Stallion selection: Selection, criteria and importance for horse breeding

1. why are stallions licensed?

"Being a stallion" and "being a stud stallion" do not mean the same thing - the decisive difference is a positive licensing decision by the responsible breeding association and a successfully completed stallion performance test. This gives the stallion the official privilege of covering mares.

The aim of sport horse breeding is to achieve a constant improvement in the population and thus further improve the sporting qualities of the horses.

As a stallion can potentially sire more offspring than a mare and can therefore have a greater influence on the breeding population, there are significantly more criteria and higher demands at a licensing and therefore also a higher selection rate than at a mare performance test.

2. how is a stallion approved for licensing and what requirements must be met?

In order to be registered as a stallion in Stud Book 1 and to be officially active at stud, a positive licensing certificate from the respective breeding association and a successfully completed stallion performance test are essential.

The licensing thus represents the first milestone on the way to becoming a stallion.

In order to take part in a licensing, a number of criteria must be fulfilled in advance. Firstly, the stallion must have reached a minimum age of two years and have already successfully taken part in a pre-selection by the respective breeding association. The respective dates and venues are published by the relevant breeding association. At the pre-selection, the stallions are presented on the pavement, as at the licensing, and must also demonstrate their qualities in free-running and free-jumping. Random medication checks are already carried out here in order to detect possible cases of doping. 

In addition, a veterinary examination is carried out as part of the pre-selection process in order to identify any hereditary illnesses and malformations in the body structure. 

3. which health defects exclude a stallion from licensing?

This veterinary examination excludes stallion candidates before licensing that would be unsuitable for breeding for certain reasons. One reason for rejection at the preliminary examination may be, for example, changes to the stallion's scrotum. Ideally, the stallion's testicles should be the size of a goose egg. Testicles that are only the size of chicken eggs are classified as questionable (macroorchidism).

Before licensing, riding horse stallions have the option of undergoing a laboratory test to verify the quality of their semen in accordance with the regulations for riding horses.

In the case of cryptorchidism, for example, one or both testicles of the stallion are not present in the scrotum and are therefore neither palpable nor perceptible. Such a stallion is then referred to as a lump stallion.

Cryptorchidism is a developmental disorder in which the testicles do not descend into the scrotum as they normally would, but instead get stuck in the groin area or abdominal cavity, starting near the kidneys. As cryptorchidism is hereditary, it permanently excludes the stallion from licensing.

In addition, x-rays are taken, which must not be older than 3 months at the time of delivery to the licensing event. Of particular interest here are the toes, the fetlock joints, the hocks and the knee joints. There are precise specifications for the x-rays as to which joints are to be x-rayed. These are set out in guidelines for veterinarians. 

X-ray examination reveals, among other things, presumably hereditary diseases such as osteochondrosis dissecans, or OCD for short. In this case, insufficient ossification of cartilage during skeletal growth leads to splintering in the joint (these are called chips). Chips can affect the function of the joint and therefore have a lasting effect on the horse's performance. However, it should be added that not every chip necessarily represents an impairment of the horse.

A hereditary component is strongly suspected in OCD. The breeding associations deal with the occurrence of OCD findings in the joints in a uniform manner. Up to three chips are permitted for admission to licensing, but these must not be located on both sides of the hocks; an OCD finding or a notch in the stifle joint also definitively excludes the stallion from licensing. 

Stallions with spavin findings (arthritis of the hocks) and with cystoid defects are also not permitted.

A stallion is also not fit to be licensed if there are neurological findings such as obvious ataxic disorders or shivering. In the case of ataxia, the horse's movement is disturbed and there is a lack of coordination. Shivering is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by muscle spasms that lead to cramps in the horse's hindquarters. 

Equine recurrent uveitis, i.e. periodic eye inflammation, laryngeal paralysis, clear signs of sweet itch, malposition of the hooves in the form of a buck hoof or an overbite or underbite also lead to non-approval.

It is necessary that stallions with health deficiencies that affect the breeding value are not approved as sires. The health and well-being of the bred ponies and horses are always the top priority. 

However, this does not mean that these stallions cannot pursue a career as a sport horse.

If the scrotum or testicles are malformed, it is possible to have the stallion castrated - nothing stands in the way of a sporting career as a gelding. 

In order to ensure greater transparency, the Holsteiner Verband has been indicating the X-ray status of the respective sire when presenting stallions in catalogs and on the website since 2020. This should provide breeders with more information when thinking about mating. The categories at the Holsteiner Verband are as follows:

• "Excellent" - These stallions have no radiographic findings.
• "Good" - These stallions have low-grade findings, such as a small edge prong or a chip.
•  "Acceptable" - These stallions have several radiographic findings, such as several OCD findings, which, however, do not significantly affect the stallion's suitability for breeding and did not stand in the way of a positive licensing decision at that time.

4 How does a licensing procedure work?

If the stallion meets the licensing requirements, i.e. is at least two years old, has successfully completed the pre-selection process and has no health defects that would restrict its suitability for breeding, the stallion may be presented at the licensing. The equine passport must be carried at all times to verify identity and provides information on mandatory vaccinations such as influenza and, more recently, herpes. On arrival of the stallions, each passport is strictly checked for completeness and accuracy.

If the stallion does not have adequate vaccination protection, he will be excluded from the licensing, as the health of all stallions present is always a priority at the licensing. 

Since 2019, it has also been mandatory to test stallions for WFFS. WFFS stands for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome, which causes a disease of the connective tissue in warmbloods and thoroughbreds. These foals are not viable and the majority of WFFS pregnancies end in abortion. The inheritance of the gene mutation is autosomal recessive, so a positive WFFS result for a stallion does not mean that he will not be licensed, as horses with Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome can be bred to non-carriers without any problems and clinically healthy foals are born.

However, mating a mare with a stallion that carries the genetic defect should be avoided, as the gene mutation that causes it is passed on to the foal 50 percent at a time - so there is a 25 percent chance that the foal will be affected by WFFS and therefore not viable. Carriers of Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome include the well-known stallions A la Carte, Don Frederico, Jovian, Edward and Londonderry.

The licensing event usually lasts several days, during which the licensing commission forms a precise picture of the respective stallions of the year and ultimately decides which of the stallions will receive a positive licensing verdict, which will be awarded the coveted title of Champion Stallion and which stallions may carry the coveted title of Premium Stallion.

The licensing commission consists of, among others, the breeding director of the respective association and other breeding experts appointed by various committees, whose assessment is based on expertise, independence and objectivity.

Traditionally, the licensing begins with the stallions being presented on the pavement. The stallions are led individually by hand to the commission, where they stand briefly and are then led away again. The commission assesses the correctness of the conformation, the breed and sex type as well as the quality of the walk. A correct stride is characterized by a clear four-beat rhythm, the horse should walk relaxed, contentedly and diligently at all times. If all this is the case, the front and hind legs form a V for a brief moment. 

The trot is then taken to the triangular arena, where it is examined from different perspectives. A correct trot is characterized by an even two-beat rhythm in which the diagonal pairs of legs should move off parallel. This results in a short suspension phase. A high-quality trot is characterized by the impulsion from the hindquarters, the swinging back as well as diligence, scope and suppleness.

For the next test, the licensing candidates go into the hall - here they continue with free running and free jumping. The canter is also assessed here. A correct canter is characterized by an even three-beat rhythm and a clear suspension phase. The canter jumps should be jumped "uphill", with impulsion from the hindquarters and with scope.

After free-running, the stallions are carefully introduced to the free-jumping line. The obstacles are steadily raised so that they reach a height of around 1.3 meters in the final round. In terms of equipment, it is permitted to attach white gaiters to the front legs. During free jumping, the stallions are judged on their ability as well as their manner.

Free jumping is a very good way of testing the potential of a show jumper and therefore plays a major role in forming a judgment. The focus here is particularly on the reflexes that the horse shows at the jump, the jumping technique and the stallion's ability to learn - if a pole is touched in one round, more attention is paid in the next round to whether the stallion has learned from his mistake or whether he will make the same mistake again.

Free jumping is a real crowd-puller, especially at licensing ceremonies for show jumping stallions - because this is where you can see which of the young stallions have real jumping talent and which of their pedigrees promise great success.

For breeders in particular, it is interesting to examine the licensing candidates in order to obtain further ideas for interesting matings for the coming breeding year. When dressage stallions are licensed, lunging is often another part of the licensing process.

5. licensed, not licensed, premium, champion stallion

The stallions are evaluated in half marks; for a stallion to be considered licensed, the overall mark must be at least 7.0 and no individual mark may be less than 5.0. The stallion receives the additional predicate "premium" as soon as the overall score reaches 7.5. Stallions that do not achieve an overall score of 7.0 or have inadequate partial scores in the protocol will not be licensed. In the event of discrepancies in the allocation of marks, the commission decides by means of a simple majority vote. The licensing results are announced verbally by the commission, often during a walking ring in the event hall.

After the proclamation of the champion and reserve champion stallion, most stallions for sale are put up for auction.

6 What happens next for a licensed stallion?

If a stallion receives a positive licensing decision, the first milestone in his breeding career has been reached. The next step in order to be registered in Stallion Book 1 is to successfully pass a stallion performance test (often abbreviated to HLP). There are three different types of stallion performance test; the 14-day performance test, the 50-day performance test and sport tests. These are organized and coordinated by the FN. The stallion candidates are assessed on a discipline-specific basis; if the stallion achieves an overall score of at least 7.8, the stallion performance test is deemed to have been passed. The stallion may now be officially used for breeding.

7 What is the next step for a stallion that has not been licensed?

Stallions that have not been licensed have the opportunity to prove their abilities and qualities again at a subsequent licensing. This takes place at the earliest three months after the main licensing, the dates are published accordingly by the respective association. It is also possible to request a yard licensing from the respective association, but the costs here are considerably higher.

The owners of unlicensed stallions often decide to pursue a career in sport.

8. costs of a licensing for the stallion owner

Taking part in a licensing is not cheap. The participation fee for the pre-selection is up to 150€ depending on the breeding association, plus the licensing fee, which varies between 250€ and 750€ depending on the breeding association, and the subsequent registration in Stallion Book 1 costs a further 300€ - 500€. In addition, the exhibitor of the stallion must be a member of the respective breeding association, which costs between 70€ and 100€ per year.

A stallion licensing costs an average of 1500€ per stallion, excluding travel costs for the licensing committee.