Are you still trying to decide the best match for your mare? When considering stallion choices, it is important to examine their futurity eligibility and if discounted breedings can be purchased through stallion service auctions, which enable an opportunity to acquire added futurity payouts. As many organizations throughout the country offer stallion service programs, it is crucial to understand the terms and conditions of each, consider what organizations you readily support either your state association or larger national futurities, and decide which works best for your future goals.

Participating mare and stallion owners share how they choose certain auctions, the advantages of having eligible foals, and what they recommend breeders to be aware of. Also, several stallion service auction managers and futurity coordinators outline how their futurity works and provide insight on payouts, deadlines, and classes that benefit foals.

Nominating: Stallion Owners

Shelley Donovan, Kim Rotenberry, and Hedy Levin of BSB Quarter Horses, Sturgis, Michigan have been breeding and showing Quarter Horses for over 25 years including NSBA Hall of Fame stallions Zippo Jack Bar and Don’t Skip Charlie.

They offer Congress Champion and multiple World and Congress Champion sire, Too Sleep To Zip; Gota Lota Potential, sire of American Quarter Horse Association and Appaloosa Horse Association World Champions; Charlie Hilfiger an American Paint Horse Association World Champion Western Pleasure horse and sire of Congress, APHA and NSBA World Champions; and Chocolatey an ApPHA and ApHC World Champion and sire of ApHC and Appaloosa Pleasure Horse Association World Champions. All four are offered through stallion service auctions. In fact, BSB stallions were nominated to both the Southern Belle and National Snaffle Bit Association auctions since their inception.

“All we get out of it is a  chute fee,” Rotenbury says. “We really have given away a lot through the years but it gives the colts more exposure and makes babies eligible for money paid back to both mare and stallion owners.”

All the stallions are eligible for the NSBA auction. Too Sleepy To Zip, Gota Lota Potential, and Charlie Hilfiger are also eligible for the Southern Belle and to the Michigan futurities for home state support. Too Sleepy To Zip is also eligible this year for the Iowa Stallion Service Auction because of requests from BSB customers.

“All the futurities we take part in do pay back to us if the babies do well,” Kim says. “So, it does pay in the long run but breeding is not for the faint of heart.”

As breeders, Rotenberry explains they have always been very thankful to the futurities who give extras back to their donators like the Southern Belle which has given awards to stallion service participants as a token of their appreciation like jackets, sheets and leather halters.

Courtney Chappell of Purcell, Oklahoma owns AQHA World and Congress Champion and multiple World, Congress, and major futurity champion sire, Hot N Blazing, standing at Chappell Ranch. Chappell says she believes in stallion service auctions and has her horse eligible for several major auctions including: Tom Powers, Southern Belle, Michigan and NSBA futurities.

“Advantages of the nominations are having all of the foals eligible for the classes at that particular show,” Chappell says. “Absolutely, everyone wants their foal eligible for the futurities.”

Choosing: Mare Owners

Past President of the Michigan Quarter Horse Association, Bob Daniels, Caro, Michigan has been breeding Quarter Horses for 22 years. He keeps around 15 horses for yearly breeding and showing.

“We usually start by picking out a stallion that we think will cross well on our mare. Then, we look to see if we can purchase a breeding through a stallion service auction like Tom Powers, Michigan Futurity, or NSBA,” Daniels says. “If we are unable to get the bid in the auction, we may still purchase a breeding to a horse through the breeding farm but our first choice is through an auction.”

Daniels feels purchasing breedings through stallion service auctions can be advantageous because you usually get the breeding at a discount and whether you are raising a Halter or performance foal there can be significant payouts for stallion service auction foals who are often eligible for an added purse on top of the regular futurity money available for the class. Daniels explains that he has never had any trouble with breedings purchased through auctions but stresses the importance of knowing how each auction works and reading through all the rules and terms for each auction because they are all different.

“I do know we won way more money overall with our babies in stallion service programs than we would have in just the regular futurity classes,” Daniels says.

AQHA 40 year breeder, Nancy Kunkel of Bedford, Kentucky regularly purchases breedings through stallion auctions. She also has her own stallions, superior sire, Chips Cookie Monster and an up-and-coming stallion, Im Good Undressed. She has nominated both stallions for the to the Kentucky Quarter Horse Breeders Association stallion service program.

“I have about 18 mares and recognize that not all my mares will cross well on my stallions,” Kunkle says.  “I usually seek outside breedings through stallion service auctions like Tom Powers, NSBA  and Southern Belle futurity because it opens up a bigger market to sell my babies.”

The only disadvantage Kunkel sees in purchasing breedings through stallion service programs is that there can be a significant chute fee attached because the breeding was discounted. Although, she explains this has not happened in every case, she feels it is imperative to read the contract and terms of each auction you may want to participate in. She feels it is important to know all the “what ifs” like rebreed charges, live foal guarantee, and color guarantee.

“If you do your homework, it’s really a good deal. It has worked for us,” Kunkle says.

Offering: Auction Holders

Since 1992, Tom Powers of Alto, Michigan has been operating a stallion service auction for his major futurity show, Tom Powers Triple Challenge Futurity. He first solicits breeding donations and sells the breeding fees at half price and takes a $500 fee off for a chute fee as well so breeders don’t have to pay two chute fees. In addition, he charges a $75 service fee. All of the money sold in the stallion auction goes into a stallion trust, which on average has offered $30-$40,000 additional futurity purses into eight classes for yearlings, 2-year-old, 3-year-old and Color classes. Power’s program also pays 25 percent back to stallion owners so they get added money back if their colts do well.

“It’s a very substantial colt program for owners,” Powers says.

Typically, Power’s auction holds about 300 stallions and he sells around 100 on average. To eliminate deadlines, no nomination is required for your baby. The program pays back money the year the stallion sells to the horses showing at the show.

“Of course the hot stallions sell first but if you have a nice baby by a younger horse, it’s really a good idea to buy a breeding through the stallion service program so it will eligible,” Tom says. “We like to keep it very simple and eliminate a lot of paperwork with nominating babies through the years. You don’t have to do anything just show up and the money is offered to you.”

For more information on the Tom Powers Stallion Trust visit www.tompowersfuturity.com

Ohio Quarter Horse Association President, Chris Cecil-Darnell has been the program coordinator for the Southern Belle Invitational and their stallion service auction. Since, the Southern Belle has merged with the Ohio Quarter Horse Association, Rhonda Harter is transitioning into acting coordinator for the event and should be contacted for any questions surrounding the event.

“I think the merge with OQHA gives the Southern Belle new flavor and more long-term stability,” Cecil-Darnell says.

Stallions are donated to the program and breedings are sold for half of the advertised breeding fee plus $100 service fee. There is a minimum of $600 for breeding fees which does include the service fee.  The stallion service program usually offers around 100 horses and has typically sold nearly three quarters of the horses in the program.

“ Numbers have been down a little bit from three to four years ago but the last couple of years it has been around the same,” Cecil-Darnell says. “The money is added in Southern Belle classes offered at several major events including the Quarter Horse Congress, AQHA World Show, and APHA World Show.”

Although horses have to be entered in the Southern Belle portion of the class, there is no nominations required for showing foals. As long as the stallion sells the current year, all his foals are eligible for the additional money in Southern Belle sanctioned classes.

For more information on about the program and stallions offered visit www.oqha.com.

Connie McLaughlin, Illinois Quarter Horse Association futurity secretary and stallion service auction chairman, encourages participation in the stallion auction because it is really the foundation of funding for the Illinois Futurity held at Gordyville, Illinois in September. With breeding numbers down, McLaughlin has seen the number of stallions nominated to the futurity fall off the last three or four years but the auction usually offers 50 to 70 horses.

“The last couple of years, our futurity has conflicted with the WCHA Breeders Futurity and we have seen a lot of our Halter babies go there instead,” Connie says. “We have had mostly Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle stallions enter through our auction with a few Halter horses as well.”

After McLaughlin gets all the necessary paperwork back from stallion owners, she sets up a catalog and offers them in a live auction held during the Illinois Quarter Horse Association Convention in Effingham, Illinois. Stallions are offered at half price breedings or $300 whichever is greater plus $50 service fee.

“Any stallions that don’t actually sell at the banquet are available through later in the year and stallion owners have until July 15 to add their horse in,” she says.

The Illinois Futurity offers weanling and yearling Halter classes as well as 2 and 3-year-old Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle futurities that run in open, non-pro, and in closed sessions.

Fifty percent of the futurity money offered is paid in the closed part, which is limited to mare purchasers through the stallion service auction and stallion owners who had a stallion service sell through the auction. Then, 40 percent is offered in the non-pro classes and ten percent in the open. The amount of money paid through each class depends on the number of horses entered. In addition, there are deadlines for nominating babies starting from May 15. All of the futurity deadlines, rules, and terms are available online at www.ilqha.com

Terry Barrow who runs the stallion service auction for the Kentucky Breeders Association has also seen a decrease in the number of stallions for their service auction over the past few years.

“We have half as many stallions as we did a few years ago,” Barrow says. “Numbers in breeding are down across the board because of the economy but we still have about 20 stallions offered.”

For the Kentucky Breeders Association, the stallion service auction was started to help promote the association and its general running and to help fund the futurity show. So, participation by the association members in the auction is very crucial.

“All the foals sired from the nominated year by an AQHA registered stallion whose donated breeding service has been sold will be eligible for the KQHBA Futurity and the foal remains eligible for its lifetime,” Barrow says.

The stallions donated to the Kentucky Breeders auction are offered at half of their listed stud fee. The donated stallions are offered during the KQHBA Futurity Show and remain for sale until sold. The money pays back in the futurity show held in Liberty, Kentucky every year in September through six places. The money is dispersed generally in 25 classes in a variety of events that offer $1,000 or $500 added money. They also jackpot half of the entry fees into the prize pool and give away extra prizes for first through third placers.  All the forms, contracts, and bylaws are available at www.KYQHBA.com

In an effort to bring more money and interest to its program, the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) has revamped their stallion service auction so that any foal from a sold stallion can pay a nomination fee and “buy into the program.” This year’s auction offered over 60 stallions, both Appaloosas and Quarter Horses.

“We heard loud and clear from stallion and mare owners that they wanted more money to compete for,” Todd Michael, vice president of ApHC says. “We brainstormed and came up with an outline of a new program where you could buy in. We wanted to be able to give more money back to the stallion and mare owners as well as exhibitors who were competing. From our perspective, we were contributing to both the stallion service auction and to the Appaloosa horse, which was really the driving force.”

Michael says 75 percent of the total revenue from the auction and nominations made will make up the total prize money available. The money will be added to three classes at the ApHC World Show: 2-year-old Western Pleasure, 2-year-old Hunter Under Saddle, and 2-year-old Halter (all sexes). Eligible horses will also be able to compete in all three classes if they choose. Prize money is offered through four places.

“The added money has really opened up the door for a lot more opportunity and even sparked the interest of major Quarter Horse farms like Bushy Park Farms who has nominated two Quarter Horses and their Appaloosa stallion to the program,” Michael says.

Donated breeding fees are offered starting at half of the original stud fee online through the end of December, and then unsold stallions are rerun for a second round of purchasing at half of the stud fee until the end of March. In order to jump start the program, a one-time nomination payment is due by June 30 for 2013 foals. Starting with 2014 foals, a nomination fee is due by Dec 15 of the foaling year and a sustaining fee is due by Dec 15 of the foal’s yearling year. Owners missing deadlines do have an opportunity to add their foals in through added late fees. As of Dec. 31, the program has already generated $41,500.

“Resulting foals in 2017 are eligible for an initial $30,000 purse to begin with plus the stallion service added money,” Michael says. “We are very excited about the level of participation so far by stallion owners and expect the program to grow even more in the future.”

Additional information is available at www.appaloosa.com.