give the pregnancy to a younger mare who can run around the field and enjoy the process a bit more,” says Emma, who uses ET for around half of her foals.

“We’ve had lots of mares come to us at 18, after their previous owners couldn’t get them in foal, and they’re now still breeding in their 20s by ET with no issues.”

“Tricky to handle”

International grand prix rider Nikki Crisp put her retired international grand prix mare Pasoa in foal to the up-and-coming grand prix stallion Durable, when she was 21. In May 2019, aged 22, Pasoa gave birth to her first foal, a healthy big colt named Danoa (William).

“Historically Pasoa was so tricky to handle that I never seriously considered ET when she was competing, or inseminating her when she retired at 18; she didn’t owe me anything, and I didn’t want to traumatise her,” say Nikki.

“It was only a few years later as we were having another mare inseminated that I decided to give it a try, almost on a whim, and with the idea that we wouldn’t force it – we wouldn’t induce a cycle, for instance. Surprisingly, she was totally fine with the entire process: because the repro vet was busy with her behind as opposed to her head or neck, she couldn’t have cared less.

“Because of her age there was possibly some loss of elasticity in the uterus and we went for a ‘cross every T and dot every I’ approach, flushing her for a full week, really cleaning her out, and we also had her on Regumate to support the developing embryo. But she scanned in foal first time and gave birth to a huge, healthy colt and she’s clearly adored being a mum.”

You may also be interested in…

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

Credit: Jon Stroud

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Credit: Future

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Equine breeding veterinary specialist Emma Houghton MRCVS from Bell Equine in Kent, explains what owners need to know before attempting to breed from older mares, while Selene Scarsi speaks to breeders who have done so successfully

Maybe your mare has finished a long competitive career, or you can only now afford to put her in foal. But is she still a good prospect for breeding if she’s in her teenage years or beyond? Breeding from older mares comes at a cost in terms of fertility, which peaks at six- or seven-years-old. Studies have shown that both pregnancy and foaling rates decline markedly after the age of 12-13.

Mares very rarely progress as far as a reproductive senescence (menopause). But as they age, the interovulatory period (time between seasons) increases, and their oocytes (eggs) are of poorer quality.

The 60% chance per cycle of a healthy mare becoming pregnant when mated with a fertile stallion reduces to 20-40% if she is older. This means that she may need to be covered over more cycles to achieve a viable pregnancy, which increases veterinary, stud and semen costs.

Reasons for reduced fertility

•  Older mares are more likely to suffer from pregnancy loss during gestation. A significant number occur in the first 40 days (known as early embryonic loss); a mare aged 11-plus is up to four times more likely to lose a pregnancy than one aged two-four. Another study has shown incidence to be as high as 20% for mares over 18 years (compared with a 6-15% occurrence in younger mares). Chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo, aged oocytes and poor uterine conditions are the main cause of this embryonic loss.
•  Poor conformation is another factor. Older mares may have reduced integrity of the protective barriers of the reproductive tract — including the vulva, vestibular seal and cervix. Their vulva can tilt, which, alongside a sunken anus, may result in defecation onto the vulva, causing contamination of the reproductive tract and the risk of uterine infection.
•  Older, maiden (first-time) mares are more likely to have a tight, fibrotic cervix. All mares develop a transient inflammatory response to breeding, but this is usually cleared naturally by healthy, younger mares. In older mares with a fibrotic cervix, the fluid is unable to drain as efficiently and can accumulate, requiring veterinary treatment and management.
•  The mare’s uterus may have a poor ability to nurture the pregnancy due to age-related development of endometrosis (uterine degeneration). This can occur in both maiden mares and those that have previously foaled.
•  Ovulation failure is seen in approximately 5% of cycles, but increases to 13% in older mares.
•  Uterine cysts can be identified in 55% of older mares that have been previously bred. While small cysts are unlikely to cause a problem, numerous large cysts may inhibit normal embryo development and require surgical removal.
•  Older mares may be suffering from age-related conditions, such as Cushing’s disease, which can cause irregular or absent oestrus cycles.

Should I breed from my older mare?

There are other points to consider.

The mare should be in a good body condition, or on a rising plane of nutrition. She should also be sound, as any chronic lameness may worsen when the foetus becomes heavy.

If she’s a maiden mare or has just foaled, she is more likely to become pregnant than if she is barren (not covered or failed to conceive in the last breeding season). In addition, knowing the reproductive history is important as 33% of mares that have experienced abortion subsequently aborted in the following pregnancy. Any previous reproductive trauma or infections should be taken into consideration.

Choosing a fertile stallion is essential. In the UK thoroughbred population, 20% of stallions have been associated with increased early embryonic losses — this may be due to management, venereal diseases and mare-stallion gene incompatibility, but also due to genetic abnormalities of the stallion.

While your breeding method may be dictated by stallion choice, artificial insemination (AI) is the preferred option for older mares. With natural cover, a significant amount of contamination can occur, which could lead to fluid accumulation or infection.

Mares can also experience chromosomal problems: an aged oocyte with a chromosomal problem may either not develop or develop to an early stage before it then regresses, resulting in pregnancy loss. And finally, an older mare may produce a smaller, poorer-quality foal because her uterus has developed age-related changes that result in poor placental development.

Improving the odds

Practical measures can increase your chances of success when breeding from older mares.

It is important to screen for venereal diseases by testing for equine viral arteritis (EVA), equine infectious anaemia (EIA) and contagious equine metritis (CEM). Your vet will also perform a thorough gynaecological examination to assess her perineal anatomy, before performing ultrasonography of the uterus and ovaries.

Once she is in season, an endometrial swab should be taken to test for uterine infection (endometritis) — and any infection should be treated before breeding continues. Due to the higher risk of endometrosis in older mares, a uterine biopsy may be performed to help determine the degree of degenerative uterine changes present and assess the prognosis of a successful breeding.

Ideally, older mares should only be inseminated once per cycle due to their increased susceptibility to post-breeding inflammation. Plan the procedure as close to ovulation as possible. Ovulation-inducing drugs such as Chorulon or Ovuplant are frequently used to assist with this.

Another examination is required post-breeding, to ensure that ovulation has occurred and to assess any fluid accumulation. It is vital that fluid is cleared from the uterus before the embryo descends from the oviduct into the uterus, at around day six. If necessary, uterine lavage and drugs such as oxytocin may be used.

For mares with poor perineal anatomy, a Caslick’s procedure can be performed. This involves suturing the vulval lips together to prevent air and infection entering the vagina.

Breeding from an older mare can be rewarding, but risks and lower fertility rates must be taken into account. It is recommended to consult vets that are registered on the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Approved AI list, as these vets will have been on regular reproductive courses and are therefore up to date with the latest research in this area.

Breeding from older mares: what experienced breeders say

By Selene Scarsi 

Caroline Ironside of MFS Studfarm in north-east Scotland has successfully bred from several older mares, all of whom have been at the stud for many years.

“Most of the mares at the stud are over 14, and all have been with us for a long, long time. This means that we have a really good idea of what they match well with; we know what does and doesn’t work with them, and the type of stallion they can go to,” says Caroline.

“When you see their stock under saddle, you get a much better idea of temperament and rideability – there is less unknown, whereas often with a young mare it’s a complete guess in terms of what they’ll produce.”

Of course, the older the mare the more difficult it is to get her in foal, but Caroline ensures a daughter of her mares remains at the stud, in order to keep the line going.

“Once they are in their 20s, most will have a foal every second year. We base it on the mare and how they’re looking health-wise,” says Caroline. “If they don’t go in foal then we’ll leave it and try the next year. If they can’t, then we retire them.”

In terms of management, special attention is paid to nutrition. “Some mares are good-doers and others lose condition quite easily, but you do tend to notice a greater loss of condition as they age – carrying a foal takes more out of them, so we need to supplement a little bit more,” says Caroline. “We take blood samples from older mares, just to check they aren’t missing any essential vitamins or minerals.

“We home-grow our hay and haylage, and the feed is tailored to balance that, so there’s plenty of attention to feeding regardless of age. However, the older mares will have a slightly more tailored diet to be triple sure there are no inconsistencies or deficiencies.”

Emma Blundell of Mount St John Stud adds: “An older mare might not have as much milk, the milk might start losing some of the nutrients, or the colostrum might be of lesser quality. We test all the colostrum irrespective of age, as sometimes it’s not as good and foals will require supplementation, but this is more likely to happen with older mares.”

Independent equine nutritionist Fiona Watkins agrees: “Once the mare’s forage and concentrate requirements are met in full, a breeder may want to look into specific supplementation that may affect milk and colostrum quality. This includes omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E – particularly beneficial for its antioxidant properties – live yeast and dietary protein.”

Conception rates

When it comes to breeding from older mares, Emma insists that the key is treating each horse as an individual.

“Some mares at 21 look like they’re 16, others less so. They will tell you when they’ve had enough. The conception rates will be lower with older mares: some might get in foal, but will struggle to maintain the foal because of the condition of the uterus,” she says.

“We ensure all of our mares are in top shape before delivery, with regular turnout and time on the horse walker, but I cannot stress enough how much of a physical exertion having a foal involves. There’s lots of extra weight – not just the unborn foal itself but the fluid around it, too – and it’s a lot to carry around all the time, especially towards the end. This inevitably takes its toll much more on an older mare,” explains Emma.

For those who are able, embryo transfer (ET) – the technique of removing (flushing) an embryo from the uterus of one mare (the biological dam) and placing it in the uterus of a younger recipient mare – can be the best of both worlds.

“It’s such a great way of ensuring you hold on to the really special genetics, but are then able to give the pregnancy to a younger mare who can run around the field and enjoy the process a bit more,” says Emma, who uses ET for around half of her foals.

“We’ve had lots of mares come to us at 18, after their previous owners couldn’t get them in foal, and they’re now still breeding in their 20s by ET with no issues.”

“Tricky to handle”

International grand prix rider Nikki Crisp put her retired international grand prix mare Pasoa in foal to the up-and-coming grand prix stallion Durable, when she was 21. In May 2019, aged 22, Pasoa gave birth to her first foal, a healthy big colt named Danoa (William).

“Historically Pasoa was so tricky to handle that I never seriously considered ET when she was competing, or inseminating her when she retired at 18; she didn’t owe me anything, and I didn’t want to traumatise her,” say Nikki.

“It was only a few years later as we were having another mare inseminated that I decided to give it a try, almost on a whim, and with the idea that we wouldn’t force it – we wouldn’t induce a cycle, for instance. Surprisingly, she was totally fine with the entire process: because the repro vet was busy with her behind as opposed to her head or neck, she couldn’t have cared less.

“Because of her age there was possibly some loss of elasticity in the uterus and we went for a ‘cross every T and dot every I’ approach, flushing her for a full week, really cleaning her out, and we also had her on Regumate to support the developing embryo. But she scanned in foal first time and gave birth to a huge, healthy colt and she’s clearly adored being a mum.”

You may also be interested in…

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Breeders needn’t always look to Europe to find top-quality stallions. There are plenty of super stallions in Britain right now, from youngsters in their first year or two of breeding, to better-known names and renowned superstars.

We take a look at some of the most interesting stallions in Britain at the moment, that all breeders should know about…

Sezuan’s Donnerhall (Seuzan x Siola)

Sired by treble world young horse champion Sezuan, Sezuan’s Donnerhall is standing in the UK for the first time in 2024. He began his career by excelling in his performance tests. He won his 14-day test in Neustadt-Dosse with an outstanding score of 9.34 and went on to win the 50-day performance testing, winning with a score of 9.19 in Schlieckau. His performance included a perfect score of 10 for canter and 9.5 for rideability, willingness to perform, and overall expression.

Age: nine

Studbook: Oldenburg

Stud fee: £1000 + VAT elitestallions.co.uk

Benbreac Of Croila (Ulleam Of Croila x Kyle Of Croila)

This stunning Highland stallion is a multi-garlanded champion of the show ring. He won championships at Royal Windsor for three consecutive years, and was best of breed at Olympia on three occasions. In 2018, he was crowned supreme pony champion at Royal International Horse Show; this is a stallion with a truly remarkable competition record.

Age: 17

Studbook: Highland Pony Society

Stud fee: £500; email melaniestanford@hotmail.com or view at stallionai.co.uk

Ducati (Desperados FRH x Sir Donnerhall I)

This young stallion is in his first year of breeding. Ducati was the champion stallion at the BHHS and WBS-UK licensing in 2022, and was described as “long-legged and compact with a strong back”. He carries the renowned bloodlines of the multi-medalled grand prix dressage stallion Desperados, as well as his dam, Feldgoldchanti, an elite mare herself who evented to three-star level. Ducati boasts more than 40% blood, making him an exciting prospect for eventing breeders as well as dressage.

Age: four

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: £850; email info@seanwhiteaesthetics.co.uk or view at stallionai.co.uk

Copain Du Perchet (Conteur x Ragazzo)

This superb showjumping stallion switched his attention from top-level sport to breeding in 2023. He has a string of international victories to his name, most notably under Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and more recently Britain’s Emily Moffitt. He comes from impeccable jumping lines, and although he has only bred lightly so far, his offspring to date have inherited his talent for the sport.

Age: 19

Studbook: CH (Swiss warmblood)

Stud fee: from £700 + VAT stallionai.co.uk

Future Hepsilon (Upsilon x Heraldik xx) 

As the only licensed son of the record-breaking eventing stallion Upsilon standing in the UK, the powerful, athletic Hepsilon is sure to be busy in 2024. His dam, Heraldik Girl-W has already produced two international event horses and her sire, the legendary Heraldik, topped the WBFSH sire rankings for eventing for five consecutive years. Hepsilon’s offspring are proving to be highly in demand, with foals selling to top breeders and Olympic riders in 2022. 

Age: seven

Studbook: Breeders Elite

Stud fee: £900+VAT LFG, frozen £700+VAT per dose; email info@FutureSportHorses.co.uk or view at stallionai.co.uk

Don Dante (Dancier x Salvano)

This grand prix stallion comes from superior bloodlines, being by the De Niro son Dancier. He has excelled in the competition arena under Owen Cooper, claiming the medium national title in 2014 and bagged several other regional titles as he has moved up the levels. He was successful in competing at international small tour, and has also now scored up to 73% at a national grand prix. His offspring inherit his expression and great temperament and have been graded as elite and higher first in the Futurity assessments. 

Age: 17

Studbook: British Hanoverian

Stud fee: £750 strattonstud.co.uk

Golden Hawk (Vigo D’Arsouilles x Chin Chin)

This top-class jumping stallion is a prolific winner at international five-star level, counting grand prix wins under Shane Breen at Olympia, Liverpool Horse Show and Hickstead among his many accolades. His progeny take after him, with several already competing at 1.55m or above. It’s hardly surprising, though, that Golden Hawk and his offspring possess such talent – his sire is the Nabab De Reve son who was world champion in 2010, while Golden Hawk’s dam Ta Belle Van Sombeke competed at 1.60m level herself.

Age: 19

Studbook: Belgian Warmblood

Stud fee: £1,000 + VAT breenequestrian.com

Britannia’s Bijou (Littledale Bright Star x Mr Big Cat xx) 

Out of Bella’s Britannia – one of four embryo transfer daughters of Lucinda Fredericks’ legendary eventing mare Headley Britannia – this 15hh stallion received gold premium status in the 2020 Futurity series. His sire is top pony stallion Littledale Bright Star, who was only 12.2hh but sired international progeny in all three Olympic disciplines.. Bijou made his eventing debut in 2022, with great success under Ellie Fredericks, including a third-place finish in his first BE100, and he continued to perform consistently at BE100 level in 2023. 

Age: seven

Studbook: SHB(GB), SPSS

Stud fee: £500 + VAT; email marketing@lucindafredericks.com or view at Tomlinson Equine

Lord Gregory (George Clooney x Lord Leatherdale)

Bred and produced by Van Olst Horses, this uphill, powerful dressage stallion presents a great opportunity for British breeders. By the international dressage stallion George Clooney, and out of the Elite Prok mare Hortensia V (Lord Leatherdale x Negro), Lord Gregory looks to have bright future in sport as well as breeding. As well as talent, he also passes on his outstanding temperament and trainability. 

Age: eight

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: £500; visit: www.stallionai.co.uk

Ansiei (Highest Honor x Dixieland Band)

A fully approved thoroughbred stallion who amassed winnings over £180,000 before retiring to stud in 2014. He has a super pedigree featuring two crosses of the influential Grey Sovereign line and could be a great option for adding blood into a breeding programme. His progeny are proving capable across the disciplines with Bonmahon Liberation eventing at three-star level in Ireland, and Ex Plas Pennant Demelza crowned supreme foal at the Sport Horse Breeding (GB) National Hunter Show in 2021. 

Age: 17

Studbook: Weatherbys

Stud fee: £600 + VAT springfieldstud.com

Je T’Aime Flamenco (Flamenco De Semilly x Landetto)

This former international showjumper has continued to prove the strength in his bloodlines, having triumphed in no fewer than seven grands prix around the world, under Ireland’s Billy Twomey. As one of the most highly regarded stallions in Britain, he passes on his scope and careful jumping technique to his offspring, who include the eight-year-old J’Adore Flamenco, a winner of multiple titles as a young horse who later sold at Goresbridge for €130,000.

Age: 24

Studbook: Belgian Warmblood

Stud fee: £1,100 + VAT stallionai.co.uk

Comfort (Christian x Last Liberty)

This elegant, athletic stallion, by 1.60m showjumper Christian and from a proven damline, already has an international victory under his belt, winning a 1.25m age class on the Sunshine Tour in 2019. A two-year-old son of his also sold for €60,000 that same year. Comfort is now based in the UK, where he is currently jumping 1.30m, and training at 1.45/1.50m under Oliver Townend.

Age: 11

Studbook: Oldenburg

Stud fee: £850 + VAT cauntonmanorstud.com

You might also like:

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

If you have ever dreamed of breeding a foal, you’ve probably wondered what makes a good broodmare? And if you own a mare, you have probably considered the possibility of breeding from her. But the reality is that indiscriminate breeding is a problem in the UK, and while breeding from your beloved mare may seem like a lovely idea, it is important to be objective about whether she would truly make a good broodmare.

Aspiring breeders put a great deal of time and thought into their choice of stallion, quite rightly. But the same amount of consideration should be given to the mare as well, if not more – after all, she is the one who will be carrying precious cargo for 11 months, giving birth and nurturing the foal. And just because she is physically able to carry a foal, does not mean she should.

When it comes to assessing a mare to see if she has what it takes to be a good broodmare, the first thing to do is to honestly ask yourself what you want to breed, and your reasons for doing so. The cost of breeding a foal is substantial, the process can be complex and there is no guarantee you will achieve the desired result.

The next step is to take a long, honest look at the mare in front of you. Decide what you like about her, and what you don’t like – be as critical as possible. And remember that most people unwittingly don rose-tinted glasses when looking at a much-loved horse, so ask a professional to assess her too. Build up an objective picture of her strengths and weaknesses, and consider what you would be happy for a foal to inherit.

So what makes a good broodmare?

Three of the most important aspects to consider when assessing whether a horse would make a good broodmare are conformation, temperament and pedigree.

1. Look closely at the mare’s conformation – she should be balanced from back to front, with structural correctness and everything in proportion, as well as good feet, bone and girth. Consider her soundness record – you don’t want her to pass on inherent weaknesses to a foal. It is also very important to have a vet assess her perineal and reproductive conformation. Look carefully at her movement too, but don’t simply focus on how big or spectacular her paces are; instead assess their natural rhythm and correctness first of all, and look at how the mare uses her body.

2. Consider her temperament, trainability and rideability, and what you want her offspring to inherit. This is why it is crucial to know what it is you want to breed – if your aim is for the foal to grow up to be a safe all-rounder, or amateur’s competition horse, you need them to have high levels of rideability and a sane, sensible character. If, on the other hand, you are aiming to produce a top sport horse, you will usually require a ‘hotter’ temperament, but with a great deal of trainability and willingness to learn. Do not rely on the stallion to bring the temperament you want in a horse – at the very least, a good broodmare would be gentle, easy to handle, willing and sane.

3. Find out as much as you can about the mare’s pedigree. As well as helping you decide which stallion would best complement her, this will also give you a great indication of whether she will produce the sort of foal you are hoping to breed. Do your research into your mare’s damline; look at any other foals her dam or second dam have produced to gain an understanding of which traits are typically passed on and what has worked well before. Look as far back into a mareline’s history as possible, keeping an eye out for graded mares who may have produced successful horses. Credentials like this increase the chances that her offspring will also possess good potential for success.

Other things to consider in potential broodmares

1. The age of the mare. While there is no definitive age at which a mare should no longer be bred, fertility tends to start declining from around the age of 13, and this becomes of greater relevance if the mare is a maiden (has not previously had a foal).

2. Previous offspring. If the mare has had foals in the past, make sure you find out as much as you can about them as this will give a great indication of what your mare could produce in the future, as well as how suited the mare is to the breeding process itself.

3. The mare’s routine and schedule. If she is still competing, or for whatever other reason is less suited to carrying a foal, you may wish to consider embryo transfer, whereby an embryo is flushed from her and inserted into a recipient are to be carried to term.

You may also be interested in…

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

‘I’m in love with this colt – his name is Dimaggio’: Alice Oppenheimer on how her family ‘fell’ into breeding

Breeding from older mares: is it a good idea and what are the best methods?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

• This article has been edited and approved by Karen Coumbe MRCVS, H&H’s veterinary advisor since 1991.

Seeing a new equine life coming into the world is an uplifting experience, but foaling in horses – particularly for inexperienced horse breeders – can be mixed with anxiety about what to expect and the chance that something could go wrong. Being well prepared, with essential foaling supplies restocked and your vet’s details on hand, is key to peace of mind.

Foaling in horses: be prepared

Unlike women, mares have a relatively flexible delivery date, and sometimes a foal will arrive weeks earlier or later than anticipated. Therefore it makes sense to be prepared well in advance, but also plan for the unlikely, but still possible, situation where the mare does not give birth until weeks after you had expected her to. This inevitably seems to happen to the one-mare breeder who plans time off work to sit up with their mare and then finds they are still waiting weeks later.

If your mare is going to stud to foal, then ideally she should move about six weeks before she is due, both to allow her time to settle and also to build up some immunity to any disease-producing organisms in the new environment. This should be adequate time for the mare to develop protective antibodies that she will pass to her foal in her first milk, called colostrum.

At least one month before foaling — an average gestation period of 342 days from the last date of covering can be used — your mare should have a flu and tetanus vaccination. This allows some immunity to be passed to the foal, giving them protection for the first few months of life.

If your mare has had a Caslick procedure (the surgical closing of the upper part of the vulva to reduce the risk of infection), make an appointment with your vet at least three weeks before the due date, to remove it— this is essential to prevent the mare from tearing and to allow easy exit of the foal. If you aren’t sure if your mare has a Caslick, then ask your vet to examine her at least three weeks before her due date so that appropriate action can be taken. If you want to use an internal foal alarm, your vet could insert this at the same time.

It is sensible to do regular faecal worm egg counts throughout the mare’s pregnancy to ensure she remains relatively worm-free. Similarly it is wise to remove droppings from pasture to minimise worm infestations. Some people advise treating with a dewormer in the latter stages of pregnancy, however if you have been fastidious with your parasite control beforehand this may not be necessary. Always check the literature that comes with the wormer to establish that it is safe for use with pregnant mares and/or speak to your vet for advice. Vets recommend doing worm egg counts to monitor worm burden levels before treatment.

Where is best for foaling in horses to take place?

If you are going to have your mare foal at home, consider whether you have a suitable stable or whether the mare would be better foaling outside. Most professional breeders will foal their mares in a large foaling box, but if you decide to foal your mare outside it should be in a small paddock so that the mare cannot take herself too far away – she will normally go to the most remote and quiet part of the field. There also needs to be a reliable means of artificial light in case of an emergency, as things can and do go wrong — and most foals are born after dark when it is quiet and peaceful.

Any paddock should be free of obstacles and have secure fencing: post and rail is best, with the bottom rail close enough to the ground to prevent a foal rolling under it and, inadvertently, getting separated from its mother. And, of course, these safeguards also apply for the field you intend to use for your mare and foal after the birth.

A foaling box must be larger in size than a standard stable (4.5 metres by 4.5 metres is recommended, depending on the size of the mare) and preferably square in shape to allow plenty of room around the mare when she lies down to foal. It should be free of sharp or projecting objects.

A clean straw bed is typically the bedding of choice for foaling boxes. It helps to absorb birthing fluids, provides a soft landing for wobbly foals, and is less hazardous if the foal tries to eat it.

The foaling kit

Experienced breeder Sara Longworth of Waverley Stud in Warwickshire recommends setting up your foaling kit in a large plastic container with items that will be required immediately after birth, plus some that could be needed in case of emergency.

Her kit contains:

• phone numbers for the vet on the lid of the box (also save the number in your mobile phone)
• a plentiful supply of sterile gloves for washing the mare and handling the placenta
• scissors for cutting umbilical tape or tail wrap; or more seriously, in case of an emergency, for dealing with a red bag birth (where the placenta would need to be cut open), or, again in rare cases, for the need to cut the umbilical cord
• umbilical tape or clamp, in case the umbilical cord needs tying off immediately after foaling
• antiseptic spray or chlorhexidine wash to disinfect the umbilical stump and reduce possibility of bacterial infection
• towels, to dry off and stimulate breathing in the newborn foal
• thermometer for mare and newborn foal
• whole foal colostrum in case the mare doesn’t have any or does not produce enough, although this is rarely easily available. This is usually kept frozen until required.
• foal milk replacer in case the worst happens and the mare is lost
• plastic bottle and rubber teat for feeding a foal
• large container for milking the mare (in case the foal takes a long time to stand and suckle)
• enema (gentle sodium phosphate type) to administer to a newborn foal in case of meconium (first dropping) impaction
• If you don’t have good artificial light in the stable and in the yard, you will also need a strong torch or head light
• Some professional breeders may have a canister of oxygen with nose cone, in case there is an emergency with the foal, however it is far better to get professional help if needed

In a covered bucket, alongside the foaling kit, Sara also keeps mild liquid soap for washing the udder and genital area of the mare prior to foaling, and an extra long tail bandage to keep the mare’s tail hair out of the way throughout proceedings. Vets advise that both the mare and the foaling area need to be kept as clean as possible to reduce the risk of infection for the newborn foal, especially as it nuzzles the mare as it attempts to nurse. A head collar and lead rope always hang outside the stable door.

Signs of foaling in horses

During the last few weeks running up to foaling in horses, your mare will start to “bag up” – this means her udder increases in size. Once the udder remains full all day, and the teats enlarge and start to point out to the side rather than straight down, foaling is getting close and the mare should be monitored carefully.

The muscles around the mare’s pelvis will start to relax a few weeks before she is due, and hollowed areas either side of the top of tail may be seen. In the last couple of days before foaling, the mare’s vulva will also swell and relax.

“Waxing up”, when beads of colostrum showing at the end of mare’s teats, may occur 12 to 36 hours ahead of foaling, and is considered a strong indication that the mare will foal soon. However, this can differ between mares – some may wax earlier, while others won’t at all. If the mare starts running milk, she will be losing the important colostrum that contains vital antibodies to protect her newborn foal from disease. In this situation the milk should be collected and frozen, so it can be fed to the foal after birth, or an alternative source of colostrum must be available.

Not all mares show these signs – some will give you no warning signs whatsoever.

The stages of labour

As the mare moves into the early stages of labour, she may show general signs of discomfort that can be confused with colic, such as restlessness, kicking at the belly, looking at the flanks, and generally seeming irritable or anxious. If combined with sweating on her neck and flanks, and she continues to drink, urinate and pass droppings, this is likely to be the result of her body preparing for the birth, rather than colic. However, the actual delivery may still be some hours away. This may be interspersed with periods where the mare acts normally.

The second stage of the mare giving birth is very rapid, typically lasting less than 20 mins. This begins when the mare’s waters burst and a large quantity of pale yellow fluid will be released. After 5-10mins a white membrane called the amnion will appear, along with the front feet, typically one slightly before the other. If the mare has not already laid down, she will likely do so at this stage. She will continue to strain as the foal’s muzzle and then shoulders are passed, followed by the foal’s hips.

Once the hips are out of the birth canal, the mare may rest with the foal’s hind legs remaining inside her. This is not a cause for alarm and the mare should not be disturbed unless the birthing sack is obstructing the foal’s nostrils. At this stage the placenta is still providing blood to the foal. The umbilical cord breaks when the mare stands or the foal gets to its feet. The stump of the umbilical cord will need dressing to avoid infection.

The third stage of foaling in horses is the passing of the placenta – this is typically expelled with an hour of the foal’s birth. If the mare has got to her feet after giving birth, she may lay back down for this stage and show colic-like signs. If the placenta has not been delivered within three hours you should call your vet as a retained placenta is potentially life-threatening for the mare, particularly in heavier breeds of horse. Once it has been expelled, it should be carefully examined to ensure there are no tears or risk of any tissue having been left inside the mare. If you think this might be the case, then you should contact your vet.

Most foals are on their feet within an hour of being born and should be feeding from their dam within two hours. It is important to ensure that the foal gains sufficient colostrum in the first few hours as this provides them with important protection against infection. If the foal is not standing or feeding within two to three hours of arrival, then you should seek veterinary advice.

Foaling problems

Complications can arise during or after foaling in horses, as Sarah Stoneham MRCVS explains. Common problems include:

Dystocia: this is defined as a difficult birth that requires assistance. The most common problem is an abnormal presentation where the foal is in the incorrect position for a straightforward delivery. This is often associated with a deformity of the foal such as carpal contracture, a condition that prevents the foal from straightening its front legs. As time is of the essence, it is important to contact your vet at an early stage if things don’t appear to be progressing normally. You can then be given advice over the phone about what to do before the vet arrives. If the vet is unable to correct the problem promptly, emergency admission to a clinic may follow — either for a controlled delivery under general anaesthesia or a caesarean section. For this reason, always have horse transport ready to go if you have a mare due to foal.

Red bag: another name for premature placental separation, a red bag delivery occurs when the placenta fails to rupture over the foal’s feet as they pass through the birth canal. A red, velvety sac then appears through the vulval lips. This is a real emergency that requires prompt action to save the foal. Call your vet immediately and describe the problem, so you can be talked through the process of rupturing the placenta manually. You will then need to deliver the foal and help it to breathe before the vet arrives, because if the placenta is not ruptured the foal will be unable to breathe.

Stillbirth: a normal foal will start “gasping respiration” and start to breathe immediately on delivery, and the amniotic sac should be cleared from its muzzle immediately. It should be struggling to sit up on its sternum within 5min. Sometimes, the foal is not breathing at all when it is born — a problem that can occur following an apparently normal foaling. If the foal is able to be revived, it will need to be resuscitated immediately if it is to stand any chance of survival. This means being on hand with the necessary knowledge and equipment. If the foal has any difficulties, call your vet without delay for further health checks. It is really important that your foal stands and suckles, ideally within a couple of hours after birth – the sooner the better – if there are any concerns, call your vet.

Post-foaling haemorrhage: this potentially life-threatening condition can occur in the hours after foaling. The mare will be bleeding from one of the large internal arteries that supply blood to the uterus. Initially, the haemorrhage will be contained within the ligaments around the uterus. If the bleeding continues, however, and ruptures the ligaments, the mare is likely to haemorrhage into the abdominal cavity, with fatal consequences. If haemorrhage has occurred, the mare may show colicky signs such as sweating and shaking, and her mucous membranes will rapidly become pale. Keep her as quiet and comfortable as possible until your vet arrives. The condition is more common in older mares, although it can occur at any age.

Other problems, such as post-foaling colic, can occur, so keep a close watch on both mare and foal after delivery.

Most foaling in horses goes smoothly with the mare not requiring any help, but it is always wise to be prepared as the organising and homework you do now will pay off handsomely when the time comes.

• With thanks to Sara Longworth of Waverley Stud in Warwickshire and Sarah Stoneham MRCVS for their contributions to this article

You may also be interested in…

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

How a squeeze can save a dummy foal’s life

Difficult foalings: foal presents upside down

Andrea Oakes talks to Kara Johnston MRCVS about how she dealt with the delivery of a foal that presented for

Difficult foalings: emergency caesarean in hospital

Difficult foalings: when life-giving colostrum turns toxic

How one top mare fought for her life after foaling

Find out how top mare Rachel Alexandra battled back from near-death after foaling complications

Difficult foalings: lost the mare but saved the foal

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Selecting a stallion to breed to your mare can be one of the most exciting parts of the breeding process. But with more and more stallions available to breeders, and extensively marketed, it can be a tricky, and often agonising, decision. So what are the key things you should think about when deciding how to pick a stallion for your mare? We spoke to horse breeding experts to discover their top tips when choosing the perfect sire.

1. Take a long, honest look at the mare in front you, not just her passport. Decide what you like about her, and what you don’t — be critical. Ask a professional to assess her too, so you get an objective picture of her strengths and weaknesses to help you choose a stallion to complement her.

2. Do your research into your mare’s breeding and damline. Look at any other foals her dam or second dam have produced and gain an understanding of what has worked. Don’t forget to thoroughly research the stallion’s damline as well.

3. Know what you want to breed — are you aiming to breed a horse for a particular discipline, or of a specific size? Also consider whether you want to keep the foal for yourself to ride, or whether you plan to sell it, and if that is the case, at what age you would prefer to sell it. If you plan to sell as a foal, opting for a more well-known, commercial stallion will help make your foal more attractive to buyers, whereas if you plan to sell once the horse is under saddle, you can afford to take more of a risk on a lesser-known or up-and-coming stallion as buyers will be able to see the horse perform.

4. Try to view potential stallions in the flesh – when deciding how to pick a stallion for your mare this is an important recommendation – but if that’s not possible, speak to people who have and ask for their thoughts, both positive and negative. If it’s impossible to see the stallion yourself, then try to meet some of his other offspring, so you can get a real feel for their type and temperament.

5. Consider whether a stallion’s offspring tend to be ridden by professionals or amateur riders, as that can tell you a lot about the sort of horses they produce. One way to do this is to examine the breeding of horses competing at the national championships in your sport and whether horses by a particular sire are more often ridden by professionals or amateurs.

6. Ask plenty of questions, whether that’s of the stallion owner, your vet, the semen agent or owners of other offspring. Find out what sort of mares a sire has suited in the past, and what his sons or daughters are like to ride and own.

7. Don’t get hung up on things like colour or markings; as the saying goes, “it’s better to ride a chestnut than fall off a bay”. That said, make sure you choose a stallion you love — don’t be pressured into picking one you don’t really like.

8. If you’re breeding for competition, look for stallions that have been performance tested, or at least have progeny performing successfully at a good level — don’t rely on videos online.

9. Don’t get too caught up with trends — no matter how popular a sire may be, be honest with yourself about whether he will suit your mare and your aims for breeding. Equally, if you are planning to sell your foal, be aware of the market and which stallions are likely to be the most commercial.

10. Ensure that you fully understand the breeding terms with your chosen stallion, and that you know exactly what you’re purchasing. You could be paying per straw with no terms, so would receive nothing back if your mare does not get in foal, or at the opposite end of the scale, some stallions come with a live foal guarantee, and various options to try again if the first attempt is unsuccessful.

11. Find out as much as you can about a sire’s previous fertility record and pregnancy rates. Bear in mind that a number of factors affect fertility rates, many of which can be managed and improved.

12. Don’t rule out using frozen semen. Being open to using frozen semen widens your choice of stallion and, with a good vet skilled in reproduction and a reasonably fertile mare, conception rates can be very good.

You might also like:

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

What makes a good broodmare – and does your horse have what it takes?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Embryo transfer in horses is a type of assisted reproductive technology that has now become commonplace in equine breeding.

Embryo transfer (ET) is a means of surrogacy; it involves removing, or flushing, an embryo from the uterus of the biological dam, and implanting it into the uterus of a recipient mare, who will then carry the pregnancy to term.

Equine embryo transfer: the process

ET is used in conjunction with artificial insemination (AI), and the “donor” mare is inseminated with fresh, chilled or frozen semen. Six to eight days after ovulation, the embryo will be flushed from the mare’s uterus. this is a simple, non-surgical procedure, that involves flushing the uterus with a special fluid, which is then drained. The embryo is isolated and then transferred into the uterus of the recipient mare using a catheter inserted through the cervix.

A key aspect of ET is the synchronisation of the recipient mare. Ultrasound scanning and use of hormone injections/implants are used to ensure that she ovulates as close in time to the donor mare as possible, meaning her uterus will be ready to receive the embryo at the right time.

The recipient mare will be scanned around a week later to make sure she is pregnant, and she will then carry the pregnancy as normal. She will deliver the foal and nurse it until weaning.

What are the advantages of using embryo transfer?

ET was first developed in the 1970s, and its primary purpose in the early years was to enable the breeding of older mares, or those with problems carrying a foal to term.

These days, it is still used for older mares, but more commonly for breeding from high-quality competition mares, without interrupting their sporting schedule, and with the potential to obtain more than one foal per year from the same mare. It also enables quality mares who, for whatever reason cannot safely or successfully carry a foal, to pass on their genes.

What is the success rate of embryo transfer in horses?

The success rate of ET depends on many of the same factors that a normal pregnancy would, primarily the fertility of the stallion and dam, the quality of the semen and the timing of insemination. In young, healthy mares, and where the synchronisation and ET procedure itself has been expertly carried out, the typical embryo recovery rate is around 75-80%. Overall, ET typically has a success rate of around 60-65% per cycle. It is common for two or three cycles to be required before a successful pregnancy is achieved.

How much does embryo transfer cost?

The costs involved in ET vary and primarily depend on how many cycles are required, the type of semen that is used (fresh, chilled or frozen) and whether or not a recipient mare needs to be hired.

You can expect to pay anywhere between £275 and £450+ VAT per cycle for a veterinary AI package – using frozen semen usually costs more than fresh or chilled – plus a synchronisation fee of around £275+VAT, a flushing fee of around £290+VAT and a transfer fee of around £185+VAT. Two or more potential recipient mares are usually required, to maximise the chances of successful synchronisation.

If you need to hire a recipient mare, expect to pay £2000+VAT from conception until weaning.

Things like scans, examinations, semen fees and keep for the recipient mare also need to be factored in to the overall cost of breeding a horse.

You might also be interested in:

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Breeding from older mares: is it a good idea and what are the best methods?

7 things you always wanted to know about breeding, but were too embarrassed to ask

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Lesley Barwise-Munro is a partner at Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group, Northumbria, and is also an official FEI vet. Her main areas of expertise are lameness, respiratory disease, dentistry and how they influence performance. She tells H&H about a particularly startling case

“In September 2014, a horse owner phoned to say that his four-year-old Friesian broodmare was off colour. She had been due to foal in May, and the owner had gone out to her when he saw her getting up and down in the field.

“But he didn’t find a foal, or foetal membrane, and a few weeks later discovered what he assumed were the remnants of a foal. The mare remained her usual self until we were called out, months later.

“The situation immediately triggered alarm bells — something wasn’t adding up. I wondered if there might be more to that first foaling than the owner realised.

“The mare was stiff and off her food with a high temperature. I examined her and felt what seemed to be legs in her uterus. The cervix had closed up but I opened it, only to find a dead foal inside — it had been decaying for more than five months. It was an unbelievable finding — I was flabbergasted, not least because the mare was as well as she was.

“I had to assume it was the second of twins. It was astonishing that infection hadn’t set in, especially as the cervix had opened for the first foal, preventing the uterus from remaining a sterile environment.

“We brought her in and it took around two hours to remove all the foal’s body parts from inside her, while she was on drip sedation. We were pulling out individual bones and bits of hair, piecing the foal together on the floor. Everyone was coming to look — it was bizarre.

“The mare was at great risk of toxaemia and laminitis, and one of the foal’s rib bones had pierced her uterus. The uterus is very fragile so I had to be careful not to traumatise it as I felt around inside with my gloved hand. I found the whole thing intriguing, rather than gruesome, and I knew there was no way the mare would have survived had we not got everything out — she would have gone downhill fast.

“Eventually, it seemed that we’d got everything out — parts of dead foal were lying all over the floor. The mare was very uncomfortable that evening, but quickly became brighter. We flushed out the uterus daily until no more debris came out. The mare’s resilience was unbelievable — she returned home after 12 days. She never became ill as a result of the experience.

“To think that she had had that foal rotting inside her for months, and yet recovered so fast is unbelievable. It’s incredibly rare and goes against everything I’ve experienced as a vet.”

• Please note, the picture above is not of this particular veterinary case

You may also be interest in…

Remarkable vet stories: ‘I was faced with a choice — keep pushing my hand in to try to find the foreign body or don’t wake him up’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

If you’re planning artificial insemination (AI) for your mare, how can you maximise your chances of success? Andrea Oakes identifies the most important points to consider

If you’re planning using artificial insemination (AI) for your mare this breeding season, how can you maximise the chances of a successful equine pregnancy? We outline the most important points to consider when using artificial insemination in horses.

1. Logistical planning

During the horse breeding season, a mare ovulates (releases an egg) every 18-24 days — a process called cycling. Each egg forms inside the ovary in a structure known as a follicle.

“A mare is in season — or oestrus — for four to seven days, although this can vary from two to 12 days,” says equine vet and breeding specialist Emma Houghton MRCVS. “She is then out of season (in dioestrus), for 14-15 days.”

Timing plays a vital role in successful artificial insemination (AI). The point of ovulation can be manipulated to enable insemination of semen at the optimum moment, according to its type (see below).

“During a season, follicle growth goes hand-in-hand with an increase in the oedema [fluid] within the mare’s uterus,” explains Emma. “When the follicle reaches a key size of 35mm we can use either one of two ovulation-inducing drugs, Chorulon and Ovuplant.

“The mare should then ovulate within 24-48 hours, which gives us a window to order and inseminate semen prior to ovulation. Follicle size may be smaller, though, particularly in ponies, so it helps to know a mare’s breeding history.”

2. Semen type for artificial insemination in horses

A good semen sample will contain billions of sperm, but which type is best for your mare?

➤ Fresh: straight from the stallion (who must be on-site or nearby), fresh semen offers the highest fertility rates and is longest-lasting once inseminated. It must usually be used within three hours, but this varies between stallions.

➤ Chilled: next best fertility-wise, chilled semen has been mixed with extenders, preservatives and antibiotics to lengthen its lifespan to up to 30 hours. This enables insemination at home and widens stallion choice to further afield in the UK, or even Europe. Timing is still an issue: it must be ready at the premises prior to your mare ovulating.

➤ Frozen: fertility rates associated with frozen semen have improved with the use of modern extenders and veterinary management. It can be stored ready for use and opens up a worldwide pool of stallions, but the considerable veterinary input required can push up costs (insemination must take place within six hours prior to, and four hours after ovulation). Sperm from certain stallions has better post-thaw motility — swimming ability — than others.

Semen choice will largely depend upon your mare’s age and breeding health. Fresh or chilled will maximise an older mare’s chances of conceiving — provided it arrives on time, prior to ovulation.

“Our breeding season coincides with several bank holidays,” says Fred Barrelet, a stud medicine specialist at Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons, adding that weekends and postal or courier failures can scupper plans to inseminate inside a critical timeframe.

“Semen should have been processed at an EU-approved collection centre and must be accompanied by the original veterinary health certificate. It is illegal to use semen from an unknown source or imported from abroad without the required health documentation.”

3. Mare preparation

Good general health is essential for a mum-to-be, so keep your mare’s vaccination and worming programmes up to date and her hooves and teeth well maintained. But how else can you prepare her for AI?

“We’d rather see a mare too light than too heavy, so aim for fair condition,” says Edward Matson of Twemlows Stud Farm and AI/ET (embryo transfer) centre. “Like females of all species, horses are more likely to conceive on a rising plane of nutrition.”

If you’re sending your mare to a stud or clinic for AI, pre-entry health requirements could include checks for contagious equine metritis (CEM), equine viral arteritis (EVA), equine infectious anaemia (EIA) and strangles.

Edward points out that pre-breeding examinations are not always definitive in predicting a mare’s chances of conceiving.

“It is difficult to assess a maiden [first-time] mare’s reproductive health before she comes into season,” he says. “A specialised equine repro vet might suggest endometrial swabs or more complex biopsies with a potential problem mare. Around 80% of problems occur once the semen is inserted in the uterus, however, and you can’t tell too much till then.

“If your mare has foaled previously, give the vet as much information as you can about her breeding history. This should include when and how she was bred, the type of semen used and the cycle she conceived on — or why she didn’t. This can save a lot of time and money. Be realistic with an older maiden mare. She may be super-fertile or she may not, but you won’t know until you try.”

4. Stallion fertility for artificial insemination

His looks, performance and temperament may tick all the right boxes, but will your chosen stallion’s semen get your mare in foal?

Relevant fertility data can be hard to obtain, warns Fred.

“The key measure of a stallion’s fertility is his per-cycle conception rate, but many stud owners don’t publish this,” he says. “The number of mares he gets into foal tells you nothing about the time taken. What you need to know is the breeding efficiency achieved with his semen.

“Ask the stallion owner, stud or semen vendor for the number of mares that become pregnant per cycle. A lot depends on management and the individual mare, but you need to hear an answer of about 50%.

“My advice with a young, maiden mare at the start of the season is to invest in semen from a top stallion. Most sport horses have a career behind them, however, so you may be breeding from a middle-aged lady. As with many species, the chances of getting a mare pregnant drop off with age.

“If she is older than 14 and barren [was not covered/failed to conceive the last breeding season], don’t use the most expensive stallion or frozen semen. Your chances of getting her pregnant more efficiently will probably be better the following year, once her fertility is proven and she has foaled without complications.”

5. Where to carry out artificial insemination in horses

AI can be carried out at home, at an equine clinic or at a specialist breeding centre. So what might influence your choice?

“Studies show that pregnancy rates improve when potential stress is minimised,” says Emma. “Certain horses may be more relaxed at home, but you will ideally need stocks for ultrasound scanning and insemination.”

Insemination with frozen semen is particularly difficult to carry out at home, yet fresh and chilled also need a vet’s input.

“An AI package at a stud or clinic could well prove cheaper, as driving and visit fees often add up to more,” says Emma. “The benefit of a clinic is that the vet can examine a mare as often as necessary without the owner having to be there.

“Every mare is different, but an experienced repro vet with knowledge of AI will be able to see more detail in the uterus and follicle to tell exactly where she is in her cycle. Better care will most likely bring a better result — and fewer scans could lower costs.”

6. Artificial insemination in horses: potential pitfalls

It sounds so simple — and often it is — yet AI can disappoint the unwary.

“Make sure you know the costs up front,” says Emma. “Ask if stud or clinic prices include extras such as livery, drugs and pregnancy scans, and whether you’ll pay the same the second time around if your mare does not conceive on the first cycle.

“Most AIs are fine, but complications can occur. Not all mares cycle every 21 days. Others produce excessive uterine fluid so that when the embryo enters the uterus it cannot survive and is lost. There’s also a reasonably high rate of twinning with some mares. The uterus is typically not large enough to sustain both embryos — while there’s a high success rate if one is “squeezed” within the appropriate time, this does involve a risk to the other one.

“We don’t always know of potential problems until we start looking.”

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

7 things you always wanted to know about breeding, but were too embarrassed to ask

Credit: Jon Stroud

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

Credit: www.sarahfarnsworth.co.uk

Why frozen embryos might be the future of sport horse breeding

Credit: Getty Images

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Credit: Future

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Conthargos, who counts top grand prix showjumpers and a leading event horse among his progeny, has died aged 19.

A statement on behalf of his breeder, Paul Schockemöhle, said that Conthargos had to be put down owing to a sudden onset of laminitis, which “unfortunately could not be treated by the vets who were called in immediately”.

The Converter son, out of the Carthago Z mare Cajandra Z, spent his life at Paul’s Mühlen base, Gestüt Lewitz, siring countless successful offspring.

“We had to say goodbye to our Conthargos far too soon,” said a post on the stallion station’s social media yesterday (18 January).

“One of the very great sires has left the stage far too early. Remembering the beautiful moments and being grateful for 18 years with him. Thank you Conthargos!”

Conthargos had success in young horse classes as a four- and five-year-old. An injury cut short his competition career, which was continued by his offspring.

He had more than 20 licensed stallion sons, including Conthalou and Continental Blue.

His top-performing progeny include Concona, who has had placings in five-star grands prix with Ben Maher. Conchento PS, partnered by Gregory Wathelet and Luciana Diniz, also has a CV littered with top grand prix placings from St Tropez, London, Geneva, Valence and Vilamoura. He also sired Cosa Nostra, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics with Israeli rider Alberto Michan.

German event rider Sophie Leube’s stable star Jadore Moi, with whom she won Boekelo CCI4*-L in 2021 and finished second at Strezgom CCI4*-L in October 2022, is also among Conthargos’ daughters.

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

‘100% natural’ boy jumps his dad’s 22-year-old former top showjumper

Joe Trunkfield: ‘The challenge of being a showjumper versus a businessman’

Big-name horses join Harry Charles, with Europeans and Olympics the target

‘One of the hardest goodbyes’: grand prix horse moves from Olympic eventer to British five-star showjumper

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Equine frozen embryos are cropping up more and more in the world of sport horse breeding. Embryo transfer, and the sale of embryos already implanted in a recipient mare, has been around for a few years, but now, with scientific processes allowing for more effective and reliable freezing and thawing of equine embryos, more buyers and breeders are exploring the possibility.

Equine frozen embryos: how does it work?

An embryo is the result of a successful fertilisation of a female egg by a male sperm cell. This embryo is then flushed from the mare (if fertilisation does not take place via ICSI) and can be frozen using vitrification, a method of rapid cryopreservation. The embryo can then be preserved in liquid nitrogen to be stored or transported, and transferred into a recipient mare at a later date.

Advantages of frozen embryos

The possibility to freeze and transport embryos offers a convenient way to buy and breed horses, as well as preserving and making available valuable genetics. It allows breeders to delay the implantation of the embryo into a recipient mare to a date of their choosing, for example if embryos are flushed from the donor mare in autumn, then can be frozen, stored and implanted early the following spring.

It also allows for easier import and export of embryos, as it eliminates the need to transport a mare carrying a live embryo, thus opening up a much larger market for the trading of embryos.

The opportunities they offer

Embryo auctions are not new, but frozen embryos are appearing more and more in catalogues of major auctions such as Zangersheide and Ekestrian. The growth of the online auction, partly accelerated by the pandemic, has expanded the market further, allowing embryos to be bought easily from anywhere in the world.

But auctions are not the only means of purchasing a high-quality frozen embryo. The launch of Mares of Macha (MoM), by Belgian entrepreneur Klaas de Coster, alongside Belgian Olympic bronze medal-winning showjumper Pieter Devos, has given breeders the chance to select and purchase frozen embryos from top quality damlines. Under the tagline “Access proven breeding”, MoM offers frozen embryos from their roster of top-class mares for sale online at set prices, moving away from the competitive bidding nature of an auction.

“We noticed that it was difficult to access the best bloodlines – the most common way to do this was via auctions where only the highest bidder could get an exclusive foal. To make this easier, we had to do something different,” says Pieter. “We try to find the best mares in the world and offer all the embryos for fixed and accessible prices on our website.”

Current prices range from €7,750 for a Baloubet Du Rouet embryo out of Vibelle Z up to €25,000 for a Heartbreaker embryo out of Olympic mare Sancha LS. MoM also offers an optional “no pregnancy, no pay” warranty, and under this will arrange for implantation as well as transportation of the embryo.

You may also be interested in…

Is sport horse breeding on the cusp of a revolution? Meet the Mares of Macha team promoting ‘access proven breeding’

How much does it cost to breed a horse? H&H crunches the numbers

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The first embryo of five-star grand prix-winning showjumper Lizziemary to be auctioned has been sold for €50,000 (£41,972).

Lizziemary, whose success came under Israel’s Dani G Waldman and Ireland’s Billy Twomey, retired from competition in 2021, aged 15. Her career included King George V victory at Hickstead in 2016 with Billy, as well as CSI5* grand prix titles at Cascais, Berlin and Florida with Dani.

The British-bred mare, by Cabri D’Elle out of Acord II mare Amanda Lear, was also partnered by Dani at two European Championships and the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

Her unborn foal, by Emerald, was sold at the Youhorse.auction on 8 March to a client of Alan Waldman, co-organiser of the auction and Dani’s husband, for the five-figure sum.

“It will be an amazing foaling season for those who bought from our breeding auction for there were many very special ones, which was reflected by the bidding”, said auction co-organiser Mario Everse.

He added that it “took a while” to persuade connections to auction the Lizziemary embryo, “but the result made up for the reluctance”.

A full brother to the highly decorated H&M All In was also sold. The embryo, by Kashmir Van Schuttershof out of an Andiamo mare, was knocked down to a French buyer for €36,000 (£30,220).

H&M All In’s spectacular record with Sweden’s Peder Fredricson features the 2017 individual European Championship crown and team silver, back-to-back Olympic individual silver medals at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, and Olympic team gold at last summer’s Games.

The full brother of multiple CSI5* grand prix winner Halifax Van Het Kluizebos was among the other notable sales, selling to his new home for €24,000 (£20,147).

The most expensive broodmare was Chaccothiara PS. The Chacco-Blue daughter, who is in foal to Dominator Z, sold to Poland for €26,000 (£21,826).

You might also be interested in:

[collection name=”small”]

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Connections are celebrating a “dream come true” as the late Olympic showjumper Kevin Bacon’s wish to breed palominos reaches a new milestone.

Nicky Nolan’s five-year-old palomino stallion Saturday Night Fever will be the foundation sire for her Pauli Stud, following his registration in Zuchtverband für deutsche Pferde (ZfdP) Stallion Book I.

The journey dates back to when Nicky first met Kevin, while working as a rider at Hof Kasselmann.

“[He was] an absolute one of a kind. Flamboyant, brilliant, courageous, funny and with a wonderful empathy for horses. He could communicate with horses and was a gifted equine dental technician,” she said.

“I learned a lot from him and we became a team. Our collaboration was characterised by a deep understanding of communication with horses, and a special respect and love for them.”

Kevin met his future wife, Anita, while she was working as secretary at Hickstead. The pair shared a dream of breeding German warmblood palominos.

“Kevin’s goal was to breed a licensed palomino stallion, but unfortunately the years passed without a stallion being born in this colour,” added Nicky.

“In 2012 with only two mares left, and for health reasons, Anita and Kevin had to give up their dream of breeding palomino horses.

“At that time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer, which came as a big shock to me. I told her about Kevin and Anita’s dream, as she loves palominos from Roy Rogers and Trigger days, and always wanted to own a palomino herself. So Anita and Kevin sent her a picture of one of Anita’s mares, called Anita’s Mellow Yellow.

“The belief in the power of this horse helped my mother through her illness and it was decided to give her Anita’s Mellow Yellow and to breed from this horse, to try and fulfil Anita and Kevin’s dream of a licensed palomino stallion.”

Nicole started the breeding programme and Anita’s Mellow Yellow had three filles – two chestnuts and a palomino – all of whom are with Pauli Stud today.

In 2016, they put Anita’s Mellow Yellow to Geuchberg Stud’s Sommertraum (by the Sandro Hit son, Sommerhit), and the result was Saturday Night Fever.

“Kevin, Anita, my mother and I were beside ourselves with joy and happiness,” said Nicky. “In 2019, at the age of two and after spending his early years in the company of other stallions, he started his training in preparation for the licensing at Kreuth Zfdp Winterkoerung in November 2019.”

He was licensed in the special breed section, months before Kevin died in March 2020.

In 2021, Lena Sauberling presented Saturday Night Fever at the stallion centre in Adelheidsdorf and he was accepted. The centre also decided to test special breeds as a jumper for the first time in November. His results mean he is now registered in ZfdP Stallion Book I.

“Kevin and Anita’s dream has come true, also our foundation stone for the breeding has been laid and I now will continue Kevin and Anita’s dream with the Pauli Stud,” said Nicole.

You might also be interested in:

[collection name=”small”]

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The first case has been confirmed in a thoroughbred of fragile foal syndrome, a fatal condition previously thought only to affect warmbloods.

A study by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) with the University of California Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) and Rossdales Laboratories, Newmarket, recommended the disorder be renamed from warmblood fragile foal syndrome.

Foals with the connective tissue disorder, which is caused by a DNA change in the PLOD1 gene, are usually born with extensive lesions caused by very thin, fragile skin, and musculoskeletal abnormalities. These mean they are typically aborted or stillborn, or have to be put down shortly after birth.

The condition had been associated with warmblood horses but having identified the change in DNA in the PLOD1 gene in other breeds, Rebecca Bellone and her team at VGL approached the RVC equine pregnancy laboratory to screen for the condition in its bank of cases of pregnancy loss.

A thoroughbred foal who was put down owing to multiple skin lesions was tested and it was found that the PLOD1 variant was the likely cause of its condition. This is the first documented evidence of fragile foal syndrome caused by the PLOD1 variant in a breed other than a warmblood.

The study, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, recommends renaming the disorder to reflect its findings, and to “ensure appropriate use of testing methods”. It highlights the importance of genetic testing for the disorder in breeds that carry the gene mutation to inform breeding decisions and avoid producing affected foals. The disorder is recessive, so foals will only be affected if they have two copies of the gene mutation – one from the dam and one from the sire.

RVC PhD student Jessica Roach said: “Pregnancy loss, stillbirth and neonatal death remain an important source of reproductive losses for horse breeders worldwide. Over the course of my PhD we have collated a large biobank of tissue and data from late term pregnancy losses through the generous co-operation of UK and Ireland thoroughbred stud farms and Rossdales Laboratories, Newmarket. This has allowed us to explore the risk factors and pathology of many different causes of abortion and stillbirth.

“The collaboration with UC Davis and Lexi Grillos provided a fantastic opportunity to explore fragile foal syndrome in our thoroughbred population and identify the first affected thoroughbred individual. Whilst clearly a distressing condition for affected foals and their owners, the good news is that this lethal syndrome can be avoided with testing and careful mating selection.”

You might also be interested in:

Sick foal found in owner’s living room highlights issues of buying and selling unseen

“The new owners had bought Humphrey unseen and admitted they didn’t realise what looking after a horse fully entailed”

Future perfect? The possible ethical issues of genetic technology *H&H Plus*

Genetic technology offers us the potential to beat equine disease and boost performance, but how far should we go? Dr

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Peter Charles is a household name in showjumping, having forged out a stellar career in the saddle before providing his talented children Harry, Scarlett and Sienna with the springboard to launch their own careers. But did you know he has also built a successful showjumping breeding enterprise, producing some very exciting prospects from his Hampshire pastures? Here, he offers some insight into his methods of choosing a broodmare and breeding top prospects.

“One of my very good friends, Kevin Cooper, who lives down the road from me, got me into the breeding side of the sport,” explains Peter. “He would always talk about it and he had a nice Irish mare, who was a very good 1.40m jumper. We were at a show together and he asked me what I thought of the stallion Carnaval Drum, who he had just bought, and I said: ‘That’s a good one, let’s use him’.

“I rode the progeny, he was called Carnavelly, and I won the six-year-old World Championships, the German Masters, the Berlin grand prix and the World Cup at the London International Horse Show on him. To have had a hand in that horse was fantastic, and that really inspired me to breed myself. Kevin has also bred many good horses since.”

“We have no mares over the age of 16”

Peter has nine broodmares, producing between six and nine foals per year, but, he says, age is crucial when it comes to the mares.

“I believe the younger mares produce the best horses,” he says. “If you also look at horse racing, the successful ones tend to be by young mares. So, I have taken that on board. I try to mainly breed from good pedigrees over a few generations with the mares themselves. They must also have a good jump and conformation. We have no mares over the age of 16 and we start to take embryos from them around 8-10 years old.

“I love seeing the foals being born and bringing them up. Earlier on in my breeding career I sold one horse too early, and I have learnt from this. I sold Clear Rounds Than Party aged two, for £1,500, because I judged the horse too early on his loose jumping. He ended up second in the grand prix at the London International Horse Show. It taught me to never be impatient and if you judge a young horse every time they jump and perform you will be disappointed. They need time to develop, and all are vastly different in their development.

“Clear Rounds Than Party was the first horse that was born here. I must stress I never gave him that name, that was Geir Gulliksen!”

Despite proving successful, Peter is the first to admit it’s not a commercial enterprise.

“I like to keep the foals and not sell too early,” he says. “I’ll buy one or two as well. I like to wait until they are in the spring of their fourth year, before we break them in, this allows the horse to be strong enough to show me what they are like and I will not misread a situation with the horse not being ready or strong enough.

“We never loose jump our horses; they will have a few small jumps with a rider when they are first broken in and this gives us an accurate representation of their talent. Loose jumping can give out a lot of false impressions, and I cannot judge a horse loose jumping at a sale because it can be totally inaccurate.”

Peter Charles: the key to success

So what is the secret to producing a successful showjumper?

“I can’t say for sure, because sometimes you get horses that don’t have any top pedigree lines at the very top of the sport,” he says. “But I do 100% believe that if you have a really good dam, with top breeding going back two or three generations, you are improving your chances of breeding a top horse.

“All a stallion can do is better the mare, so in percentages of probability, you need a very good mare to start with. If you have that, then you are increasing the chances of your success rate – it is not guaranteed, but you are giving yourself a fair chance. However, with some mares it doesn’t matter who you put them to, they still produce outstanding horses.

“The perfect example [of an unexpectedly successful pairing] is Liscalgot who was ridden by Dermott Lennon. They together won the individual World Championship in Jerez de la Frontera in 2002. Liscalgot’s dam was bought by a breeder to act as a way of keeping his grass down in his paddock. One day he decided to put her into foal, but she would not load into the lorry, so they chased her down a road in Ireland to the nearest stallion who happened to be Touchdown. This combination bred the world champion in 2002!”

“Many people pay so much money that they expect instant results”

Talking about forming partnerships with your horse, Peter stresses: “Sometimes partnerships do not work out, but I think with enough time and a smart rider, who does not try to force issues, a partnership can develop. Many people now, do not give the horse time or a chance, they pay so much money that they expect instant results. It has never worked like that – a horse does not know how much it costs.”

Peter, who won team gold at the London 2012 Olympics, says his partner that day, Vindicat (pictured below) was a “true family horse”.

“My wife was the half-owner and my son, Harry, persuaded me to buy the horse as a four-year-old,” he says. “I had just broken my back in three places, so I wasn’t even sure I was going to ride again, so to jump the last round on Vinidicat in order to the win the gold medal for Great Britain at home was something only dreams are made of.”

“The four most iconic arenas in the world”

Talking about the showjumping calendar, Peter says: “I think that Rolex has taken show jumping to next level, it is now on par with all the other sporting Majors, such as tennis and golf. Rolex has picked the four most iconic arenas in the world [for the Rolex Grand Slam] – they are without a doubt historic venues and the history in them needs no explaining. The level of competition associated with those arenas, over the years, is the best in the world.

“CHIO Aachen is beautiful, manicured, and the attention to details unrivalled. It takes your breath away every time. They have taken CHI Geneva to another level, way beyond any other indoor show in the world. The CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ is a long plane ride away, but it is worth every second when you get there. The crowds are phenomenal, and they have created the best show jumping arena in North America. The Dutch Masters is magnificent and steeped in history. Each of those venues are also outstanding for the horses, great stabling, warm up arenas and plenty of room to move them around.

“CHI Geneva is the next Major [8-12 December] and it brings the whole equestrian world together, with the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, the Rolex Grand Prix and the fantastic prize money. It is without doubt the pinnacle of the whole indoor season and is proper grand prix showjumping with no pay cards and no gimmicks.”

Inspired by legendary riders

Peter has been inspired by the likes of such legends as Hugo Simon and Paul Schockemöhle over his glittering career.

“I loved watching the pure belief of Hugo Simon,” he reveals. “I would watch him, his warm-ups, his approach at the beginning of a show. He was the only man to jump every class in the show, and he would try and win them all even on his best horses. His horses had to win and the belief that he gave his horses to win was something you rarely see. I have never seen that level of intensity; a few riders want to win the top few classes at a show, but they usually mainly focus on the grand prix. But Hugo wanted to win from the first day, to the final grand prix. His mental preparation was amazing, and he prepared his horses to win. They knew what to expect from him as a rider, they were ready, and his belief in himself and his horses was extraordinary.

“In 1984 when I won my first World Cup in Brussels on a seven-year-old, called April Sun, after my round Paul Schockemöhle offered to buy the horse. I was quite naïve at that age and I told him that the horse wasn’t for sale. He said are you sure? I told him my plan was to go to the Seoul Olympics. Paul said good luck and look after him because they don’t come around that often. The following year the owner sold him! So ever since then with owners or partnerships, I make sure there is a clear plan. It is better for everyone involved.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam.

You might also be interested in:

Take an exclusive peek round Harry Charles’ yard

H&H visited the Hampshire stables of up-and-coming star Harry Charles and we encountered classy horses, a great team and stunning

Great Britain still in the hunt after Harry Charles jumps in Tokyo Olympic team showjumping qualifier

Harry Charles savours ‘bucket list’ moment as Great Britain wins Nations Cup Final consolation round

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Many people will be familiar with the name Keeley Durham – as well as a successful showjumper in her own right, she’s a respected producer, owner and trainer. But she is also a small-time breeder with an outstanding strike-rate, producing such superstars as John Whitaker’s Aachen grand prix-winner Argento.

However, Keeley only pursued the breeding side of the sport on the advice of Olympic gold medallist Nick Skelton – and thanks to a chance buy.

“When John [Whitaker] was riding Welham [who Keeley owned], we were once down at Nick Skelton’s yard and he suggested that I should get a broodmare and start producing more young horses,” says Keeley.

“I thought this was a great idea, but I did not really act upon it until about two months later when John asked me to go and collect something for his cattle from a local farmer, and I ended up coming back with a two-year-old mare, named Flora May. We bred from her when she was three, before we broke her in, and it all really started from there. After her first foal we jumped her for a little while before she had her second foal – which ended up being Argento.”

Keeley has carried on breeding with Flora May’s progeny.

“She had everything I look for and all of the horses that she has bred have been very correct and that is very important to me,” says Keeley. “For a mare, I think that it is very important to have a good, correct stamp, a good temperament and to be a ‘nice person’. Of course, you also want them to move nicely and jump well.

“For the stallion, I try to match them up to the mare, for example if they need more scope, then I would choose a scopey stallion. They also need good conformation and temperament.”

Arko: ‘Cheeky, but a nice person with a huge amount of jump’

However, Keeley was surprised at how successful her pairing of Flora May was with Arko III, producing the mighty Argento (pictured below).

“Arko, at the time, was a young stallion and Argento was one of his first foals bred in England,” says Keeley. “I chose Arko because I saw him jumping with Nick Skelton when I was travelling around the shows with John and Welham, and I really liked him. Even though he was cheeky, he was a nice person and had a huge amount of jump.”

Keeley went on to sell Argento to John Whitaker.

“Malcom Pyrah would say ‘I nearly vet the person buying my horse as much as they would want to vet the horse’ and I do not sell many of my horses, but when I sold Argento to John, I already had a very good relationship with him and trusted him a lot,” reveals Keeley. “More recently I sold a horse called Arakan to the United States of America, and if I didn’t like the people, I probably would not have sold him.

“I have never sold any foals; I always produce them up to competition level,” she adds. “As well as showjumpers, I have bred one horse that went up to intermediate eventing and others that have not been superstars, but they have been nice horses.”

‘It only takes 10 minutes for something to go wrong’

The nurturing of her youngstock is key to Keeley’s success.

“It is very important that you have access to enough land – so that [the youngsters] can live out and be horses,” she says. “The foals should grow in a natural environment for as long as possible until you start breaking them in. I also think that it is very important to handle the foals correctly from when they are born. We start leading our foals from day one – they will have a headcollar on and are taught to lead in-hand from the very first day.

“I don’t breed many foals, so I can spend time with them and give them more attention than you could do in a big breeding yard and that is what I enjoy. I love the foals and looking after them. I think if you are foaling them at them at home you must be committed to being there and watching them through the night – it only takes 10 minutes for something to go wrong. Everything can be alright one minute and then the next you need to be there for the mare and foal.”

Keeley is particularly excited about a three-year-old she has bred out of Betty May – a daughter of Flora May and a full-sister to Argento. The filly is by Big Star.

“She is called Stellar; we have not loose jumped her but from seeing her around the field, I think she is one to watch,” says Keeley.

From humble beginnings: ‘I kept falling off!’

In the saddle, Keeley says her proudest moments came when winning the young riders class at Horse of the Year Show in 1991 and being part of the gold medal-winning young rider team at the 1992 European Championships riding the great Welham.

“My earliest equestrian memory comes from when I was 10 years old, and I went to my first show at the Parklands Equestrian Centre,” says Keeley. “I was competing in a clear round class, and each round cost my father 50p – I think he ended up spending £20 for me to finally get a clear round rosette because my pony kept stopping and I kept on falling off!”

She enjoys going to some of the sport’s great shows, such as the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping venues Aachen and Spruce Meadows.

“I think the Rolex Grand Slam has been very positive for the sport – it is something for the top showjumpers as well as the next generations to aim for,” she says. “The prize-money is incredible and to be able to aim for the bonuses gives the riders a real drive to succeed.

“I have been incredibly fortunate, and I have been to all of the Majors. I think that they are all amazing shows, but I think that my favourite is Aachen. It has very special memories for me, with John and Welham (pictured below) winning the grand prix there in 1997 – it is like winning Wimbledon for tennis. I also love Spruce Meadows, it is such a unique show, especially where it is situated. The Southern Family are so welcoming, they make you feel like part of the family and they will go any lengths to help you out. They have improved it so much and the atmosphere is incredible.”

While Keeley can proudly say that she’s already bred a superstar, she still has plenty of goals she hopes to achieve.

“It would be lovely to breed another horse like Argento,” she enthuses. “They say that you only have one good horse in a lifetime, but I have been so lucky to have had Welham and Argento. I achieved every Pony Club girl’s dream when I bred Argento. I would, however, love to breed a coloured horse out of Betty May if I found the right coloured stallion.

“Recently I have started taking on a few clients on my yard that have competition horses,” she adds. “I coach and mentor them. I love being on their journeys and helping them achieve their goals and guiding the management of their horses. I have three main clients, one of which is Evie Toombes, the para-rider – she is such an inspiration and I love being part of her journey. My other two clients are Evie’s mother Caroline and Andrea Lloyd.

“I think that you have to go into the industry with a good attitude and be willing to work hard and listen. I think that listening is so important, I lot of people come to me and they don’t listen – I find this very frustrating when you have to constantly tell people what to do. In addition, you have to be ambitious and be willing to work hard for your goals.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam.

You may also be interested in…

Meet inspirational para showjumper Evie Toombes

‘Sit tight, I’ve got this’: British para rider clears extra 1.50m fence in 90cm class

Evie Toombes was up on the clock when her mare locked-on to a huge upright from the CSI3* class, which

‘He owes us nothing’ — John Whitaker retires his great stallion Argento

‘I would have my yard full of Argento offspring if I could!’ — owners reveal why they chose these bloodlines

‘They say that horses find you, something I never truly understood until I met Arko’ — meet the next generation

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The illustrious dressage stallion Sandro Hit has died aged 28, after suffering from an infection.

Sandro Hit died at the Schockemöhle stallion station in Germany, where he has been based throughout his life. Bred by Reinhold Harder, he was by Sandro Song and out of the Ramino mare Loretta.

“Sandro Hit was especially close to my heart. He was something very special and the real founder of my stallion station. We are very affected by his loss,” said his owner, breeding mogul Paul Schockemöhle, who bought him at auction in 1993 as a foal.

Sandro Hit’s influence on dressage breeding cannot be underestimated – he can be credited as being behind a whole dynasty of modern dressage horses. He has more than 200 licensed sons, including top breeding stallions San Amour, San Remo and Sir Donnerhall I, and also has more than 490 daughters who have been awarded state premium status – including Poetin, the world champion and double Bundeschampion.

Sandro Hit was himself world champion and bundeschampion as a six-year-old under Ulf Möller. He was trained to grand prix, but stopped competing as a seven-year-old in order to focus on breeding. 

Among his offspring are countless horses who have made their mark in sport at top level. Among these is Dorothee Schneider’s world number three dressage horse Showtime FRH, winner of two Olympic team gold medals for Germany, most recently at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as being the individual European silver medallist in 2019. 

His influence as a sire of modern horses is shown by the fact that eight of the horses in the grand prix at this year’s Tokyo Olympics were sons or daughters of Sandro Hit, including Salvino, the ride of Adrienne Lyle, who won silver as part of the USA team. In fact, all three horses on the silver-medal winning USA team are descendants of Sandro Hit, with Sabine Schut-Kery’s Sanceo being by San Remo, and Steffen Peters’ Suppenkasper being by the Sandro Hit grandson Spielberg. A total of 14 horses who competed in the Olympic grand prix are descendants of Sandro Hit, with British reserve rider Gareth Hughes’ Sintano Van Hof Olympia also being a Sandro Hit son.

He is also the damsire of the current world number four – and former world number one – dressage horse, Isabell Werth’s Olympic and European gold medallist Weihegold OLD (by Blue Hors Don Schufro).

“I’m very happy to have quality sons of Sandro Hit who will secure his wonderful genes. It’s a very difficult farewell,” added Paul. 

Sandro Hit is currently sitting third in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses sire rankings, having been second in 2017 and 2018.

You may also be interested in…

Sport horse stallions – does breeding or sport come first? *H&H Plus*

Selene Scarsi investigates the factors that make up a stallion’s career, and asks whether it is breeding or competing that

Nine young stallions standing in Britain that breeders need to know about

If you're planning to swerve the top names and use a younger, upcoming stallion to breed from this year, take

H&H’s sport horse breeding editor’s blog: sexy stallions and a scintillating show

H&H's sport horse breeding editor reflects on an eye-opening trip to Germany's stallion shows

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Whether you run a stud or are looking to breed your own foal, here’s our pick of broodmares for sale on the H&H website this week, or if none of the below suit your needs, start your search for your next horse here. Our website has more horses than ever currently listed for sale – thanks to our partnership with SEIB, we are now offering all standard horse for sale adverts for free. Have you got a horse to sell? Place your free advert here

Horse & Hound does not support any activity that isn’t in line with the current Government guidelines, nor buying horses unseen. If the current guidelines for your region allow viewings to take place, please ensure they are conducted in accordance with the latest social distancing rules.

1. ‘Excellent mum’

Height: 17hh

Age: 13

Selling points: “This bay roan Clydesdale broodmare is an excellent mum. She has foaled all on her own with no complications. She will be put back to 18.3hh Clydesdale stallion. Both are registered with the Clydesdale Horse Society. Only selling due to stud closure.”

View the advert

Find other horses for sale in Cornwall

2. ‘Excellent breeding’

Height: 16.1hh

Selling points: “This pink papered KWPN broodmare is in foal to a 18.3hh Clydesdale. She has excellent breeding and is a great mover. Last year’s foal is incredible and will make 17hh+ . She is confirmed PD (March 2022). The best of both worlds; sports horse x heavy. Only selling due to stud closure.”

View the advert

Find other horses for sale in Cornwall

3. ‘Reserve champion’

Height: 16.3hh

Selling points: “This KWPN broodmare, Zenica, is Sandro Hit x Olivi x Juventus x Wellington x Amor x Pericles xx on the stallion’s side and she is in foal to Frankie Lee (24 April 2021). Zenica was reserve champion of the province Limburg (Nld) as a three-year-old. Zenica is also the grandmother of the promising grand prix horse Vamos Amigos (by Vitalis) ridden by Cathrine Dufour. Zenica has a dark bay foal at her foot which was born on 13 February. Its sire is KWPN premium stallion Kaiman (Dark Pleasure x Gribaldi).”

View the advert

Find other horses for sale in Gelderland

4. ‘Beautiful’

Height: 14.2hh

Age: 16

Selling points: “Camp Lilly is a very traditionally bred mare By Glanns Owen (x Abbeyleix Owen) out of a Cong Admiral mare. She stands at around 148cm and is a smart, eye-catching mare, who moves very well. This mare is easy to do, lives in or out, with mares or geldings. She is thought to have been broken in a previous home. Lilly has previously had her own foals and been a recipient mare for embryo transfers. She is a great mother and easy to get in foal. She has been scanned in foal for 2022, due to foal end of March to Glencroft Go For Gold, a top jumping stallion for the future – at only seven years old, he has over 60 SJI points, jumping up to 1.10m. He is by I Love You Melody and out of Grey Rock Trish who is by Derrigragh Robin. He is a full brother to international jumping pony Blackwoodland Rock.”

View the advert

Find other horses for sale in Galway

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

5 cracking Connemara ponies for sale (you’ll want them all)

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

5. ‘Lovely model’

Height: 14.2hh

Age: six

Selling points: “This NPS registered mare has been shown lightly with success up until she was three. She was lunged and long-reined as a youngster but was then put in foal and produced a stunning filly foal, which has been retained. She is an ideal breaking project or broodmare. She is known to weave in stable but this is manageable with a weave bar on stable door and yard routine. She is good to catch/lead/farrier/vaccinations all up to date.”

View the advert

Find other horses for sale in North Yorkshire

NB: Horse & Hound has not checked the accuracy of the claims made in these adverts and cannot be held liable if the information included above is inaccurate in any way

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

William “Twink” Allen, a leading expert in equine reproduction, died on 6 June following a short illness, aged 80.

Through his often ground-breaking endeavours, Professor Allen made significant contributions to the field of equine reproduction, including work on embryo transfers and the development of ultrasonography in thoroughbred breeding.

Tessa Clarke, breeding consultant and former West Kington Stud manager, told H&H Professor Twink was the “most extraordinary” man and said she had her whole career to thank him for.

“Through his help and guidance artificial insemination in this country, and possibly around the world, got going. He changed the face of horse breeding, and many other species – he did a lot of work with camels and elephants, but horses were really his forte,” she said.

“Twink was always kind and helpful and there to offer advice. He had an incredible character; he liked to be controversial and get a debate going. At a breeding conference over a decade ago cloning was being discussed, which then was still a fairly taboo subject, and Twink said one day a gelding will win Badminton Horse Trials and you’ll all want to breed from him. That’s exactly what happened, Tamarillo won under William Fox-Pitt, and subsequently they produced a cloned foal from him.

“That was the kind of controversial yet wonderful person Twink was, he came out with sometimes what you thought were crazy ideas, but he was right.”

AI expert Martin Boyle MRCVS told H&H a worldwide network of scientists, former students, veterinary surgeons, breeders and friends will be saddened to learn of Professor Allen’s death.

“Apart from being a great scientist involved in research, he was a great ‘doer’ making sure that experimental results translated into practical results for breeders,” he said.

“Over the past 50 years he had been involved in many of the developments from producing identical twins to those that lead to vastly improved improvements in fertility, especially in the thoroughbred”.

Born in New Zealand, Professor Allen graduated in veterinary medicine from the University of Sydney.

In 1966 he studied a PhD on equine reproduction at the University of Cambridge, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Animal Research Station in Cambridge from 1970 to 1972. He gained fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons by thesis, and in 2002 was appointed CBE.

He later became director of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association equine fertility unit in Newmarket from 1988 to 2007.

Professor Allen was appointed Jim Joel professor of equine reproduction at the University of Cambridge in 1996, a role he held until he retired in 2007. He became the honorary director of the Paul Mellon Laboratory of Equine Reproduction at Newmarket from 2008 to 2015, and in 2015 became director of the equine reproduction laboratory at the Sharjah Equine Hospital, United Arab Emirates.

Continued below…

Special award for Professor “Twink” Allen at Animal Health Trust

The annual Animal Health Trust (AHT) Equestrian Awards on 1 November culminated in a special achievement award for Professor “Twink”

Green light for horse cloning

The Home Office has given Professor Twink Allen of the Equine Fertility Unit permission to clone horses for scientific research

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA) group, part of the Australian Veterinary Association, described Professor Allen as a “godfather” of equine reproduction.

“So many of our routine procedures in horse breeding are with thanks to Twink. He has left a great legacy,” said an EVA spokesman.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Legendary showjumping sire Heartbreaker has died aged 32, leaving a dominant dynasty competing at the top level across the world.

The Nijhof family announced that Heartbreaker had died from old age on 10 April and paid tribute to the son of Nimmerdor as “one of the most important pillars” of the stud.

The stallion was bought by Henk Nijhof from Meinte Jensma in 1989, and had a stellar competition career of his own, as well as the legacy he leaves as a sire.

“In 1997 we started the breeding station in Geesteren Gld,” said the family tribute.

“Heartbreaker was the first stallion at our station 24 years ago. He has a special place in our hearts.

“Many thanks to Silvia Evers who took care of him with heart and soul in recent years. Heartbreaker, thank you for everything and for all the beauty you have left to global breeding.”

Heartbreaker competed at elite level with Dutchman Peter Geerink; their results included the leading showjumper of the year title at Horse of the Year Show 2000 and fourth in the 1999 Aachen grand prix.

But it was Heartbreaker’s legacy in the sport in the form of his descendants for which he will be best remembered.

He was listed on the World Breeding Federation of Sport Horse’s sire rankings for seven consecutive seasons, and was said to have three sons and 15 grandsons competing at the 2014 World Equestrian Games.

His sons include the prolific international grand prix winner Romanov II, piloted by Britain’s Phillip Spivey before going to Ireland’s Billy Twomey and latterly Bertram Allen. His many approved stallion sons include Cidane, Toulon, Zambesi, Action Breaker and Halifax Van Het Kluizebox.

His best-known grandchildren include Scott Brash’s London 2012 team Olympic gold and Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping winner Hello Sanctos, who is by Quasimodo Van De Molenreef (Heartbreaker x Lys de Darmen), and the great Cornet Obolensky (Clinton x Heartbreaker).

The late Hearts Destiny, who competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and helped Britain to team silver at the 2019 Europeans, also counted Heartbreaker as a grandsire, as did five- and six-year-old young horse world champion HH Earley.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The achievements of his offspring meant Heartbreaker was given KWPN’s highest accolade for a stallion, “preferent”, and in 2016 he was crowned KWPN horse of the year for his contribution to sport horse breeding.

A WBFSH tribute added: “We are very sad to hear of the passing of the one and only Heartbreaker. His legend and enormous influence live on in his offspring. What a fantastic life and legacy.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Top dressage sire Rubin Royal OLD has celebrated his 25th birthday in the “best of health”.

The stallion (Rohdiamant x Grundstein II) counts grand prix stars of the British dressage scene Rosalie B, Rubins Nite and Rubin Al Asad among his many progeny.

“We are very proud that this main sire is enjoying the best of health,” said the stud’s operation’s manager Wolfgang Stagge, adding that it was “not an easy task at all” to get him to pose for a birthday photo.

“He [has] always [been] so full of energy and this joy of movement and willingness to perform certainly explains his own placings [at] grand prix and the outstanding successes of his offspring.”

Rubin Royal Old, known to his breeder Harli Seifert as “Rubinchen”, was standing at stud until last year (frozen semen is still available) and remains the star at Dressurpferde Leistungszentrum Lodbergen in Germany.

He was the first colt out of Harli’s favourite mare, Rumirell (Grundsetin II x Akzent II) — a direct descendant of top international eventing mare Chica (breeding name Rudilore II), whose progeny include 30 licensed stallions.

Rubin Royal OLD had a successful dressage career of his own, with top national results under Dieter Weichert before moving to Hendrik Lochthowe, with whom he achieved numerous top-10 international grand prix finishes.

In 2015, he made it into the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses’ top-10 list of dressage sires for the first time, and was ranked third in 2017 and 2018.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

Tales from Stoneleigh: the horse with his own carrot fridge

Meet the globetrotting, home-produced grand prix horse who adores the crowd and lights up at shows

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Sport horse stallions – does breeding or sport come first? *H&H Plus*

Selene Scarsi investigates the factors that make up a stallion’s career, and asks whether it is breeding or competing that

His progeny are among British dressage’s top pairings of recent years.

Rubin Al Asad, owned by the Bechtolsheimer family, was crowned British Dressage national champion with rider Lara Butler in 2018. The consistent pair have rarely been out of the top placings at international grands prix and were also reserve for the Olympics, European Championships and World Equestrian Games between 2016 and 2018.

Hayley Watson-Greaves’ multiple international-winning stable star Rubins Nite is another of his sons and have also claimed the British Dressage national champion title (2017), while Laura Tomlinson’s grand prix ride Rosalie B is among the leading competition mares sired by him.

He has also sired successful showjumpers and eventers, including CCI4* (now five-star) eventer RF Demeter.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Selene Scarsi investigates the factors that make up a stallion’s career, and asks whether it is breeding or competing that contributes most to his value

BREEDING or sport – which comes first for a stallion? Is it a better commercial strategy for a stallion to be the “hot new thing” – fashionable and successful as a young horse – then retire from sport in order to focus solely on breeding to maximise his gains as a sire? Or, conversely, is it more beneficial for a stallion to compete to higher levels – with less likelihood of competitive glory but more exposure?

Most stallion owners in the three Olympic disciplines are unanimous in preferring to prioritise sport over breeding, both as a way of increasing their stallions’ value, and as the most effective advertising campaign for their stud. Indeed, it is rare that a stallion is deemed so valuable as a sire that he is retired early from sport. But a stallion’s career path is dictated by many elements, not least the logistics of collecting semen, which forces some breeders – especially in Britain – into an either/or situation.

Woodlander Stud’s Lynne Crowden feels strongly that stallions should compete, but explains that it can be a struggle to balance breeding duties with competition training for logistical reasons.

“I don’t think anyone in this country has the kind of set-up that’s common in Germany, Denmark or the Netherlands, where the dressage stallions are ridden and breed from the same location,” she explains. “Here we have some fabulous stallions but in order to collect semen, we need to travel them to a different location, and that makes it a harder process.

“Our Woodlander Rockstar, for example, had only frozen semen available as an international grand prix horse, as it was logistically impossible for him both to breed and train,” adds Lynne. “You have to be able to either compete and collect your stallion from the same place, or make a strategic decision to sustain interest in the horse by taking him out of breeding and putting more training in, so that you can build his competition credentials.”

Working from home

EVEN at large studs in Europe where stallions can, effectively, work from home, the priority firmly remains on sport. Saskia Conredel of Gestüt Bonhomme, the German dual-purpose stud standing, among others, D’Egalité and Grey Flanell, explains: “Some stallions, like Morricone or Cadeau Noir, don’t have any problem having two jobs, so we can easily keep training and collecting fresh semen at the same time. Other stallions find it harder, and in those cases our priority is the sport.

“For instance, our dressage stallion Fiderdance was having a hard time concentrating on his grand prix training while breeding. To make it easier for him, we decided to make him available as frozen semen only, precisely because we want to concentrate on the sport,” says Saskia, adding that the 12-year-old Fidertanz son will return to breeding when he retires from dressage, but emphasising that he will not be retired any earlier than if he was not a breeding stallion.

“Irrespective of the discipline, our priority is always the top sport – whatever that means for each individual horse, as obviously not everyone is going to reach grand prix and, while one jumper might get to 1.60m, another’s limit might be 1.45m or 1.50m.

“When we look at a young stallion, we try to make our best assessment of his future potential – looking for a great hindleg, outstanding temperament, and so forth – and then, after that, we’re actually quite chilled. We take everything slowly, and do not aim for the Bundeschampionate or other intensive young horse classes at all.”

Bonhomme pride themselves on keeping their stallions healthy and motivated, and are careful not to do too much too early. Dressage stallions tend to start competing towards the end of their four-year-old year, having bred lightly from three, while their showjumpers might not compete until they are five.

“In some cases, we leave it even longer. Our jumping stallion Zinedream was so cool and easy-going that we knew he wouldn’t need to show much – he only started to compete properly at six.

“We become more interested in competitions when they are seven or eight, and their bodies are more able to cope with the pressures of training,” adds Saskia. “But we are lucky to be in this position because the stud owner, Rebecca Gutman, runs various businesses. The stud needs to be viable, but it’s not a tragedy if a stallion has 200 fewer mares in his first year because he hasn’t competed as much as others of his age. Other studs have to do what the market dictates.”

Lynne agrees that success in young horse classes will not usually be enough to create a sustained, lucrative breeding career. She points to the example of German Kristina Bröring-Sprehe’s Olympic medallist Desperados FRH, whose lasting popularity as a sire came only after he reached the very highest levels of the sport.

“Either you keep changing your stallion roster so that you always have the ‘next fresh thing’ – but that’s something that only very large studs can afford to do – or you invest in training to high levels. I always tell would-be stallion producers that they have to invest in the capital value of the stallion, because in the end they will go out of fashion,” Lynne says.

“Not to mention that, financially, you are much more likely to get revenue from selling a stallion as a grand prix horse rather than through stud fees. So you have to think of competitions not only for their advertising potential, but also because at some point, a stallion might no longer be desirable in breeding, and will need to have a value, and that value will depend on his competition success,” Lynne concludes.

A career in both camps

BUT the market can be wildly disorientating, with demand for young stallions varying between disciplines and countries, making it a challenge to work out how to structure a stallion’s dual-career.

At the beginning of the breeding programme at Gestüt Westfalenhof, the home of renowned dressage sire Belissimo M, stud manager Kathrin Sudhölter was adamant that she would focus on getting the Dimaggio son Desario, then seven, to grand prix before focusing on his breeding. It was Andreas Helgstrand who retorted that for Desario to become a successful foundation stallion for the stud, he should breed while he was young.

“Guess who was right? Andreas,” Kathrin says. “A lot of breeders on the Continent want the latest fashion, the most recent licensing champion. I think this is connected to the fact that a lot of dressage breeders don’t really care about breeding a grand prix horse, but want a foal with a flashy trot and spectacular front legs. Those breeders are less likely to be interested in a proven grand prix stallion, as they tend to go for the next hot thing.”

But Kathrin believes that this is quite discipline-specific, and that jumping breeders tend to be more performance-orientated.

“In showjumping, things are totally different: the stallions get mares when they reach the highest levels of the sport,” she explains. “A case in point is our Heartbreaker stallion Vancouver D’Auvray, who didn’t breed for years, but excelled in sport. Breeders started using him when, and because, he became successful internationally.

“You also don’t tend to get quite so much money for a showjumping foal, so you have to invest more in the training,” she adds. “That’s why jumping breeders want to breed more international sport horses, rather than foals. A showjumping breeder has to invest in the future; it’s a totally different world.”

Performance is key

ULTIMATELY, allowing a stallion to reach his own competition potential is something that stallion owners owe breeders. British dressage team member Lottie Fry, who rides the Van Olst stallions in the Netherlands, stresses that, despite many dressage breeders’ desire for flashy foals, the sport is always more important than breeding for their stallions.

“The goal for every horse is grand prix – even for those stallions who are extremely successful in young horse classes and start breeding at four. If they are successful only until they are six or so, that’s not very exciting for a breeder,” she explains.

“Those breeders who do use our young stallions like to continue following their journey all the way to grand prix.”

While a stallion’s early popularity with breeders appears to vary between disciplines, it is clear that it is sporting performance that drives success as a sire.

“Breeders who choose your stallion need to be able to talk about the father of their foal and say, not, ‘Oh he was a pretty horse and I used him in his first year,’ but rather, for example, ‘He had three internationally licensed sons, and now he’s training for grand prix’,” concludes Lynne, citing the example of her stallion Woodlander Wild Child. “Then, they can look at their own Wild Child and say: ‘Yes, that was worth doing.’”

Career spin-offs

Some stallions’ career paths veer in unexpected directions. Catherston Stud’s popular stallion Timolin was bred for dressage, but is proving a popular eventing sire, producing talented progeny in both disciplines equally.

Jennie Loriston-Clarke says: “We first noticed that he had an amazing jump in him when he loose-jumped for his grading; Totilas, his father, does have jumping lines on the dam side. He ended up eventing at intermediate level. Now we’re focusing on dressage because, at 10 years old and with small tour wins under his belt, he’s nearly reached grand prix.

“But he’s proved himself as an eventing sire as well as a dressage sire, producing trainable and bold offspring, and is perhaps right now even more popular as an eventing rather than a dressage stallion.”

Sometimes the decision to put competition first is taken away. Suzanne Lavandera purchased Dimaggio, one of the leading dressage sires in the history of the sport, as a three-year-old, and admits she wanted “a competition horse we could breed with”.

Suzanne went on to win the five-year-old World Breeding Championship with him in 2000, but aged eight Dimaggio contracted hormonal laminitis, which put an end to his sport career and he became a breeding stallion.

“We never stopped him being a competition horse; his laminitis did that,” points out Suzanne. “The competitions were the priority, but it was amazing that, when he wasn’t able to compete anymore, he still could enjoy a career as a breeding stallion, producing dynamic movers who are also trainable.”

.

This exclusive feature is also available to read in H&H magazine, 18 March 2021 issue

You may also be interested in…

Nine young stallions standing in Britain that breeders need to know about

If you're planning to swerve the top names and use a younger, upcoming stallion to breed from this year, take

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Je T’Aime Flamenco – a world-class stallion for breeders on a budget *H&H Plus*

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

Breeding against the odds: how the industry has coped and adapted during Covid-19 *H&H Plus*

We find out more about Je T’Aime Flamenco, the world-class showjumping stallion whose stud fee is unlikely to make your eyes water...

“WHEN I went to try him, I left thinking, ‘I have to buy that horse.’ Je T’Aime Flamenco was an outstanding jumper and already a beautiful-looking horse, with real breeding stallion potential.”

Ask Billy Twomey about his first memories of this special horse and this is the Irish Olympian’s response, drawn from trying the then six-year-old at Pennie Cornish’s yard.

Fast forward 15 years and the Belgian warmblood is one of the most popular stallions standing at Stallion AI Services – he has covered more than 100 mares in the past year – after a hugely successful showjumping career.

Pennie first saw Je T’Aime Flamenco – or “Doug” – when he was a three-year-old.

“I was in Belgium looking for some horses and saw him. He was too expensive for me, so I didn’t buy him,” she reveals.

But the horse Pennie bought didn’t work out and she ended up swapping him for Doug.

“He was the one I wanted anyway, though I got him in a bit of a roundabout way,” she says. “I always loved him. I liked the fact he wasn’t overly flash, but he was light and quick off the floor. He always made a good shape with his front feet really up.”

Pennie says that Doug was easy to break in, but that he went through “a really naughty phase” as a four-year-old.

“He came through it and was just so consistent,” she says, adding that Doug was somewhat overshadowed by Talan, who is the same age and was also produced by Pennie, and who went on to be a championship horse for Britain’s Robert Smith and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal Al Shalan.

“Talan was very, very flash. Peoplewouldn’t take much notice of Doug because he wasn’t flash, but I always preferred Doug because he was naturally more athletic. He came off the floor like a coiled spring.”

Pennie sold Doug to Sue Davies and her husband Eddie, who died in 2018, for Billy to ride.

“It’s always tempting to keep them, but it’s never the right decision,” says Pennie. “If you do so, something happens to them and they are never quite as good. I can’t afford to keep them, but I have a lot of nice young horses and there is always something else coming through.

“It’s nice to see the horses go to people like the Davies and Billy, who you know are going to get the best out of them and will jump them at world-class shows.”

Successful from the start

JE T’AIME FLAMENCO was successful from the start with Billy, finishing third in the six- and seven-year-old classes at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and winning the seven-year-old national championships.

“He was a clear-round machine and very careful,” says Billy. “He was mature in his head and never spooky – nothing really fazed him.”

By the time he was eight, Je T’Aime Flamenco had won the grand prix at HOYS.

“He was a little tricky to train at home as he got worked up, but he had fantastic technique so there was nothing really to train,” says Billy. “When I knew at home wasn’t really his place to work, I used just to keep him in condition at home and jump him loose or on the lunge, then take him straight to shows. He did his job in the ring and didn’t need me to remind him.”

Over the four years he was in his prime, Doug won seven international grands prix, three of them at five-star level. Billy’s favourite memory is winning in Amsterdam in 2009, a victory the pair repeated the following year.

“The jump-off was super fast and the Italian rider Gianni Govoni had gone so fast no one thought anyone could beat him,” he remembers. “We managed to shave a proportion of a second off and win.”

Owner Sue Davies enjoyed watching Doug compete, too.

“He was a pleasure to have as a working showjumper – he’s just been so good,” she says. “I still love to see him at the stallion parades – he shows off and he looks so good for his age.”

Living the high life at Stallion AI

JE T’AIME FLAMENCO retired from competing in 2013 and now lives at Stallion AI’s Shropshire base all year round. He goes out most mornings in a paddock by the car park, where he enjoys seeing all the visitors.

“We’re just about to get him fit ready for the stud season starting at the end of March,” explains Stallion AI’s Sarah Wilkes when we talk in January. “He’ll be fully clipped out and work on the water treadmill. He’s 21 and it’s key there’s no muscle tightness before semen collections, so he’ll go on the horse walker and under heat lamps, plus he has regular physio.”

Doug’s excellent temperament means he has been the demo horse for the centre’s webinars over the past year.

“Temperament is key,” says Sarah. “We deal with some clients who want to breed an Olympic horse, but 80% are hobby breeders or breed commercially for people to bring on for bigger riders to buy. Doug passes on his trainability and temperament.

“Because of his type, ability and excellent performance record, he seems to be the choice for everybody who wants a serious jumping horse. He’s also very versatile and a good match for most mares.”

Doug is available by fresh, chilled or frozen semen at a stud fee of £900+VAT. His semen quality is excellent, such that the centre can offer sexed semen from him.

“A lot of people say that’s a low fee for a stallion of that calibre – when you compare what he and others have produced he’s easily a £1,500 stallion – but his owners wanted to make him accessible to everybody,” says Sarah.

Among the Je T’Aime Flamenco offspring Pennie has bred is Roma IV, who has jumped Nations Cups and was eighth in the five-star grand prix at Gijon in 2018 with Alison Barton.

“Most of the progeny I’ve known are bigger than Doug – Roma is quite a big mare – and he certainly throws jumpers,” says Pennie.

Billy Twomey’s ride Kimba Flamenco, winner of three grands prix, is another flagbearer for the stallion. He is out of a Heartbreaker mare.

“I see similarities to Doug in Kimba Flamenco. They’re horses you need to meet halfway, not horses you could bully or force to do anything. In one way, they are super straightforward; it seems they just want to be treated the correct way and then they’ll do anything for you,” says Billy. “But I have a very good eight-year-old who’s quite different, so they’re not all like that.”

This pair are backed up by the likes of WKD Aimez Moi, who jumped at the 2019 Nations Cup Final with Egypt’s Sameh El Dahan, and Fellow Castlefield, who was fourth in the Dublin grand prix and in the top 12 at two young rider Europeans with Ireland’s Susan Fitzpatrick, and who is now with Greece’s Athina Onassis.

With over 55% thoroughbred blood, Doug also appeals to the eventing market, says Sarah. In this sphere, his progeny include the four-star mare J’Adore Salsa, ridden by Tyler Cassells, and three-star horses such as Hilton Cooley with Wills Oakden.

Billy’s instincts were right when he first saw the young Je T’Aime Flamenco – he was indeed an outstanding jumper and he continues to prove his worth as a stallion, with the best yet to come from many of his progeny.

Je T’Aime Flamenco’s breeding

JE T’AIME FLAMENCO was bred in Belgium by Michel Spaas. His sire, Flamenco De Semilly jumped successfully, and counts among his progeny Wonderboy III, who jumped at London 2012 and the 2010 World Equestrian Games with Syria’s Ahmed Saber Hamcho.

Flamenco De Semilly is by the young rider team gold-medal winner Le Tot De Semilly, whose progeny include Cevo Itot Du Chateau, who jumped at two Olympics with Edwina Tops-Alexander, and the world team gold medallist and prolific sire Diamant De Semilly.

Je T’Aime Flamenco’s dam Quansie Van De Halhoeve competed and won at 1.50m level in Belgium, and she is by Landetto, a son of the super-sire Landgraf.

.

This exclusive feature is also available in H&H magazine, on sale Thursday 18 March, 2021

You may also be interested in…

Nine young stallions standing in Britain that breeders need to know about

If you're planning to swerve the top names and use a younger, upcoming stallion to breed from this year, take

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

Modern breeding methods: what are they and which one is right for your mare?

7 things you always wanted to know about breeding, but were too embarrassed to ask

H&H’s Polly Bryan meets Waverley Stud’s Sara Longworth, and finds a shrewd breeder whose modest operation is punching above its weight...

QUALIFYING a horse for the World Breeding Championships is a huge achievement for any breeder, let alone someone who only breeds a handful of horses per year. So it is especially impressive that not one but two of the British horses who appeared on the selection list last autumn carried the Waverley Stud prefix: Waverley Fellini, selected for the five-year-old championship, and Waverley Dante, reserve in the seven-year-old category.

Of course, the championships themselves, scheduled for December 2020 in Verden, were cancelled due to the rapidly escalating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, but this should not detract from the achievements of Waverley Stud and its savvy owner Sara Longworth, for whom this recognition capped a “phenomenal” year.

It is the talented young Fürstenball x Sandro Hit son Fellini who has spearheaded the Warwickshire stud’s success over the past 12 months. He was crowned national novice champion under Greg Sims in August, before going on to win the national five-year-old championship as well as his Verden selection trial in October.

Across the Channel, French Olympian Jessica Michel-Botton partnered Waverley Don Amour to three-year-old glory at the French breeding championships, while the likes of Fairchild, De Caprio, So Cliquot and Night Music have been catching the eye on the British circuit.

But it was the Dimaggio son Dante who put Waverley on the map back in 2017, when he and Greg won the national four-year-old title at Stoneleigh. Greg, who bought the gelding from Sara as a foal, admits the win came as a surprise, with the diminutive Dante rising above many big names. But the pair have continued to prosper. The now eight-year-old Dante is on the brink of prix st georges, and has only scored below 70% five times in his entire career to date.

10 years of breeding

THE achievements of Waverley horses in 2020 aptly mark the 10-year anniversary of Sara’s first foray into breeding – while still working in the high-flying corporate career that had dominated her life to that point.

“I grew up in Cheshire surrounded by horses. My godfather bred racehorses and I did a lot of Pony Club, Prince Philip Cup games and hunting. But I went straight from Oxford University into international banking,” says Sara, who went on to work in New York, Chicago and Silicon Valley.

“I was in San Francisco during the dotcom boom and the internet start-up phase and it was a really exciting time. But I remember telling my husband that I wouldn’t feel fully successful until I had a horse in my life again. We moved back to the UK in 2003, and I bought a couple of horses for me to ride, before realising I was fascinated by breeding – maybe because of my godfather. I wanted to own a horse from the very beginning, to know everything that happened to it. You see so many quirky horses and I always wondered what experiences had contributed to that.”

Although she bought a potential eventer, it was dressage that piqued Sara’s interest, both in terms of breeding and her own riding.

“I started subscribing to H&H when we arrived back in the UK and I was always drawn to the dressage pages. Those were the stories I loved the most. I find dressage so interesting. It is highly technical and I am detail orientated.”

Sara’s first foal, Sundance, arrived in 2010, and from that moment she was hooked. With husband Howard and daughter Henrietta, Sara bought Waverley Farm, near Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and acquired two more mares under the guidance of the late Tony Pidgley.

“I always wanted to buy the best mares I could, and to keep the whole thing small – quality not quantity is my mantra,” explains Sara. “I know I cannot achieve the right level of detail or focus if I have too many horses. As a result, I know each of my mares inside out, and their babies, too.”

Third generation from six broodmares

NOW, Sara has six broodmares – four Oldenburg, two Hanoverian – and is breeding the third generation from them. Among these are her foundation mares, both Oldenburg: Lady Sunshine by Sandro Hit out of the De Niro mare Lady Diva – “I know you aren’t supposed to have favourites but she is mine” – and Lady Sun, also Sandro Hit x De Niro but out of Lady’s Nice.

“I feel strongly about buying the best mare you can afford; she doesn’t have to be famous,” says Sara, earnestly. “I always look at the progeny through the generations and what they have done. I’d rather buy a mare who has a lot of family out competing, rather than a mare who may be the full sister of a famous stallion, but without any progeny competing.

“It’s also important for them to have the right temperament and conformation for breeding, with as few faults as possible. Carrying a foal is hard work, so broodmares have to be sound and fit. Mine are not ridden but they go on the walker and are kept fit. They all look incredible, like riding horses, not broodmares.”

Sara has opted not to stand stallions at Waverley, and does not intend this to change.

“Some people question whether you can call yourself a stud without a licensed stallion, but I don’t agree,” she says firmly. “I want to breed top-notch competition horses. I think Fellini and Fairchild would have licensed but keeping stallions is not my focus. It’s a different game and I think it would be a huge financial risk.”

So, how does Sara go about choosing the best stallion to complement her mares? Knowing them as well as she does is half the battle, but with so many stallions available nowadays thanks to artificial insemination, the options are almost endless.

“Temperament and longevity are hugely important to me and I feel you can’t really gauge that until a stallion is in work and competing, so I don’t usually take a punt on young stallions,” she explains. “I tend to go for established, competing stallions who have proven inheritable traits. It’s another reason to stick to a small mare pool, too, as it means I can match more reliably.”

There have been a few exceptions, though.

“I used Morricone in the first year he bred. I saw him and thought, ‘Wow, he is just outstanding’. I also used Kjento last year as I think he is incredible. I’ve actually been leaning towards Dutch breeding recently. This year all the stallions I have used are Dutch.”

Realising a dream: life on Waverley Farm

“WE came to see the farm because I love the Waverley Novels by Walter Scott,” laughs Sara. “We have a traditional stable yard we call the ‘boys’ yard’ and more open, barn-style stabling for the mares. It’s beautiful and idyllic, but hard work. I’m so lucky that everyone is involved in helping me realise my dream.”

Sara’s husband, Howard, is not horsey, but hugely supportive.

“He thinks dressage is like watching paint dry but he loves the horses – he sings to them,” says Sara, whose daughter Henrietta, now 18 and off to university, does not ride anymore but helps with foaling and “knows all the breeding lines”.

Charlotte Smith (pictured with Waverley Lady Bordeaux) is Sara’s head girl, who came to Waverley from Redwings in 2010.

“She is the most loyal, dedicated person and is detail orientated like me; she spots anything,” says Sara. “Charlotte does a lot of the work with the foals, especially after they’re weaned, when they’re feeling at their most insecure. Because we have so few, it means we can keep on top of them and give them all the attention they need.”

Farrier Mitch Norton and vet Mat Fernandez – “he has inseminated all our mares for years so he has made the vast majority of our horses” – complete the core team that keeps the Waverley cogs turning.

A retirement career

WHILE Sara’s savviness and love for breeding have helped her succeed in what she terms her “retirement career” – she finally closed the door on her corporate life in 2014 – she has been both fortunate and considered in the people she has around her. Integral to Waverley Stud and its success has been Greg Sims, former young horse rider for the Eilberg family, whom Sara describes as “an amazing horseman”.

Greg’s partnership with Waverley came about almost by accident.

“I met Geri Eilberg after Lynne Crowden invited me to the World Breeding Championships the year Woodlander Farouche won her second title with Michael [Eilberg]. I have always thought the world of Ferdi Eilberg as a horseman, and it was the Eilbergs who suggested their rider at the time, Greg, came to view my horses when he was looking for his own,” says Sara.

“Greg and Michael visited several studs, and they chose Dante – I was thrilled. Greg then offered to help with some of my other young horses, and would come over to help with the backing and riding after he finished for the day at the Eilbergs.

“When Greg and his partner Stena [Hoerner] decided to set up on their own, he was my go-to choice to ride more of my horses.”

Greg’s gentle approach to training has helped shape Sara’s attitudes towards working with youngsters.

“I learned through Greg that young horses don’t need to be ridden every day,” she said. “Greg couldn’t ride them more than a couple of times a week but they made huge progress. You don’t need to hammer them into the ground.”

In addition to Dante and Fellini, both of whom he owns, Greg also rides two Waverley five-year-olds: De Caprio, by De Niro x San Amour, and Fairchild, the Fürstenball x Sandro Hit son Sara regards as the best horse she has bred, and one of the few she is reluctant to sell.

“He is a full brother to Fellini but a bigger mover and even more elastic. I think he is just phenomenal,” she enthuses.

Greg agrees: “Fairchild loves to work and, when he has grown into himself a bit more, he has the potential for very high marks.”

Aztec, another five-year-old by Apache out of Sara’s Desperados FRH mare Dalloway, is due to make his competition debut this year with Mandy Day, and will be one to watch, as is his half brother Valentino. This four-year-old Vivaldi son, currently in training with Greg, is owned by American grand prix rider and long-time supporter of the stud Louisa-Marcelle Eadie, who has three more Waverley horses competing in the USA.

“It takes so long for horses to come through to compete, but doing well in the arena is the best advert for Waverley,” says Sara, who sells the majority of her horses as foals. “The ultimate test of a horse is its rideability. We all love to see beautiful horses with wonderful movement, but that’s no use if it can’t be delivered submissively under saddle in test conditions.”

Waverley Stud was born out of Sara’s palpable passion for breeding, a commitment to producing quality over quantity, and her quiet ambition to breed an Olympic horse without compromising this vision. For a small stud, Waverley certainly packs a punch, and there is no reason why Sara will not one day achieve her dream.

Also published in H&H magazine, on sale 18 March 2021

You may also be interested in…

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Nine young stallions standing in Britain that breeders need to know about

If you're planning to swerve the top names and use a younger, upcoming stallion to breed from this year, take

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

Modern breeding methods: what are they and which one is right for your mare?

Breeding against the odds: how the industry has coped and adapted during Covid-19 *H&H Plus*

If you’re thinking of swerving the more established names, and putting your mare to an upcoming, young stallion standing in Britain, here are nine stallions all aged under seven that you might want to consider…

Donnarumma Blue Z (Dominator Z x Chacco-Blue)

Age: four

Studbook: Zangersheide

Stud fee: £800 + VAT elitestallions.co.uk

Donnarumma Blue is standing in Britain this year and has a pedigree bursting with big names. His sire Dominator Z is a hugely successful showjumper, having accumulated numerous international grand prix wins and top placings with Germany’s Christian Ahlmann. He in turn is the son of Diamant De Semilly, who has been second in the world jumping sire rankings for the past two years, and grandson of the great Le Tot De Semilly. Meanwhile Donnarumma Blue’s damsire, Chacco-Blue, topped the world sire rankings in 2021, just as he has done since 2017, as well as being a grand prix winner himself. 

Jacondrik (Jaguar Mail x Contendro I)

Age: five

Studbook: Hanoverian

Stud fee: £650+VAT cauntonmanorstud.com

This exciting young stallion, who is nearly 70% blood, comes from illustrious lines and is certain to get British breeders excited. His sire is Olympic jumping stallion Jaguar Mail, currently the world number one ranked eventing sire, while his dam Cosima is by Contendro I, who has topped the eventing sire rankings himself on numerous occasions and currently sits at number five. Jacondrik will begin his own eventing career in 2022, under none other than Oliver Townend, with his first crop of foals expected this year as well. 

BE Aquila (Golden Hawk x Querlybet Hero)

Age: six

Studbook: Breeders Elite

Stud fee: £800 breenequestrian.com

This young stallion is standing in Britain and available for the first time to breeders in 2022. He is home-bred by Breen Equestrian and is already impressing Shane Breen with his attitude and scope. His sire Golden Hawk has been a prolific winner at international five-star level, while BE Quila’s dam is Fragile D’Or, who jumped at 1.45m level herself with Shane. The youngster qualified for the five-year-old finals at Hickstead and Bolesworth in 2021 and will contest six-year-old classes this year

Blue Hors Zackorado (Blue Hors Zack x Florencio I)

Age: six

Studbook: Oldenburg

Stud fee: £1000 + VAT elitestallions.co.uk

This Blue Hors Zack son could be one of the most exciting young stallions in Britain right now, standing at Elite Stallions in Devon for the 2022 breeding season, and perhaps beyond. Zackorado’s sire is the phenomenally successful grand prix dressage stallion Blue Hors Zack, who finished 11th individually and was the best breeding stallion at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Zackorado himself was champion of his licensing in 2018, and was the fifth most used breeding stallion in Denmark in 2020.

SS Pegasus (Balou De Rouet Z x Voltaire)

Age: six

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: £550 + VAT stallionai.co.uk

This exciting young British stallion, who boasts outstanding jumping bloodlines and whose first crop of foals are due on the ground in 2022, was fourth in the four-year-old championship at the Al Shira’aa Bolesworth Young Horse Championships in 2020, and the highest-placed British-bred horse. Pegasus’ super technique and work ethic is backed up by his pedigree – Balou De Rouet is one the most popular and successful showjumping sires of all time, while his dam Tolita has had a glittering career herself, being placed 17 times at 1.60m.

Future Hepsilon (Upsilon x Heraldik xx)

Age: five

Studbook: Breeders Elite

Stud fee: £650 futuresporthorses.co.uk

As the only licensed son of the record-breaking eventing stallion Upsilon standing in the UK, the powerful, athletic Hepsilon is sure to be busy in 2022, his third year of breeding. His dam, Heraldik Girl-W has already produced two international event horses and her sire, the legendary Heraldik, topped the WBFSH sire rankings for eventing for five consecutive years. 

Lestingdale VS (Glamourdale x Sorento)

Age: six

Studbook: KWPN

Stud fee: £800+VAT clementsequine.com

Described as the “British Glamourdale”, this striking young son of Lottie Fry’s 2018 seven-year-old world champion stallion, who recently scored over 80% at international grand prix, has plenty to get dressage breeders excited. Under Elly Darling, Lestingdale topped the four-year-old championship at the NEXGEN Young Horse Series in 2020 and is now frequently scoring plus-70% at elementary, having been crowned elementary freestyle regional champion in 2022. His first year at stud was 2020, and three of his foals born in 2021 were awarded gold premium status.

Britannia’s Bijou (Littledale Bright Star x Mr Big Cat xx)

Age: five

Studbook: SPSS

Stud fee: £350+VAT lucindafredericks.com/stallion-services

Out of Bella’s Britannia – one of four embryo transfer daughters of Lucinda Fredericks’ legendary eventing mare Headley Britannia – this young stallion is already showing exciting ability under saddle. His sire is top pony stallion Littledale Bright Star, who is only 12.2hh but has sired international progeny in all three Olympic disciplines. Bijou received gold premium status in the 2020 Futurity series and also from the Sports Pony Studbook Society (SPSS). He enjoyed a successful 2021 in showjumping, eventing and four-year-old classes, and will continue his sport career in 2022 alongside covering mares. 

Woodlander Sequoia (Secret x Imperio)

Age: four

Studbook: Oldenburg

Stud fee: £900 woodlanderstud.com

A son of the 2020 Bundeschampion Secret, whose sire is none other than the triple world champion Sezuan, this exciting young stallion standing in Britain this year has performance running through his veins. Sequoia is out of Kiss, a daughter of the Olympic dressage horse Imperio and whose Trakehner line has produced many generations of successful stallions. 

You may also be interested in…

12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare

The breeding jigsaw puzzle: 5 factors that determine a good stallion

From temperament to conformation, Cyden Stallion’s owner Lara Dyson explains what to look for in a stallion

How to spot if your colt has stallion potential *H&H Plus*

A small, select band of colts are worthy of being kept entire — Andrea Oakes finds out how to tell

Getting ready for your mare to foal: useful advice for first-time breeders

Rare sight as ‘close friend’ broodmares foal down next to each other

‘It was a lovely sight when both mares started foaling one after the other’

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Modern reproductive methods may offer a better chance of breeding success, but what do the abbreviations mean – and which is right for your mare? Dr Charles Cooke MRCVS explains

Breeding has always been based on decisions, from which stallion to use to the method of breeding and where to foal the mare. Recently, these decisions have become more numerous, with the emergence of a range of modern assisted reproductive technologies.

Careful planning remains a must, whichever method is chosen, so that you and your vet can maximise the chances of success. Certain questions still need to be asked beforehand. Is the mare healthy? Does she have any conditions that might prevent her from carrying the pregnancy and foaling? Consideration must also be given to when you want the foal to be born, and the logistics of using your chosen stallion.

You may also wonder if you can still breed from your mare while she is competing, or whether it will take several years for her to produce the multiple foals you are hoping for. While much will depend upon your mare’s age, health and breeding history, assisted reproductive technologies may broaden your options, as long as you are not intending to breed a racehorse as natural cover remains the requirement in the thoroughbred racing industry.

Modern assisted reproductive technologies offer solutions for sport horse and pony breeders, and benefits to the horseworld in general. They allow us to ensure the welfare of breeding horses, by using surrogates when a mare cannot carry her own foal, and preserve bloodlines to maintain a wide genetic pool, supporting the recovery of rare breeds.

Technology can also help to preserve the genes of stallions that would otherwise be lost. When a stallion has been critically injured, becomes ill or dies, it is possible to harvest and freeze semen using a process called epididymal sperm extraction. This technique can also be used after a stallion has been castrated.

Mare preparation

Any breeding process requires the mare to be managed with care. This usually involves pre-breeding health tests, including a swab for contagious equine metritis (CEM) and blood samples for equine viral arteritis (EVA) and equine infectious anemia (EIA), along with an understanding of her reproductive cycle.

For most mares, there is a transition from the winter quiescent (inactive) state to a regular 21-day oestrus cycle in March/April, in response to increasing daylight hours. Part of the pre-breeding assessment is to check where the mare is in her cycle, so she can be bred at precisely the right time.

The safety of the mare, handler and vet is paramount, so using stocks and occasionally sedation for examination is advisable.

Artificial insemination (AI)

Artificial insemination (AI), the most commonly used assisted reproductive technology in equine breeding, involves a series of ultrasound examinations and medications to ensure the mare is inseminated close to ovulation (pictured, above). Fresh semen must be used within three hours, but it can also be supplied chilled or frozen. Your choice will dictate how the mare is managed.

Chilled semen is viable for 24 to 48 hours after collection, so must be ordered and couriered following careful monitoring of the mare. Ovulatory drugs help to ensure the follicle ovulates – releases a mature egg – within the correct time frame.

Frozen semen must be stored appropriately (pictured, above right) and can be used when needed over a time period of many years. Increased veterinary input is needed with frozen semen, to time the insemination for the best pregnancy rates. The aim is to inseminate the mare within six to eight hours of ovulation, so repeated ultrasounds, possibly overnight, are required.

Frozen semen doses vary from a single 0.5ml straw to the more usual four to eight straws. The use of the deep intrauterine insemination (DUI) technique is essential for a lower volume, to deposit the sperm at the tip of the uterus – next to the Fallopian tube – where the oocyte (egg) will be waiting.

With appropriate veterinary management before and after insemination, pregnancy rates for chilled and frozen AI are similar – which increases stallion choice.

Advantages: AI opens up a worldwide stallion market. However, if you are considering a non-UK stallion, it is advisable to use an experienced semen agent, due to the new Brexit regulations.

Embryo transfer (ET)

Embryo transfer (ET) involves inseminating a donor mare, then “flushing” her uterus seven to eight days later to collect the embryo. This is transferred into the uterus of the recipient, or surrogate, mare who then carries the pregnancy.

The reproductive cycles of the donor and recipient must be synchronised, so that the embryo remains in similar conditions. It is recommended that two or more synchronised recipients are ready, to ensure the “best fit” with the donor mare at the time of transfer. However, you don’t necessarily need your own recipient mares, as the embryo can be chilled and couriered promptly to a mare at another location.

Advantages: ET can be repeated multiple times during the season, increasing the number of foals a mare can produce per year. It is worth considering for a competition mare, to avoid interrupting her career, or for a mare with fertility issues or an injury that would prevent her from carrying her own pregnancy.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is used in conjunction with Ovum pick-up (below). In this lab-based technique, a single sperm is injected into the matured oocyte, which is held in specialised fluid medium and incubated to encourage the development of an embryo. This can take up to nine days.

Not all of the oocytes will develop into an embryo, but those that do can be transferred immediately into recipient mares or frozen for future use.

Advantages: ICSI is an efficient way of using semen, as a single straw can be used multiple times. The technique is advantageous for sub-fertile stallions or where semen stocks are limited, perhaps because a stallion has died.

OVUM pick-up (OPU)

OVUM pick-up (OPU) is the collection of oocytes from the ovarian follicles of the mare.

The collection process is performed with the mare standing, under sedation with epidural anaesthesia. An internal ultrasound probe is used to visualise the ovary, so that a guided needle can then aspirate (draw) the fluid and oocyte from the follicle. The process continues until 15 to 20 follicles have been aspirated.

The fluid is examined under a microscope. The tiny oocytes are collected, processed and incubated to allow them to mature. Suitable ones are fertilised by intracytoplasmic sperm injections, and the resulting embryo is transferred into a recipient mare.

While OPU is a more involved technique, it is generally well tolerated by the mare and can be repeated in three to four weeks, as long as sufficient follicles develop. It can also be performed outside the usual breeding season. Embryos can then be frozen and stored, exported internationally, or thawed to allow foals to be born at a particular time of the year.

Advantages: OPU is useful for mares with fertility problems – for example, those unable to conceive, maintain or carry a pregnancy, or where ET has been unsuccessful or is not appropriate. As a single-day procedure, involving minimal medication, it is ideal for the busy competition mare.

Meet the veterinary expert

DR CHARLES COOKE is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons advanced practitioner in equine stud medicine and a director at Equine Reproductive Services (UK), a North Yorkshire-based first-opinion and referral practice offering specialist advice to vets and owners. With a passion for all aspects of equine reproduction and fertility, Charles deals with a varied caseload of thoroughbred, sport and leisure horses.01653 668190, equinereproductiveservices.co.uk

Also published in H&H 11 March 2021

You may also be interested in…

Embryo transfer in horses: how it works and what it costs

What is ICSI and how does it work in horse breeding?

Welsh breeding: how it has been a massive influence in sport horses and ponies over the years *H&H Plus*

Breeding expert Tullis Matson on working with legendary stallions – and collecting semen from elephants

Stallion AI Services’ Tullis Matson on famous stallions and his fascinating work with rare breeds and species – including elephants

Breeding against the odds: how the industry has coped and adapted during Covid-19 *H&H Plus*

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Tributes have been paid to Frankel’s dam, Kind, who died following complications after foaling.

Kind (Danehill x Rainbow Lake), a second generation Juddmonte homebred, died on 8 March aged 20, six days after foaling a colt by Kingman.

She won six of her 13 starts on the Flat under the guidance of trainer Roger Charlton, including the Flower of Scotland and Kilvington Stakes, before retiring to stud in 2005, and it is her outstanding contribution to thoroughbred breeding for which she will be best remembered.

Kind leaves five stallion sons at stud, including the unbeaten superstar Frankel and Group One winner Noble Mission. Her daughter, Joyeuse, and granddaughters Jubiloso and Jovial are also continuing her breeding legacy, while her three-year-old Galileo filly, Chiasma, is in training with John Gosden.

“I cannot thank the Rossdales and Juddmonte team enough for the tireless care they have given Kind,” said Juddmonte’s UK stud director, Simon Mockridge.

“To many she will rightfully always be best remembered as the dam of Frankel and Noble Mission, to us at Juddmonte she will always be Kind by name and Kind by nature.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

The Queen unveils Frankel statue at Royal Ascot

A bronze statue of Frankel was unveiled by The Queen on the opening day of Royal Ascot

Meet Frankel’s little sister: adorable first picture

Juddmonte’s UK stud director Simon Mockridge said the filly foal has ‘great presence’

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Kind’s legacy as a broodmare, producing two Group One winners (Frankel and Noble Mission), plus a further Group winner (Bullet Train), means her name is on the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ list of protected names.

Kind’s grand-dam, Rockfest, arrived at Juddmonte in 1983. She was bought privately in 1983 as part of the John “Jock” Hay Whitney dispersal sale.

Rockfest’s progeny included Lancashire Oaks winner Rainbow Lake, who produced three Group/Graded Stakes winners, as well as dual listed winner Kind.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Robust, versatile and trainable, Welsh breeds continue to have a strong influence in the flashiest of sports ponies, both here and on the Continent, finds Madeleine Silver

“Not only is it common for performance ponies to have some Welsh breeding, it’s almost inevitable,” says Lucy Sheldrake, studbook manager of the Sports Pony Studbook Society (SPSS).

You don’t have to look far on the team sheets from recent pony European Championships to find the flag flying for Welsh breeds; take British dressage rider Holly Kerslake and her 2017 team bronze medal-winning Welsh section D Valhallas Zorro, or British eventer Ibble Watson and Bookhamlodge Pennylane who won the 2019 individual silver and team gold medals, another handsome section D.

Perhaps less obvious are the likes of British dressage rider Izzy Lickley’s 2019 Euros ride Mister Snowman – passported as a German Riding Pony, he is by the Welsh section B The Braes My Mobility, with a section D damsire to boot. Similarly, German dressage rider Rose Oatley’s palomino German Riding Pony Daddy Moon, who took the team gold medal at the 2020 Euros, has a Welsh part-bred great grandsire (Oakley Bubbling Bobbety).

Isobel Lickley and Mister Snowman

Wind back the clock, and it’s clear that the influence of Welsh breeds on sports ponies is nothing new.

“It would be difficult to find a top performance pony without Welsh blood,” says Meirion Jones, who bred the now legendary section D Machno Carwyn (see below ). “The Continentals recognised the significance of the Welsh breeds early on and so lots of quality breeding stock was exported to the Continent in the early 1970s and ’80s and has continued to do so.”

by crossbreeding native ponies (particularly the Welsh section Bs) with Arabs and thoroughbreds – the aim to produce warmblood talent and movement with pony character and intelligence.

“From our point of view as a studbook, what’s interesting is that everything is cyclical; the clever Germans come over, look at what they need, take it back, improve what they had and sell it back to us for a premium,” says Lucy. “And they never rest on their laurels and say: ‘OK, we’re done now. We’ve bred the ultimate sports pony.’ They realise that’s not how the marketplace works, things move on.”

With the advent of stricter FEI measuring rules introduced at the beginning of last year, section Bs are in high demand to “fight the height issue,” says Lucy.

“A lot of the German ponies have big warmblood blood in them, which means they’re constantly battling against ponies being over 148cm. So, they’re back over here buying proper, athletic section Bs.

“Cadlanvalley ponies, for example, have been popular in Germany recently, especially the cremello section Bs because they breed their golden ponies.”

With a feeling that more emphasis needs to be put on getting natives back into our sports ponies on home soil, there is something enviable about the efficiency with which they have been used on the Continent.

“I think one of the reasons the Europeans and particularly the Germans have been so successful in utilising the Welsh bloodlines is the fact that they have a more structured approach [to breeding],” says Jo Filmer, who breeds section Bs at Longhalves Stud in East Sussex and is the organiser of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society’s annual Performance Awards.

“There is no question that if your breeding programme is evaluated closely then you eliminate the inferior and promote animals with natural aptitude, and I think we could learn a lot from that.

“However, you have to combine this with the breed society focus on animals being bred that have the attributes and breed type as laid down in the breed description. If this is lost, then the characteristic and essence of what is special in the Welsh breed will disappear. It’s a balance. But the Welsh breeds’ unique qualities are the key ingredients in breeding versatile performance animals of the highest calibre.”

Deciphering what makes the Welsh “ingredient” in sports ponies so covetable is far-reaching, it can feel like an exercise in celebrating all that is great about our native breeds. For Claire Moreton, who is aiming her home-bred Welsh section D stallion Farleaze Lord Prenwyn, by Machno Carwyn, at an eventing career, it is their movement that stands out.

“They have an incredible engine in their hindquarters which obviously helps with the movement but also the jump,” she says. “And then there is their temperament. I suppose especially with the Welsh cob, everybody seems to associate the word ‘cob’ with a traditional, sensible, easy plod, when actually the Welsh cob is not that dope on a rope.

“They’re very trainable but they’re also sensitive and incredibly intelligent, which really helps when it comes to being a top-class competition pony. It means they have that little bit of spunk about them that you need, as well as a robustness,” Claire explains.

As Lucy says: “They are workmanlike but with quality. Not wanting to pick one native breed over another, you have to look at what it is that you’re wanting to add. If you’re lacking jump, then I’d say look at a Connemara because they will jump all day long and try their heart out for you to leave the fence up. But if you’re wanting to get that bit of workmanlike quality, then look for the right section B.

“Like all of these things, there’s been a divergence of various native breeds; you have the more ‘showy’ section Bs, and then you have those that really pick their legs up, sit on a hindleg and actually move.”

The cremello section B Langwedh Sunny Jim, owned by Penny Walster at Bathley Hill Farm Stud in Nottinghamshire, is an example of one that’s in high demand, says Lucy.

“He’s a proper, quality section B that’s also got big movement. I know that there are a lot of breeders who are using him on big horses, not necessarily to breed ponies even but just to breed smaller dressage horses. Warmbloods have got bigger and bigger and there are an awful lot of smaller riders who don’t need a 17.2hh. If you want a nice 15.2hh that has all the same qualities but is much easier on the ground to handle, that’s a good place for a nice quality section B to come in.”

Temperament and trainability are what endear the Welsh breeds to Jo Filmer.

“Providing you’ve selected the correct bloodlines, their temperament means they have a little bit of something about them – they have the necessary exuberance, but they are also kind,” she says.

Of Holly Kerslake’s Euros ride Valhallas Zorro (who was sold to Louise Hooijen from the Netherlands last autumn), Jo adds: “He isn’t a flamboyant warmblood, but he is solid and dependable; not unpredictable. And that’s a real plus point. It doesn’t matter how showy a pony is, if their brain is not engaged, they won’t perform to their potential.”

Add to all of this what is perhaps the Welsh breeds’ ace card, hardiness, and it’s easy to see why their influence on the performance pony shows no signs of waning.

“With a pony like Lemonshill Falcon [Jo’s section B stallion who has produced the 2020 SPSS mare grading supreme champion, Hammerwood Flamingo], you could take him for a day’s hunting with no shoes on and you’d know he’d come back without filled legs or side effects, and the next day he’d come out of the stable totally sound. And that cannot be underestimated. If you’ve spent thousands over the years on training, it’s imperative that the animal remains sound throughout its competition career.”

The super-hot stallion: Machno Carwyn

AT the 2019 pony European Championships, there were three offspring by the bay section D Machno Carwyn (pictured) competing across two disciplines and representing three different nations. In the showjumping was Makuba 21 (Oliwia Platek) for Poland and Marcello (Mathilda Mercuri) for Italy, as well as Romica (Olga Arzhaeva) for Russia in the dressage.

But this is the tip of the iceberg of this iconic stallion’s list of offspring laden with silverware; across Europe there have been national showjumping champions and strings of grand prix winners.

Bred by Meirion Jones, of the Machno Stud in north Wales in 1992, Machno Carwyn was sold as a five-year-old and became a double pony Euros individual gold medallist representing Switzerland in the showjumping. During a career that began in 1997, he was placed more than 25 times in international grands prix, of which he won seven, and he has often been lauded as the best showjumping pony stallion in Europe.

Considered something of a refined section D, with his section B granddam, it is a combination of qualities that have made him the success he is, according to Meirion.

“Physically, he gets incredible spring from his hocks. He is also super-careful, has a big heart and is bold,” he says.

“This has given him a performance record that is second to none as a showjumping pony stallion. All of his progeny are really good off the hocks and careful, with the sense of a fifth leg that was passed to him from Carregcoch Bleddyn.”

Also published in H&H 4 March 2021

You may also be interested in…

First Welsh section B ponies exported to Argentina

'Hopefully this is the first of many shipments and the importers are excited about the prospect of starting an Argentinian

‘I was crying like a baby’ — Welsh section B lifts NPS dressage supreme championship

Welsh pony breeder flies across the world to share unseen footage of breed

‘With my presentation I was taking old messages and turning them into a modern format and it was about keeping

6 things only owners of Welsh ponies will understand

As the man at the helm of Stallion AI Services in Shropshire, the UK’s largest artificial insemination centre, Tullis Matson has been welcoming some of the country’s most famous stallions through his doors since 2000.

“There are some amazing stallions out there. I’m an emotional person and I tend to get very wrapped up in them,” says Tullis, speaking on episode 38 of the Horse & Hound Podcast, currently supported by NAF.

“Demonstrator – Ferdi Eilberg’s grand prix dressage stallion – is one who always sticks out in my mind. He came from the Broadstone Stud and he just oozed charisma. He had a likeability about him; he went about with a permanent smile on his face, and was quite cheeky with it.

“We also had Mill Law, the fantastic advanced eventing stallion and it’s great to see all his youngstock popping up here, there and everywhere. He was pushing over 100 mares a year.

“Then there was Arko III, who was amazing. It was such an honour to stand him at the centre and to have someone put their faith in us with such an amazing horse. I’m so proud that our owners have supported us like this,” says Tullis.

“There is also the great Big Star, who is with us now – he arrived last week. He hasn’t forgotten what to do, that’s for certain – he really knows his job.”

‘We have a duty of care towards rare breeds’

While sport stallions and breeding are at the centre of day-to-day life at Stallion AI Services, the development of new techniques and technologies, such as sexed semen, has meant that Tullis Matson and his team have embarked on a journey into the possibilities of cryo-preservation. This includes a focus on rare breeds and species, something Tullis is especially passionate about.

“I love my rare breeds; my father was president of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and when he passed away they asked me to become a trustree. I became hooked on the passion of it and what we could do using new technology, for breeds such as the Suffolk, the Cleveland Bay, the Clydesdale.

“Every year I think surely there’s no more technology that can come along, we must have hit the top, but every year I’m amazed about what comes bouncing along, such as sexed semen.”

Sexed semen – an innovative process by which semen is sorted prior to insemination in order to determine the sex of the foal – was behind the birth of an important Suffolk filly in 2020.

“It was only one foal, but it’s proof of concept and it shows these technologies can work and help,” explains Tullis. “There are only 72 female Suffolks left in the country and only 300 left in the world. We have to do something about it – they’re part of our heritage and I think we have a duty of care towards them.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

Tullis Matson: We face a greater risk than ever *H&H VIP*

H&H’s breeding columnist urges owners and breeders to consider bio-security to avoid threatening the industry

Outstanding Cleveland Bay mare honoured with H&H award

The mare has had a significant impact on the breed, in the UK and abroad

Top stallions at stud in the UK that breeders need on their radar right now

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Not just horses…

Tullis’ pioneering work into genetic preservation has branched out further than the equine world, too.

“We have gone on to use our equine freezing extender to freeze elephant semen. I was bowled over to be asked to go to South Africa in October 2019 and it was one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime,” he says. “We did seven bull elephants over a 10-day period.

“They are just the most amazing animals; there were 10 million elephants at the beginning of this century, and only 400,000 now, with the possibility that there will only be 200,000 by 2025. We have to preserve their genetics, so we used the equine semen extender to freeze their semen down.

“It was an incredible experience to collect off these wild animals, and to be so close to them. I was sitting between their front and back legs for hours and I could literally hear their hearts beating.”

Would you like to read Horse & Hound’s independent journalism without any adverts? Join Horse & Hound Plus today and you can read all articles on HorseandHound.co.uk completely ad-free

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now