by Cynthia McFarland

Breeding season is a demanding time of year, particularly on farms that stand a large number of stallions, and therefore service hundreds of mares.

Lane's End, home to such leading sires as A.P. Indy and Kingmambo, maintains one of the busiest breeding sheds in North America. Bill Sellers, assistant farm manager and stallion manager at the Versailles, Kentucky, farm, took a brief break before the November mixed sales to discuss how Lane's End manages its breeding shed and its stallions. A Kentucky native, Sellers has been with the operation since the farm was launched 26 years ago.

Lane's End stood 20 stallions for the 2008 season, and the roster may expand slightly for '09. More than 1,600 mares went through the breeding shed last season, including boarded mares and those belonging to Lane's End owner William S. Farish.  With dozens of mares coming and going each day, organization is essential for the breeding shed to run smoothly. Although some farms standing a large number of stallions have two sheds, Lane's End has only one, so efficiency is of the utmost importance.

Start the day

The morning begins with stallion grooms arriving and bringing in all stallions at 6:30 a.m. to be fed and then groomed.

The first breeding is scheduled for 8 a.m., and the veterinarian arrives by this time and stays at the shed for all breeding sessions. "If you have any concerns or need to tranquilize a mare, your vet is right there to handle it," Sellers said. "From a liability standpoint, it's better to have your vet there."

Stallion barns are located up a hill from the breeding shed, so grooms will walk the stallions down for each breeding and then back to their barn afterward. Any stallions that are slow breeders are taken to the breeding shed and placed in holding stalls ahead of their designated breeding time.

"With stallions that are slow breeders, we schedule those mares at the end of the session so we don't hold up the whole deal," Sellers said. "Some stallions are slower and more particular about their breeding, so you're just at the mercy of those horses to some degree. One thing we've found helpful is putting these stallions in the holding stalls where they can watch the mares being teased, and it kind of primes them and gets them ready to go."

An experienced, organized staff makes the day run as smoothly as possible, and Sellers is grateful that all his staff members know their jobs well. If Sellers has been forewarned of a tough mare or knows that a maiden is coming in, he will talk beforehand with his staff about anything special that needs to be done.

Sellers said that mare owners are discouraged from bringing foals along in the van or trailer for a local trip. A foal hollering in the van will only upset its dam and many of the other mares within earshot. In the case of a mare owner who has to ship from some distance away and cannot leave the foal at home, these breedings are usually scheduled later in the day, and the foal remains in the van with an attendant while the mare is being bred. Foals are not unloaded from the van and are never allowed in the breeding shed.  Once a mare arrives, one employee collects her paperwork, which includes a uterine culture report, breeding shed form, and if necessary, proof of vaccination against equine herpesvirus.

This employee takes the paperwork back to the laboratory and adds the mare's name to a chart that lists the stallion to whom she will be bred and the order in which she will be bred. At least two and sometimes three stallion handlers are active the entire time. One will bring a horse in, while another waits outside with the stallion for the next breeding. When a breeding is complete, the next horse in line goes into the shed.

"We have not altered this breeding shed since it was built. It was really well designed for high traffic," Sellers said. "Mares come in one end, go through teasing and washing, and then into a staging or waiting area. As she walks into the breeding shed, her name is announced and the stallion she's going to as a final check. She's covered and sent out the side door. The stallion is rinsed off and then he exits. All traffic flows one way, and we staff with enough people to have it organized."

Different jobs

One employee's assignment is to check identification, wash the mares, and wrap their tails. Another is in charge of teasing, and all maiden mares are jumped by a teaser first to see how she will stand and so she knows what to expect.

The teasersÑone Paint and one Quarter Horse stallionÑhave been owned by the farm for some time, and Sellers said they are good at jumping the mares and are not rough with them.

Lane's End uses only the basics when it comes to breeding equipment. Each mare has her shoulders and neck covered by a leather breeding cape for protection because stallions often grab a mouthful of mane when mounting. All mares are twitched, and padded boots are placed on her hind feet if she is a maiden or if the handlers are uncertain how she will react. Other routine equipment includes a breeding roll, a padded form that is placed between the mare's rump and the stallion to prevent deep penetration that may cause bruising or lacerations.

All employees in the breeding shed wear safety vests similar to those worn by jockeys and exercise riders at the racetrack.

"We've actually been doing this about four years now," Sellers said. "It's saved a couple guys from some serious kicks. I didn't get any opposition when we asked them to wear the vests. They have been a good thing."

Sellers said he does his best to keep things moving along.

"The key is to get everyone in and out the best you can," he said. "Most people have a day's work waiting on them back at their farm, so you don't want them waiting on you. We try to be very mindful of everyone else's time, but we still have to do a good, safe job of covering their mare. It really flows nicely, but of course you're at the mercy of how each individual stallion breeds. One of the most important things is keeping things moving and not getting bogged down."

Depending on bookings, most stallions will breed twice a day, and it is not uncommon for a stallion to breed three times in one day, but this is only done if necessary and not for an extended period of time.

Keeping stallions in a routine helps breeding season run smoothly. Weather permitting, they stay outside the entire night year-round and are brought into their stalls early each morning and remain inside for most of the day.  Paddocks are large (the smallest is more than three acres), so stallions have plenty of good grass, which accounts for much of their roughage requirements. A timothy-alfalfa hay mix is used to supplement grazing.

Stallions are on a balanced ration of oats and sweet feed with a mineral pellet that is custom-made for the farm. The feeding program does not change when the breeding season begins. In some cases, a very active stallion may require a slight increase in feed.

"Life doesn't change dramatically for them," Sellers said. "I think it's important that their feeding and exercise routine stays about the same throughout the year."

Exercise program

Stallions at Lane's End have a year-round exercise program beyond regular turnout. Almost every horse spends some time each day in the freewalker machine, with older stallions typically walking for 30 minutes, and younger horses or those that tend to carry more weight working at a slow jog for about 20 minutes. The sandy footing offers a good workout without putting too much strain on the horses.

"The majority of these horses go on a freewalker year-round to try to maintain body weight and muscle tone throughout the whole year so you don't have to try to get them in shape for breeding season," Sellers said. "We're not trying to do a lot with them, just maintain them. We weigh them monthly and monitor their weight so we know their optimal weight and try to keep them around that."

Normal vaccinations and deworming help to keep the stallions in good health. Most are left barefoot, but if a horse requires front shoes for some reason, that stallion will be shod. Stallions being retired off the track need time to acclimate to the slower pace of the farm. They have to be gradually let down after coming out of training and settle into their routine at the farm. Because they are commercial stallions, they also must be shown to prospective breeders who come to inspect them.

Well before breeding season begins, Lane's End tests to see how a new stallion will handle the task of breeding. This takes a careful hand because you want to do everything possible to make it a positive experience, since the initial encounters can set the tone for their entire breeding career.

"Once they've settled in, we take them down to the breeding shed and introduce them to one of the test mares to see how the horse will act," Sellers said. "A lot of stallions will just jump up and breed the mare like they've been doing it a long time, but others aren't sure because they've been reprimanded for showing studdish behavior in the past."

Sellers may breed a new stallion several days in a row, but if the horse is progressing well and is comfortable with his new career, there is no need to keep breeding him. "You don't have to do much if the horse acts like he'll be fine," Sellers said. "If you have a horse who isn't very sure of himself or isn't consistent, you may have to spend more time with him."

Just before breeding season starts, the new stallions will test breed again.

 Cynthia McFarland is a freelance writer based in Fairfield, Florida