Put Horses First

Editor's Note: Responses continue to come in for The Jockey Club's proposed mandate to cap stallion covers at 140 annually. Today, we publish a reply from the long-time general manager for Lane's End Farm.

I have followed and read with great curiosity people's thoughts and opinions on The Jockey Club's proposal to control book sizes and would like to take this opportunity to give my own.
I have had both the pleasure and responsibility of working for the Farishes and Lane's End for more than 40 years. At Lane's End, like so many other farms, everything we do is in the best interest of the horse. We have more the 2,000 acres and 200 stalls; everything is planned, from barn development to stall and field sizes, for the health and well-being of the animals we care for.

I've seen many changes in our industry through the years; some good, some bad, but the one I'm most concerned with is the increase in stallion book size. Unfortunately, I've seen it rise to levels I'm just not comfortable with. Granted, I come from a different side of the industry from many of the owners and breeders weighing in on this issue. I admit I've never bought a multi-million dollar stallion. I have, however, helped to syndicate and manage, along with Billy Sellers, the careers from start to finish of many of them. I have purchased shares and bred mares to several of them, so I am very aware of the economics of the stallion business.

There is a toll on large books and overbreeding. It affects mare handlers, stallion handlers, booking personnel, breeders and farms. Trying to get a spot on a certain day to a popular but oversubscribed stallion is frustrating. It often forces a mare to miss a heat cycle, thus pushing her foaling date back by three weeks.

Our stallions and mares are affected both mentally and physically by overbreeding. There are just so many days in the short breeding season. Horses often need time to rest and recuperate from injury or sickness, which forces them to miss days, compounding the problem. Yes, some stallions handle large books better than others, but I would argue that they would benefit from not being forced to breed multiple mares a day, often only a few hours apart.

People can argue fair trade, capitalism, genetics and all other issues with respect to capping the stallion limit. We may even, in the end, have to agree to disagree on some of the specifics. I believe it comes down to greed versus our responsibilities, as caretakers, to always do what is right by the horse. People would have to be ill-informed or not paying attention to think overbreeding is not harming our horses. We are both an industry and a sport structured around living beings that depend on us. Whether it's a break between races or between breeding, it's our responsibility to always give horses the time they need.

Many of you who know me are aware I seldom, if ever, speak out in print with regards to controversial matters affecting our industry. With that said, I believe a total somewhere between 125-140 total mares bred is an acceptable number. Supply and demand will work itself out. We at Lane's End are supportive of regulations put in place to benefit horses, and The Jockey Club's proposed stallion cap undoubtedly does that.