Sage Advice From Stallion Owners
Click here to read the complete article
170 – March/April, 2026
By Megan Arszman
Almost every mare owner dreams about breeding for a replica of what they already own. So, they start shopping for the perfect stallion to match those expectations and dreams. There are so many different variables that it can be overwhelming for new and even some veteran breeders. We’ve asked some stallion owners and longtime breeders for some wisdom about choosing the right stallion to breed to a mare.
Our Advisors
Kathy Tobin of Paradise Valley, Arizona, started breeding when she was showing as a Youth exhibitor. She bred off and on through the years until she purchased the legendary stallion, Allocate Your Assets. Now Tobin owns VS Code Blue and stands him with Jim and Deanna Searles at Circle S Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Cara McMillian-Gibson grew up watching her mother, Carolyn Stewart, build the family ranch, founded in 1972, into a halter powerhouse. Stewart was honored in 2023 as an AQHA Legacy Breeder for continuously breeding for 50 years. Stewart owns halter stallions The Final Verse, Execute, and Locked NN Loaded, and she stands them at Chris Arentsen Quarter Horses.
Anneene Miller has been breeding AQHA horses for 50 years, and she stood One Tuff Star in the 1990s. She owns and manages StarLand Ranch in El Reno, Oklahoma.
Vicki Livasy and her late husband, Mark, own Double L Acres, based in Decatur, Illinois. They also own World Champion Stallions Envincing and Iem The One. She has been breeding for about 25 years, and still considers herself new to breeding.
John Irish and his wife, Rosie, consider themselves smaller breeders because they believe in cultivating a select group of broodmares to offer the best opportunities for breeding. The pair has been in the business of breeding for 20 years, capitalizing in the Ranch performance events. They run John Irish Performance Horses out of Eagle Point, Oregon.
Click here to read the complete article
170 – March/April, 2026
