Breeding Season Number Two In The Books :

Werner Equine finishes up first breeding season with two stallions. 

2023 Breeding season has come to an end for Werner Equine Co. We have been working on building our breeding program for several years. As a stallion owner with a big vision and a relatively small program, we wanted to share with you some things that we have learned along the way as we wrap up our second breeding season.  There is room for everyone in the “breeding business”. You do not have to be a full-blown stallion station to raise nice babies with the goal of raising a winner.  As part of our vision focused on growth, we added another stand out, junior stallion this year and we continue to add money earning own daughters with an eye for the future. 

Aint Seen Iceman Yet (ASIY) handled competition and breeding like a pro. He was collected two to three times a week starting February 1 and ending July 1. We ended up closing Iceman’s books half through the season with around 40 mares booked! I always tell people that I know it isn’t a whole lot to some, but for Ice’s second year and still competing we are thrilled! Still hitting jackpots, derby’s, and pro rodeos he has proved he has what it takes to compete at a professional level and he is just getting started. We were blessed with Iceman’s first foal graced us this spring, and I am impressed with the bone and correctness of his foals.  I can’t wait to see what these foals go on to accomplish!

 PC So Frostin Royal (Bradley) joined our program mid-season. This talented, royally bred 4-year-old has exceed our expectations in many ways! Not only does he collect and ship exceptionally, but he is also holding his own in competition. We always joke that he could sneeze and get a mare in foal! Brad’s first foal crop as well hit the ground this spring.  If you want shape, bone, correctness, and hair Bradley is your man! Our stallions do not stand at a stallion station during breeding season, they are home on the ranch. We are committed to our mare owners and have our routine down with hauling to the vet’s office, in between races. We continue to train and ride year-round. The transition period of breeding season to down time is easy for us, so far! 

So, what do we expect from our stallions during breeding season?  The breeding barn behavior for the stallions at Werner Equine probably looks pretty similar to most.  Iceman and Bradly do not get to act like stallions at events, or at our trainer Makala’s house, or our house.  They are expected to act like gentleman.  We do not allow talking (or try not to let them) in hand, or act like a stallion.  I do believe a stallion should be expected to act like a gelding, to have the privilege to produce.  When it is breeding time, the rules are different. Nature is allowed to take over, and we need those stallion instincts to kick in!  They are allowed to talk and prance.  But they are still expected to always have manners!

This year, I have also worked to grow and expand my skills to learn about reproduction, stallion health and mare management. I attended Marylin Bowling and The Breeders Assistant breeding course and want to continue to grow my knowledge with the hope that one day, the stallions can be collected on the ranch. We also would like to do embryo transfer work and ultimately work toward breeding our own mares (under vet supervision).  The takeaway of this article is that if we can do it, so can you! 

This breeding season certainly has had its “highs” and “lows” but we keep putting one boot in front of the other and work on building our program for the future.  Breeding and raising horses is not for the “faint of heart”. It is an enormous amount of time commitment, you need to have thick skin, and your heart will be broken a hundred times over, but all of that goes away when you get to pet your foal and watch them grow and bring joy to so many. There is nothing like that feeling. We are so grateful for our  mare owners enough for the blessings they have given us. Without our mare owners none of this is possible.  We are simply a small-time outfit want to offer high quality bloodlines and make some nice horses. We can’t wait to show you what is in store for 2024.

Tiny URL for this post:
 Copy