Topspin lived up to his name from the outset. Topspin is a second-generation home-bred who fulfilled a grandmother’s dreams, most recently carrying Alice Casburn to take the under-25 national championship at Bramham. Alice was six years old when Topspin arrived in the world, a giant fourth foal from his 15.3hh mother Capriati. He still lives in the stable where he was born. “Mum’s room […]
If you’re thinking of breeding your mare, artificial insemination (AI) is the most popular method. Artificial insemination in horses is a technically demanding but routine part of modern equine veterinary practice. It is a modern breeding technique that can be incredibly complex and requires accuracy and strict biosecurity, plus good timing and organisation to be successful. In the UK, it sits…
Boston Black Tie is two-time champion at Royal International.Boston Black Tie (DJ) is the result of a careful breeding plan. “It took me a long time to breed a hack,” says Stephen Howard. “I point-to-pointed his great-grandmother, Lovely Grange, and didn’t want to sell her. She had four foals, one of which – Boston Bellissima – I kept. In turn, she had DJ’s […]
“Walter” as a foal at Lordships Stud in Essex. The breeding of Lordships Graffalo has resulted in one of the greatest eventers to have graced the planet, but he was something of a “thug” in his foalhood. Still known for his habits of tugging his grooms to tastier grazing, chewing ropes and upending wheelbarrows, “he used to walk over everyone” as a curious, independent […]
A new generation of stallions is now standing on British soil, giving UK breeders access to top-quality bloodlines without looking overseas.British breeders haven’t always had it easy. For decades, the assumption has been that the most exciting stallions stand in Germany or the Netherlands – and that British mares need to look overseas to find genuinely top-quality bloodlines. But the picture has…
British breeders haven’t always had it easy. For decades, the assumption has been that the most exciting stallions stand in Germany or the Netherlands – and that British mares need to look overseas to find genuinely top-quality bloodlines. But the picture has shifted considerably in recent years with a wide range of UK stallions at […]
The result of a well-prepared season – but every healthy foal traces back to good pre-breeding groundwork.Preparing a mare for breeding starts months before she sets foot on the stud. Breeding a horse is expensive, time-consuming and full of variables you can’t control, but getting the preparation right can make the difference between a smooth season and a costly one. One commercial breeding…
Understanding the equine breeding season will help maximise your mare’s chance of pregnancy.Equine breeding season occurs in the spring and summer. It is during this time that mares go into recurring cycles of oestrus, giving a window of approximately five to seven days in roughly every 21 days in which a mare is “in season”. Breeding a mare takes careful preparation and precision, with plenty to…
There’s no feeling like knowing you were there at the very beginning, but what’s the cost?Breeding your own horse is, for many owners and riders, an appealing proposition – the chance to produce exactly the type of horse you want, from bloodlines you’ve chosen, with every stage of their development in your hands. But how much does it cost to breed a horse? It’s certainly not a cheap way of […]
Bethany Stone retired her homebred Pip aged six owing to medical issues.
H &H’s Bethany Stone talks frankly about the lessons she learnt and why she believes you should think twice before putting your mare in foal
Talking horses is my job, but it can also be a painful point. Why? Because I don’t ride anymore, and I regret breeding my horse. I’m physically able and mentally eager to ride…
ICSI is now widely used in sport horse breeding, allowing foals to be produced from valuable bloodlines even years after a stallion’s death.ICSI – intracytoplasmic sperm injection – has become routine in sport horse breeding. The technique allows foals to be produced long after a stallion’s death and from mares still competing at the highest level. Yet unease persists. In some corners of the…
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an assisted equine reproduction technique in which a single sperm is injected directly into a mare’s egg in the laboratory to produce an embryo. Once considered a niche technology associated with human fertility treatments, ICSI is now increasingly common in sport horse breeding. The modern breeding technique allows breeders to […]