28 | RURAL PEOPLE » NZ Thoroughbred Breeders NZ Breeders plays crucial role in industry Karen Phelps The cost of stallions and broodmares is one of the biggest challenges facing the New Zealand thoroughbred industry, says president of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Association (NZTBA) John Thompson. “Breeding all starts with good stallions and New Zealand studs compete on an international marketplace when sourcing stallions, with prices ranging from $2m to $40m plus. With thoroughbred stallions it is all natural mating, so good management practices and skilled people are the other part of the equation to maximise results,” he says. This has led to a variety of ownership structures including syndicate, lease and partnerships to secure the best genetics. John says that changes to taxation where people can write down 50% of the purchase price against taxable income in first year has helped the industry access better stallions with the right blend of pedigree, genetics, race performance and conformation. John’s Rich Hill Stud is a case in point, producing last year’s champion stallion Proisir. After starting out with a fee of $7000 to breed from Proisir, this stallion now commands a price tag of $80,000. “This indicates how a good stallion attracts a lot of demand for his services and can prove very lucrative,” says John. He says holding proven brood mares in the country is also a challenge. “It’s important to have new bloodlines coming through and when they finish racing in New Zealand the industry has struggled to retain a lot of our good race mares as they are in high demand from international investors.” Aside from the domestic market, Hong Kong and Australia are the two other key countries, which purchase stallion genetics from New Zealand. The New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association plays a key role in assisting the industry to thrive, including producing a stallion register to provide information, to help broodmare owners make breeding decisions, and fostering equine breeding and education programmes to help people develop a career with horses. “Working with horses is quite a commitment and it takes time to learn the skill set, therefore we rely on passionate people who love horses,” says John. Generally learning is hands on in conjunction with educational courses such as the New Zealand Certificate in Equine Breeding. International scholarships are also offered so people can experience the operational infrastructure, systems and management of the world’s best in the thoroughbred industry and bring that knowledge back to New Zealand. John says there are huge opportunities in the industry internationally, particularly as the northern and southern hemispheres have different breeding seasons. The NZTBA was formed in 1948 and represents Champion stallion Proisir in action.
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