Most average equestrians know that a lot goes into owning and managing a stallion – even if they aren’t sure exactly what that entails. Experts frequently advise that an individual stallion must be talented, successful and potent and then go on to sire desirable foals to leave a lasting mark on the industry.
To understand what goes into stallion ownership, we spoke with three “newbie” stallion owners to get their hot takes on the things the industry doesn’t always talk about when it comes to owning a stallion for the first time.
Katie Van Slyke, Beth Hartman and Ingrid Miller all have varying backgrounds within the show horse industry and offer different perspectives when it comes to stallion ownership. In this 2-part series, we hear what they may have been surprised by, what they might have learned so far and what advice they have for others considering owning a stallion.
Meet the Owners
Ingrid Miller (pictured right) purchased VS The Fireman, aka “Gronk,” in the 2023 VS Dispersal Sale from Kristen Glover Galyean. Since then, she has campaigned Gronk as a show horse under the guidance of Anthony Montes and Bruce Vickery of Vickery Performance Horses.
In 2024 alone, Gronk was named the Open All-Around NSBA Champion, earning three Open NSBA titles; three-time Congress Champion (across disciplines in Western Pleasure, Trail and Western Riding); and two-time AQHA World Champion in Western Riding and Trail. To top off an incredible year, he was crowned the 2024 Reserve AQHA Superhorse.
Beth Hartman has owned and shown horses for many years. Until recently, she hadn’t owned a stallion and focused on buying young prospects to be trained, shown and sold once they were successful. However, that changed when they purchased The Luxury Line, aka “Louis,” as a long yearling from Katy Jo Zuidema.
Courtney Battison bred Louis, and Hartman’s trainer, Dawn Baker (pictured left), convinced her that Louis had potential as a stallion and “deserved to keep his manhood” for the time being. Louis proved that Baker had given excellent advice when he went on to have very successful three-year-old and four-year-old campaigns, winning Championship titles in the Hunter Under Saddle at the 2023 Congress, the 2023 and 2024 AQHA World Shows, and a Reserve title at the 2023 NSBA World Show. Louis is expecting his first foals this season.
Katie Van Slyke took over ownership of the established VS Code Red, aka “Waylon,” after also placing a winning bid in the VS Dispersal Sale. She began promoting him to the horse world immediately through various digital platforms. Additionally, she purchased a second young stallion (and Waylon grandson), First Thingz First, aka “Denver” from Capall Creek Farm.
Denver was recently named Reserve 3YO Pleasure Versatility Champion at the AQHA World Show under the guidance of Aaron Moses Show Horses (winning the pleasure and performance halter divisions). Denver’s class was the most-watched since its inception – thanks, no doubt, to Van Slyke’s many loyal social media followers who tuned in to cheer Denver on.
Not Without Surprises
Van Slyke admits, “When I bought Waylon, he had nothing to prove. He was already well-established and respected in the industry and was known for his mind, versatility and famous front leg, which he put on his babies. So, I was blessed to hit the ground running with the great team at Highpoint behind him.”
However, purchasing Denver put Van Slyke (pictured right) at the opposite end of the spectrum, where she faced the new challenge of building a stallion from the ground up. “With Denver, my experience has been a lot different because he is trying to make a name for himself.”
Van Slyke says that one of the big surprises she experienced was how much it costs to stand a stallion – even one already established. “I had a broad idea of generally what needed to be done, but I was honestly shocked by all of the overhead – you need to pay them into incentives and futurities if you want to campaign them at a high level, there is marketing, care and maintenance, insurance, etc.”
She continues, “When they’re established, their stud fee is at a level that can cover your overhead, but when you are starting, you have to assume that you’re going to take a loss for the first few years to put them in a position to succeed…and you may never make that investment back if they don’t prove themselves. It’s a huge gamble.”
Miller adds, “If you want to stand a top-tier stallion, you need to love the industry and want to see it grow, and the quality of horses continue to improve.”
Van Slyke chuckles, “One thing that was a total surprise to me is that stallions need to be quarantined under strict rules for their semen even to be allowed to be shipped overseas. I had no idea about that. I had a lot of moments where I learned more about the process and realized I honestly would have been clueless without Highpoint.”
“I was very naive going into this process,” Miller admits. “I had been a part of the industry for many years and wasn’t ignorant about stallion ownership. But, I learned there was so much more to the logistics, management, costs and everything else. If it weren’t for my team: Anthony Montes (trainer), the McCutcheon stallion team (breeding manager), Courtney Chown (graphic designer), and Julia Oxendine (social media manager), I know we wouldn’t have been as successful.”
Hartman agrees that standing a stallion is very emotionally and financially involved. However, she was also surprised by how complex the decision-making process can be for a stallion compared to what she’d experienced with a gelding or mare.
“The tough decision I faced with other horses was whether it was the right time to sell,” Hartman laughs. “Now, with a stallion, every decision seems to carry much more weight. I was surprised by how difficult it was to decide whether to keep campaigning Louis or let him rest on his laurels.”
She continues, “Owning a stallion is owning a business, and the decision as simple as showing and where to show is complicated by whether they win, have an off day, public perception, the competition level, etc. – everything matters in a way it didn’t before. If you show up for a long time, you’re taking a risk that they won’t win everything or get injured. If you retire them, you’re taking a risk they didn’t do enough or fall out of the public eye. Ultimately, I just went with my gut and decided to retire Louis to focus on his stallion career – I felt he earned that.”
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, which discusses more detailed lessons learned and advice for future stallion owners.
