1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 January Voice RS | Page 22

(Continued from page 18)
main attraction; hence, they must be pleasing to the
eye at all times. People who want to breed their
mares will check the records of stallions, but they es­
pecially want to see what they look like.
All our stallion paddocks are one to two acres in
size. They are all on gentle grassy slopes, with good
drainage. The manure that accumulates is picked up
at least once a week. Therefore, their surroundings
are pleasing to the eye also.
We make sure our stallions get plenty of exercise.
Stallions are of different temperaments; thus, you
have to use your own judgment as to whether or not
they are getting enough exercise. Some are more
nervous and will move about enough to exercise them­
selves. If they don’t, they will have to be ridden or
longed in forced exercise. If the stallion is too excit­
able, he should be moved to some place where he
cannot see the mares. We have our stallions where
they can see the mares - but from a distance.
Only the teaser stallion is kept close to the mares.
We tease every other day until a mare starts to come
in, after ■which she is teased every day. The mares
are led up to the fence of the teaser’s corral. If we
are dubious about one of them, she is turned into a
corral adjoining the teaser, then watched.
We believe that a young stallion should be away
from the track for a few months before the breeding
season. This may not be necessary with some horses,
but we think it is better in the majority of the cases.
A person has to use a world of patience in starting
out a young stallion. Usually, this horse has been
where he was continuously corrected for acting like a
stallion. Now he is in a situation exactly opposite to
what he has been used to. He may think it is all
right to court the mare, but, no doubt, he will be tim­
id and confused as to what is expected of him.
The first time will surely be a trying experience for
the stallion, and also for the person handling him. We
give him his freedom as much as possible. We never
jerk or punish him. We do not use a shank over his
nose or a whip - just the halter and lead rope. All
the men w’ho are helping w'ith the breeding are cau­
tioned not to yell, talk loudly, or make any fast mo­
tions. Undoubtedly, he will be awkward and make mis­
takes. Let him start in his own way; then, if necessa­
ry, pull or push him around into the correct position.
If possible, we try to give the young stallion an old­
er mare for his first breeding. We like to have one in
very strong heat and not too large, especially not too
tall. Mainly, we want to give him confidence. We do
not rush him. It may take several days for him to
complete the act. But usually, just before our patience
is entirely exhausted, he will get the idea that he is
being allowed to do what comes naturally. After he
has bred a few times, we gradually start to train him
into being handled the wTay we want.
We do not believe in breeding the young stallion too
much his first season. We think twenty mares should
be the maximum. He should not be bred more than
three or four times a week. Even if he acts like he
would be able to handle more we never allow it. To
do more might keep him from finishing out the season
satisfactorily and might even shorten his breeding life.
It all takes a lot of thought, judgment, and concen­
tration in getting a young stallion started out right
But it is much better to take time with him right at
first than to have him be a problem stallion all his life
After their first season, we often breed our stalli
twice a day. Stallions in their prime can take a lot f
breeding. But we always use a microscope and maki
semen counts every three breedings to make sure w»
are not over-breeding the horse. If he is being over
bred, the semen count will start to diminish.
We do our breeding in the wide alleys in our barns
We breed in quiet surroundings, where there will hP
very little outside disturbance. The doors are closed
and no one may enter or leave the barn at breeding
time. These places are arranged so that there is no
thing sharp on which the stallion might hurt himself
The stallion should be kept so that he is eager to
breed, but under control. Stallions vary in their hand­
ling. Some need to be quite excited before they will
make a good cover.
We bring the mare into the breeding barn where
both she and the stallion are cleaned and prepared at
the same time, in fill view of each other. The stallion’s
penis is washed with surgical soap and water, using
sterile cotton, then rinsed well. The mare is washed
in the same way, and her tail is wrapped with sterile
gauze. This gauze is then discarded after breeding.
We make sure the mare is in a receptive mood. If
she doesn’t want to take the stallion, even though fol­
licle examinat ion reveals that she is ready to be bred,
we use artificial insemination instead of covering her,
thereby alleviating the hazard of getting either the
stallion or the mare injured. We seldom use breeding
hobbles. As a general rule, we use a twitch; some­
times even that is not necessary.
For artificial insemination, we have used both the
artificial vagina and the condom. But the artificial
vagina seems to work best for us. We are sure to
have the water no cooler than 110° and no hotter
than 120°; then it is used immediately, so that it does
not have a chance to cool off. We always make sure
that all receptacles and insemination equipment used
are sterile.
All stallions vary; hence, they must be handled in­
dividually. They are not something to fear, but they
must be watched at all times. Don’t be too hasty
about correcting them until you fully understand the
reasons for their faults, then be firm but don’t over-
correct. Be sure that they are always in good physical
condition and attractive in appearance at all times.
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Voice of the Tennessee Walking Ho*