visting stallions
Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, madelyn
visting stallions
I'm new to breading and new to everything pretty much that has to do with horses, but I've been sucking up what knowledge I can from going to the tracks to farms etc. I have noticed just like any other business some people are helpfull and quite pleasent to chat with and others act like your bothering them and short with there answers to any questions not to give out any information. When visting stallions for the purpose of breeding to them you would think they would overload you with information on there stallions as well as being able to answer questions you have. I've been looking at studs this last couple weeks and have not been to impressed with some stallions owners is this a common reaction to newbees. I should also note a few farms have been very nice and helpfull.
onalimb
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Are you saying that stallion owners don't want to answer your questions? Or that you feel they should offer more information without you having to ask? I'm also somewhat new to breeding but I haven't found that getting information is a problem.
I visited 15-20 farms last fall and saw about sixty stallions. In nearly every case, a groom showed me the horses, not the stallion owner or stallion manager. But in each case, I had spoken to someone on the phone ahead of time who was able to answer any questions I had.
I don't think your newness has anything to do with the way you're treated. It's been my experience that the good farms treat every visiting breeder as a potential client--as well they should.
I visited 15-20 farms last fall and saw about sixty stallions. In nearly every case, a groom showed me the horses, not the stallion owner or stallion manager. But in each case, I had spoken to someone on the phone ahead of time who was able to answer any questions I had.
I don't think your newness has anything to do with the way you're treated. It's been my experience that the good farms treat every visiting breeder as a potential client--as well they should.
I think it really depends. I'm not sure where you've been looking... but here's my take on it: In most cases, a big stud farm is probably better equipped to spend time with you, show you the horses, answer your questions, and basically "PR" you because they have staff... and that's usually one of the jobs of the staff.
If you're going to a small farm, at someone's home, they may not be any less interested in helping you or talking to you, but based on when you arrive, they simply may not be able to spend as much time. I know for us, we have our horses here at our farm, where we live, and pretty much my husband and I do everything. Plus he works full-time and I work part-time, plus we have a young child. If we know you're coming, we will set aside that time and make sure at least one of us is available. If we don't know you're coming, we might not be able to spend quite as much time... not because we don't want to, but because there may only be one of us here at the time dealing with the kid and all the horses and the other critters, it might be feeding time or something... it's just hard to say.
Either way, I would imagine that nobody who owns a stallion would NOT want to talk about him, answer questions and show him off to anyone who's interested... of course, people have certainly surprised me in the past!
If you're going to a small farm, at someone's home, they may not be any less interested in helping you or talking to you, but based on when you arrive, they simply may not be able to spend as much time. I know for us, we have our horses here at our farm, where we live, and pretty much my husband and I do everything. Plus he works full-time and I work part-time, plus we have a young child. If we know you're coming, we will set aside that time and make sure at least one of us is available. If we don't know you're coming, we might not be able to spend quite as much time... not because we don't want to, but because there may only be one of us here at the time dealing with the kid and all the horses and the other critters, it might be feeding time or something... it's just hard to say.
Either way, I would imagine that nobody who owns a stallion would NOT want to talk about him, answer questions and show him off to anyone who's interested... of course, people have certainly surprised me in the past!
I agree that it has a lot to do with how full-time the operation is and whether there are adequate staff on the premises to break away from their other duties to help you. Sometimes I get the royal treatment with the stallion manager, sometimes a groom who knows the horse well, sometimes a man who is apparently feeling overworked and not very patient. The larger stud farms have an advantage in the PR department.
And the high volume of visitors creates a need for efficient staff at these farms.
And the high volume of visitors creates a need for efficient staff at these farms.
Rocking H
I agree that it has a lot to do with how full-time the operation is and whether there are adequate staff on the premises to break away from their other duties to help you. Sometimes I get the royal treatment with the stallion manager, sometimes a groom who knows the horse well, sometimes a man who is apparently feeling overworked and not very patient. The larger stud farms have an advantage in the PR department.
And the high volume of visitors creates a need for efficient staff at these farms.
And the high volume of visitors creates a need for efficient staff at these farms.
Rocking H
Maybe we're just more friendly in Texas......I've never had a problem with 'etiquette' in making inquiries at a breeding farm and in fact I may have been something of a transgressor. Some specific examples come to mind, but they are not lone examples, by any means.
Several years ago partner and I took off on an impromtu "day trip" to look at Texas based stallions on the day after Christmas Day - a very bright, sunny BUT VERY COLD day after a Canadian front had blown through for the holidays. I'm not talking 'cold' here, I'm talking "raw" when you stepped out into the wind and the ground was wet, almost frozen yet still muddy and difficult to negotiate. In other words it was a pretty enough day while you sat indoors or in your car with all the creature comforst but was not too bearable outside and especially so in the shade(!). The 'chill factor' had to be huge.
We literally dropped in on: Key Ranch and Q-6 and couldn't have had a nicer reception from both stud farms. We literally called 'ahead' only minutes before driving in to the respective farms, then expecting the owners/managers to spend time with us....and that after we made it clear we were searching for the 'perfect' stallion for our not so stellar broodmare who was in foal to a not so great, then unproven Texas based stallion for the second time....so there was no "upside potential" there for the stallion manager to whet their appetites for our business.
AS I said both stallion managers/farm owners, Joe and Sharon Kerby at Key Ranch and Ken Quirk at then-named Millenium, now-named Q-6 Ranch, couldn't have been more accomodating as we, unscheduled, unannounced one-mare breeders asked tons of questions about their resident stallions....theories of breeding, marketability, etc. (Oh. Looking back I realize we were so GREEEN back then - didn't have a clue!!) As it turned out I've never used either farms' stallions - and not because they don't stand some nice ones or in any way fail to take good care of your mare either - but to this day, whenever I see Ken Quirk at an event and greet him he couldn't be more pleasant and I suspect the same would be true of Joe and Sharon Kerby as well.
Then there's Woodswitch Farm where we've boarded our mare since 1996 and bred her to farm stallions three times...foaling her out there five times. I feel like a member of the family there and might get "put to work" bringing in mares or taking them to their turn out pastures, walking the pastures to inspect mares, staying up for foal watch and even taking notes as the teaser stallion is led down 'Mare's Are Ready & Waiting Lane' in the mare barn...all of which really makes my ("city girl") day!! <grin>
Several years ago partner and I took off on an impromtu "day trip" to look at Texas based stallions on the day after Christmas Day - a very bright, sunny BUT VERY COLD day after a Canadian front had blown through for the holidays. I'm not talking 'cold' here, I'm talking "raw" when you stepped out into the wind and the ground was wet, almost frozen yet still muddy and difficult to negotiate. In other words it was a pretty enough day while you sat indoors or in your car with all the creature comforst but was not too bearable outside and especially so in the shade(!). The 'chill factor' had to be huge.
We literally dropped in on: Key Ranch and Q-6 and couldn't have had a nicer reception from both stud farms. We literally called 'ahead' only minutes before driving in to the respective farms, then expecting the owners/managers to spend time with us....and that after we made it clear we were searching for the 'perfect' stallion for our not so stellar broodmare who was in foal to a not so great, then unproven Texas based stallion for the second time....so there was no "upside potential" there for the stallion manager to whet their appetites for our business.
AS I said both stallion managers/farm owners, Joe and Sharon Kerby at Key Ranch and Ken Quirk at then-named Millenium, now-named Q-6 Ranch, couldn't have been more accomodating as we, unscheduled, unannounced one-mare breeders asked tons of questions about their resident stallions....theories of breeding, marketability, etc. (Oh. Looking back I realize we were so GREEEN back then - didn't have a clue!!) As it turned out I've never used either farms' stallions - and not because they don't stand some nice ones or in any way fail to take good care of your mare either - but to this day, whenever I see Ken Quirk at an event and greet him he couldn't be more pleasant and I suspect the same would be true of Joe and Sharon Kerby as well.
Then there's Woodswitch Farm where we've boarded our mare since 1996 and bred her to farm stallions three times...foaling her out there five times. I feel like a member of the family there and might get "put to work" bringing in mares or taking them to their turn out pastures, walking the pastures to inspect mares, staying up for foal watch and even taking notes as the teaser stallion is led down 'Mare's Are Ready & Waiting Lane' in the mare barn...all of which really makes my ("city girl") day!! <grin>
I've also had good treatment in person and by phone from the Quirks at Q6, and board my mares there when in Texas. Two of my mares have had nice foals from two of their stallions.
I've also spoken several times by phone with Ken Carson at Valor Farm with candid replies to my questions, and obvious interest in my mare's well-being.
I've also spoken several times by phone with Ken Carson at Valor Farm with candid replies to my questions, and obvious interest in my mare's well-being.
Rocking H