My Dutch Warmblood Stallion - Patrick

I decided to shop for my young horse prospect in Holland because my trainer at the time had connections there and I liked the Dutch Warmblood Horse. I had not expected to find a stallion that was in my price range, but we did and I was hooked. The picture is of Patrick in Holland when he was 4 years old. The whole process of finding Patrick, getting the pre-purchase exam, shipping him to the U.S., the stallion quarantine requirement, and finally transporting him to Michigan is detailed in my lens Importing a Warmblood Stallion.

The costs I quote are from 2001, so it is higher than that now as the euro was not around then and the dollar was still stronger than the European currency. I decided to include them so that someone who was considering purchasing a warmblood stallion from Europe might be able to have a general idea of the type and range of costs over and above the purchase price that are involved in importing a warmblood stallion.

Patrick has produced some very nice colts. When I am ready to bring along another stallion it will probably be one of his sons or maybe one of his grandsons.

When I purchased Patrick he had completed the first two phases of the stallion testing for approval with the KWPN (Royal Dutch Registery) but was not able to go into the final phase a a 3 year old as he was not yet 16.0 hands - a requirement for the final approval. His owner felt that he could be approved after he had grown and so had not gelded him. Knowledgable breeders I consulted advised me not to start with the Dutch Registry for stallion approval in the U.S. as it was the most difficult and expensive. They suggested getting him approved with the ISR/Oldenburg N.A. Registry and then breeding him to see what he produced. If we liked the offspring we could go for the other approvals.

So in September 2002 we went to Paxton Farm in Batavia Ohio for the Federation Stallion Testing. In an upcoming lens I will describe the process of this stallion testing, so if you are interested in knowing more check back soon and I will have a link.

After receiving his Lifetime Breeding License we began our breeding program in the spring of 2003. But first Patrick went to Hilltop Farm.Hilltop Farm in Colora, Maryland where Select Breeders Services has a semen collection and freezing service so that Patrick could continue his show career without too many interuptions for breeding.

In 2008 we moved to a larger farm and were able to purchase a breeding phantom to collect Patrick for fresh cooled semen.

Patrick now lives on the farm with all the broodmares (mares used for breeding) and during the spring he enjoys his trips to the breeding shed. We do not do live cover (stallion on mare), but rather AI which is artifical insemination.

With AI you collect semen from the stallion using a breeding phantom (see picture ), extend the semen with a mixture that feeds the semen to keep it alive longer and give you a larger volume of semen to use for breeding. It is then either stored in a cooled container or frozen for future use. If the stallion is fertile has a high motility and concentration of sperm then this method is usually very effective. With live cover you risk the mare kicking the stallion, the stallion biting the mare, and you only get one mare bred. Most breeders only collect or breed their stallions every other day during the breeding season, so you can see that the AI method results in more breedings ($$$) and no risk for the stallion or mare.

Prior to the move we had him collected at Select Breeeders Service in Colora, Maryland for frozen semen. Frozen semen requires that the mare be at a clinic where there is special equipment for thawing the semen and monitoring the mare. It requires more precise timing with the mare and is not done by all vets. Fresh cooled semen, however can be used at any farm, the timing does not have to be as precise, more vets can do the procedure, and it is usually less expensive for the mare owner. Frozen semen can be stored many years while fresh cooled is only good for 3-5 days. It is best if the stallion owner can have both. Frozen can be shipped long distances, used when the stallion is not available for collection or if he is sick or dies. Fresh cooled is easier for most mare owners, but can be inconvenient for the stallion owner because they are on call continually during breeding season.

Above is a picture of the phantom. We wrap it with carpet so that it is not slippery. Patrick prefers to have a mare standing next to it that he can nuzzle her with his nose. His semen is very potent and we could breed more than 10 mares with just one collection after extending it for shipment. We also allow outside stallions to come to our farm to be collected on our phantom.