STALLION MANAGEMENT

Lesson Eleven

THE BREEDING SHED AND BARNS

Barn building materials generally reflect locally available resources and conform to traditions proven to create "the right look." Facilities can be personalized to include advertising signs, accesses enhanced by landscaping and unique architectural design of buildings.

While these elements may be expensive, of paramount concern is maintaining the facility in a neat, presentable and functional fashion.

There are a few basic concepts included in most barn designs. It is generally accepted that the minimum size for a light horse stallion's stall is twelve by twelve feet, or 144 square feet. Many barns enlarge this stall size because of the time spent in it by the occupant. In certain situations this may not be an advantage, because oftentimes a larger stall promotes more physical activity than is safe in a confined area.

The individuality of the horse living in the larger quarters plays the major role in determining the success of this design.

Another factor to consider in providing a healthy environment for the housed stallion is ventilation. Stalls and barns should be free of drafts. Wind currents produced by air sucked through a narrow opening act like a tiny jet stream. This kind of air movement gives rise to colds and flu.

On the other hand, the exchange of large volumes of air that generally replaces damp, stagnant or dusty air with clean, fresh air proves to be a health-giving situation. Tobacco barns, designed for drying the leaf through the natural movement of air currents, have been said to convert into excellent horse facilities.

STALLION PADDOCKS

Paddocks also change in appearance and construction according to geographic location. In the Southwest, the fencing may be pipe and steel rods. In Kentucky, the materials are likely to be four-board wood fences; in Florida, mesh or woven wire seems to be the preference.

All these fencing materials have their advantages and disadvantages, but the key to paddock design is that the fence be tall enough, strong enough and safe enough for your purposes.

Personal preference plays an important role in determining the size of the paddock. It is commonly thought that a stallion paddock should be large enough to allow the horse free movement up to and including performing a strong gallop.

The minimum size, therefore, should be a two-acre paddock with rounded corners. An area of this size also reduces the stress placed on the turf by the horse's excrement and heavy trafficking, allowing grass to prosper and fecal matter to degrade.

BREEDING FACILITIES

It is certainly nice for employees and horses to have a breeding shed that is at least partially protected from the elements.

The minimum size should be 30 by 30 feet, with 12-foot-high ceilings. Actually, in this case, bigger is better.

A laboratory attached to the breeding facilities is a must for any well-equipped breeding farm. While it doesn't need to be fancy, hot and cold running water, sinks, countertops and electrical outlets go a long way toward supporting the refrigeration and incubation equipment that may be necessary for the proper management of semen. All of this can be contained in a room about the size of an average bathroom; that is, unless the management requires research work or semen is to be handled by more than one or two people.

Looking at all the wonderful equipment and facilities that some farms possess lends a certain credibility to the quality of care and expertise that is to be expected. But let us not forget that horses managed to propagate quite successfully out on the open range with very little intervention by man.

When designing a stallion operation, it is a good idea to keep in perspective the goals and realistic expectations attainable for your personal operation and battery of stallions. If economics are a consideration, remember the value of the stallions and their prospective income will play a major role in determining what type of facility is likely to be supported by their efforts.

ASSIGNMENT (No Quiz)

Please answer each question as completely as possible. Resources other than the written text are encouraged as well as personal experiences. Please site your resources – include the link if you used the internet; book title and author if you used hard copy.

Send your report to Dr. Sales at jsales@horsecoursesonline.com

Include your full name and email address on the document.

1. Provide your advice to an owner of three (3) breeding Thoroughbred stallions that is developing a new breeding farm on how to set up the housing for the three stallions.

2. Describe how you would set up a breeding shed for a Quarter Horse breeding farm that is planning for four (4) studs, and will be using artificial insemination to breed up to 100 mares per stallion.