Located in the heart of Pilot Point, Texas, lies Kim Dean’s breeding farm at the world-renowned Tommy Manion Ranch. The Breeding Barn is a one-stop-shop for both mares and studs, not to mention their owners.
“My original business’ name was ‘Kim Dean Stallion Marketing Services.’ However, as our stallion business has grown and evolved, we decided to change our name to The Breeding Barn,” said owner and operator Kim Dean. “When a stallion owner decides to place his or her stud with us, we try to take all of the work off of them and manage the business of breeding the stallion as much or as little as they would like us to.”
Dean’s business manages everything from the marketing of the stallions to the business plans for each stallion. “On the marketing end, we can arrange for advertising and photoshoots, perform social media promotions, and list mare owners’ offspring for sale on the stallion’s Facebook page.
We also maintain The Breeding Barn website where contracts and up-to-date information about the stallions are readily available for anyone to use,” said Dean. As for the business of managing the stallions, Dean helps to set stud fees, prepare and send contracts, manage semen shipments, and numerous other necessities to make the business profitable for each stallion owner. Along with handling the studs’ day-to-day care, breeding manager Kimberly Howard and her assistants process, package, and ship both cooled and frozen semen for Dean.
Along with owning and operating The Breeding Barn, Dean has recently purchased a slate of legendary stallions from her good friend, Darol Rodrock. When asked about her recent purchase, Dean recounted her special relationship with Rodrock that began almost a decade ago.
“My business relationship with Darol began in late August of 2012 when Cleve Wells arranged a meeting for Darol and I to talk about the possibility of moving his studs from his ranch in Kansas to me in Texas,” said Dean. “While I did not know Darol on a personal level, I was very excited to speak with him about working with such legendary stallions as Certain Potential, Only In The Moonlite, Huntin For Chocolate, and A Scenic Impulse.”
The two met at a coffee shop near the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, where they discussed the studs and debated the best tactics for marketing each one. “After a couple of hours and with only a handshake between us, Darol said to me, ‘run it as you see fit, my dear. I trust your judgment.’ The decision was made to move his studs south to me,” said Dean.
Fast forward to 2020; Dean received a call from Rodrock expressing his desire to step away from the horses and retire. “He called me in July and told me of his decision to back away from the horses. He wanted to know if I would be interested in purchasing Certain Potential and A Scenic Impulse, as well as the frozen semen from Only In The Moonlite and Huntin For Chocolate,” said Dean. “As nervous as I was about the financial investment, I immediately said yes.”
On August 3rd of this year, Dean officially assumed ownership of Rodrock’s famous stallions. “I will be forever grateful to this man who has become my mentor and my lifelong friend, as well as the one who has changed my and my family’s life for the better. In my heart, they will always be Darol Rodrock’s horses because he helped make them everything they are today.”
Dean said her favorite part of being in the stallion marketing business is procuring new stallions to promote at The Breeding Barn. “I had forgotten how inspiring it was to get a new stallion in The Breeding Barn. I have several new studs adding to the excitement this year,” said Dean.
“Jane Backes, my long-time friend and stallion owner, has a talented three-year-old stud, The Best Principles, who is by RL Best Of Sudden and out of the great mare Graceful Principles. He is trained by Mike Hachtel and will be shown at the AQHA World Show by Mike in the green and junior western pleasure and Amanda Jackson in the level 2 western pleasure. He is ready to begin his first year at The Breeding Barn in 2021.”
Other stallions who will be standing at The Breeding Barn in 2021 include four-time World Champion three-year-old halter stallion Evinceble, multiple Congress Champion, and Reserve Champion sire LL Cool Bay, and the legendary sire A Good Machine (frozen semen only).
When asked about her approach to marketing so many stallions at once, Dean explained she believes ethics is the key. “When a potential breeder calls me, 99% of the time, they have already picked the stallion they want to breed to. As a result, that is the only stud I talk about during that conversation,” said Dean. “For me, it is unethical to speak of another stud and take potential breeding dollars away from another of my stallion owners.”
Dean described her most important jobs: getting good quality mares to breed to each stud, ensuring the number of mares that are booked does not overtax the stallion, and making the stud as profitable for the stallion owner as quickly as possible.
“When John Dean and I owned A Good Machine, we both had the type of mentality to be inclusive to every mare owner, which always led us to price breeding fees in such a way as to make someone say, ‘how could I not breed?’ This allows mare owners to get good value for their breeding dollars. Even though it may not be popular in our industry, my goals have always been to keep stud fees reasonable so that all mare owners can participate in breeding their mare to a nice stallion without breaking the bank.”
Dean said what she loves most about her business is personally speaking with the mare owners throughout the breeding process. “I answer every phone call from questions on stallions to taking all of the semen orders to the exciting news when a foal is born. When you call me, my phone is answered by me twenty-four hours a day. I have made lifelong friends through this business, and my mare owners are the ones who make this career so worthwhile.”
For more information on the stallions at The Breeding Barn, check out Kim Dean’s new website at www.thebreedingbarn.com or give her a call at (903) 815-3347.
