What mares cross best with Quaterback?

Last week I received an email message from
a BTB reader who has a Harvard mare in foal to Quaterback, the stallion who has been the subject of many of my blog articles. She suggested that I write about what mares cross best with Quaterback. Of course I don't know what mares he crosses with, but I occasionally pester "the Quaterback authority" Judy Yancey of Yancey Farm. Judy is a breeder and also a semen broker for some lovely stallions, including Quaterback. I emailed her and asked her about what mares work best with Quaterback. She responded immediately, and in the interest of accuracy I'm providing the text she sent me more or less word for word....

We are just starting to formulate - and speculate - on what type of mare would best blend with Quaterback. First of all, every breeder should know what their mare produces. If it is a maiden mare, best to use a seasoned stallion. I rarely use a freshman sire on a maiden mare. Of my foals, I could see the dam in each one of them; yet they all had a few things in common. -foremost were the front legs, which are long, and when viewed from the front, have a particular look to them. I will try to get a photo for you. Aside from the legs...

• nice faces
• well set necks
• nice length of back and strong loins
• round croup

That said, I would say that a typey mare, maybe one with "blood" would suit Quaterback best. In the Hanoverian region, some of the foals (that I have seen) out of the more old fashioned mares were somewhat normal. But, temperament wise, I would not use a spicy or difficult mare hoping that Q'back would tone her down. The foals are VERY intelligent and quite engaged in their surroundings. They have above average energy, which adds to the power of their movement. And I think this quality will also make them good competition horses for those that know how to train and deal with this type.

Judy sent along some pictures as well. The photo top right is Quetzal out of Reina H (Rubinstein - Herbststurm (TK.) - Boris (TK) - Pregel (TK)). The top left is Qredit out of Reina H's daughter, Dream Rubina by Dream of Glory. The first foal of the season is due Christmas Eve. You can check the News section of the Yancey Farms Web site for pix and info. I know I'll be looking for some pix!