Breeding the Newly Retired Stallion

Owners can take several steps to ensure a successful transition from athletic to breeding performance.
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Breeding the Newly Retired Stallion
Aim to bring a recently retired athlete to his new home at least 90 days before breeding to let him become comfortable with his new surroundings and provide time for stress and any performance-related medications to cease exerting their effects. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse
For some stallion owners, it seems the sun, moon, and stars all need to be perfectly aligned to successfully turn a stallion from a champion athlete into a champion stud. Thankfully, this is not necessarily true, and owners or handlers can take several reasonable steps to ensure a smooth and successful transition from athletic to breeding performance.

“The keys to success are to understand both the physical and behavioral demands on the horse and ways that we can help stallions overcome these challenges when transitioning from competition to breeding,” explained Steve Brinsko, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACT, professor and associate department head for academic programs at Texas A&M University’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

He noted time and patience are essential factors when breeding a retired athlete or a stallion in competition.

“When breeding a retired athlete, such as a Thoroughbred racehorse, the novice stallion should arrive at the new facility at least 90 days before breeding,” Brinsko advised. “This will allow the horse to become familiar and comfortable in his new environment and will provide time for stress and performance-enhancing drugs to cease exerting their adverse effects

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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