140 
PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
of age, viz: in Purdue University, G. Andrews and Son, Trueman’s Pioneer 
Stud Farm, and in J. H. Serven and Son. 
It is interesting to note, also, the range of variability as regards the 
“prime breeding age” of a stud horse according to breeders. Raboin, Trow¬ 
bridge, Hooper, Kiddoo, and Hanmer uphold that the stallion’s prime 
breeding age is from 5 to 10 years, while Haxton, the Andrews, Hender¬ 
son, McMillan, and Shaw and Hudson maintain that it is at six years 
that the stallion is in his prime procreative power. The following farms 
reporting designate the stallion’s prime breeding age as are indicated: 
The University of Minnesota, at 5 to 8 years; Truman’s Pioneer Stud Farm, 
at 7 to 10 years; the University of Wisconsin, at 4 years and over; Selma 
Farm, at 5 to 6 years; White Oak Stock Farm, at 6 to 12 years; Pentoila 
Stock Farm, at 6 to 15 years; Irvinedale Farm, at 5 to 12 years; Long¬ 
view Stock Farm, at 10 years; Maple Lawn Farm, at 4 to 17 years; Cor¬ 
nell University, at 5 years; Purdue University at 7 to 12 years; Lefebure 
Sons’ Co., at 4 to 8 years; Holbert Farms, 6 and 7 years; J. H. Serven and 
Son, 6 to 8 years; Waddington Farm, at 7 or 8 years; and according to 
Stericker at from 5 to 9 or 10 years. Good of Oakdale Farm states that 
the stallion is at all times of his breeding age in his prime provided that 
he is well cared for and not overdone in his breeding services. 
That the stud sire is never too old to breed is the assertion of several 
breeders, namely: Cooley, Serven, the Lefebure Sons’ Co., Raboin, Dix, 
Henderson, White and Truman. Others who reported are of the belief that 
there are definite ages when the stallion is too old to breed, among whom 
are: McMillan gives the limiting age of fertility for the stallion at 25 
years; Trowbridge gives it at from 15 to 25 years; Hanmer states that he 
is too old at 18 to 20 years of age; Hooper believes the limit to be at 15 
years, although, he says, some individuals would still be breeding at 20 
years; Peterson places the limiting age at 22 years; and according to G. 
Andrews and Son, at 30 years of age the stallion is too old to breed. Moon 
expresses the view that the stallion becomes too old to breed when he is 
“too old to take on flesh,” and at the Irvinedale Farm it is the belief that 
fertility persists as long as the stallion is active and could cover the mare. 
According to Stericker some stallions are too old to breed at 20 years of 
age, some still proving fertile after that age, while a number are done as 
18-year-olds. 
The importance of gaining insight into the allowances or number of 
services deemed sufficient for the stallions to render at different ages, in 
keeping with their health, vigor and procreative ability is evident. On 
account of the variability and more or less complex nature of the subject 
as a whole, a scheme to present part of this in the form of a table is be¬ 
lieved to be more satisfactory, thus: 
At the Oaklawn Farm the three-year-old stallion is allowed one service 
daily, the four-year-old one the first day and two each succeeding day, and 
the five-year-old twice a day. Serven says two or three services a week 
for the two-year-old is sufficient, while the three-year-old may be allowed 
a service a day, to miss one or two days in a week, and the aged sire to be 
limited to one service daily. According to White, the two-year-old begin¬ 
ner is to be limited to cover twelve mares, serving not more than twice 
weekly, while at the age of three years or more the stallion may serve 75 
mares. The Lefebure Sons’ Co. rules that the two-year old may start on 
15 services for the season, and then twice as much each year until the ma¬ 
ture age. Ritchie allows the two-year old but six mares, while the aged 
stallion might cover two mares a day and none on Sundays. At the Chest¬ 
nut Farms, Milord, the ten-year-old stallion, is allowed to cover 12 mares 
weekly, and Rectorat, fourteen years of age, six mares a week. 
The limitation of only one service for the day by the mature sire is the 
practice enforced in such studs as the Lefebure Sons’ Co., Oakdale Farm, 
