Sandalwood Ranch

10/22/2026

10/21/2026

A study published in Scientific Reports in 2026 examined whether a Thoroughbred stallion’s age at conception is associated with his fertility and the racing success of his offspring.

Although research in humans and other mammals has linked paternal ageing to changes in s***m quality and genetic integrity, relatively little was known about how sire age relates to racing performance in Thoroughbred offspring.

Breeders also face a practical dilemma because establishing a stallion’s value through his offspring’s racing results takes years. By the time his success is recognised, he may already be well into his breeding career.

The researchers analysed historical breeding and racing records from 35 commercially significant Australian Thoroughbred stallions and 33,546 offspring.

They followed the same stallions through different stages of their breeding careers, examining live-foal production, whether offspring reached the racetrack, and whether those that raced became winners, stakes performers, stakes winners or Group winners.

Advancing sire age was consistently associated with lower fertility and reduced progeny racing success. Estimated seasonal fertility, measured as live foals per mare bred, declined from 76.5% in stallions aged eight or younger to 66.8% in those aged 19 or older.

The estimated proportion of foals that reached the racetrack also fell, from 81.2% to 66.7%.

Among offspring that raced, the estimated proportion winning at least one race declined from 71.2% in the youngest sire category to 57.2% in the oldest. Differences were also evident at higher levels of competition, with estimated stakes-winner proportions falling from 4.3% to 1.3% and Group-winner proportions declining from 2.0% to 0.5%.

While focused on Thoroughbreds, the study raises important questions for all horse breeders about how a stallion’s advancing age may influence the fertility and future performance of his offspring.

10/10/2026

10/09/2026

One flying leaf away from a full paranormal event 👻🐴🍂

09/22/2026

09/12/2026

Anyone who’s tried to get a horse that has been leveraged into a behind the bit submissiveness knows that it would have been so much easier to start with one that’s totally green.

There are various terms used to describe the way some horses roll under and do anything they can to avoid being hurt in their mouths, Some call it, as I just did, “behind” the bit. Some call it “over-flexed.”

Most trainers say that once a horse learns to avoid bit pressure by curling away from it that it’s really tricky to get the horse to trust rein connection enough to NOT evade any pressure,

This is why the better trainers avoid all the rigs and gadgets, avoid long shanked bits with tight curb chains and any bits designed to create pain, refuse to use anything that is designed to get a horse afraid of contact.

But many horses HAVE been forced into submission in the jaw, poll, mouth----Now what?

Can a horse that rolls behind the vertical at the first hint of pressure be trained to accept a calm connection, hand to rein to mouth, or is it a lost cause?

Can "good hands" undo the damage caused by rough, uneducated or unfeeling hands?

Thoughts?