first published in the January 2020 Equiery

As we head into a new decade where the world seems ever expanding and national young horse programs are dominated by imports, The Equiery conducted a survey to produce a Maryland stallion count for the 2020 breeding season. What we found proves what we’ve always known… Maryland is the state for horses. Whether your goals are to represent the U.S. at an Olympic Games in dressage, win the National Reining Horse Association World Championship title or find yourself in the winner’s circle of a Triple Crown Race, the stallions you are looking for are right here in Maryland!

We have Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds and Quarter Horses and Andalusions. Percherons, Irish Sport Horses, Morgans and Welsh Ponies. Warmbloods of nearly every kind and even rare breeds such as the Cleveland Bay.

These Maryland stallions have produced top show hunters, world-class trotters, halter horses, eventers, trail class winners, barrel runners and all-around family horses and ponies.
Furthermore, Maryland’s foundation lines have spread outside its borders and have hit the international stage in several disciplines.

Shared on these pages are just a few of these amazing stallions and their accomplishments. Statistics presented here are gathered from our survey, stallion websites, Equiery archives, the Maryland Horse Industry Board and lots of phone calls!

Please note, these statistics may have missed a few stallions here and there as not everyone we reached out to responded in time for preparing this issue for print. If your stallion was not “counted,” please call or email The Equiery’s editor at 443-537-6754 or editor@equiery.com.

To view the full list of Maryland stallions, click here.

Stallion Numbers
After boatloads of research, we have found 155 stallions standing in Maryland for the 2020 season! These stallions represent 26 different breeds as well as two crossbreds.

According to the Maryland Thoroughbred stallion database, there are 42 Thoroughbreds standing in Maryland for the 2020 season. The 2020 Maryland Standardbred Race Fund’s 2020 stallion roster was not available in time for this print edition but we estimate there are 22 Standardbred stallions standing in Maryland for 2020.

After the Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, the breed with the third most stallions represented in our survey was the Hanoverian with 16 stallions. Arabians and Welsh Ponies shared the top fourth spot with 10 stallions each and Dutch Warmbloods round out the top five breeds with nine.

An overwhelming 50 stallions are found in Cecil County. This can largely be attributed to the fact that Hilltop Farm, Inc., Winbak Farm, Anchor and Hope, and Northview Stallion Station are all located in Cecil County and each houses a large number of stallions. Harford County houses approximately 18 stallions, Frederick 17 stallions and Carroll County 15.

Siring Sires
Quite a few well-known stallion names popped up as repeat sires of the 2020 stallion line up. The number one stallion sire was the Thoroughbred A.P. Indy with four stallions. The Warmblood sire Lord Leatherdale fathered three stallions on our list, as did Not For Love (TB), Rubinstein (WB) and Speightstown (TB). Thoroughbred stallions Malibu Moon and War Front sired two stallions each in our 2020 line up. Standardbred Real Artist also sired two stallions on our list.

Stallion Champs
We had 19 stallion owners respond to our survey before we went to press. Each stallion owner was asked to share the accomplishments of their stallions as well as what their offspring have accomplished. Below are just a few of these spectacular stallion stars!

Thoroughbred stallion Cuba (Not For Love x Shaunless), standing at Royal Wux Farm in Kent County, won the Maryland Million Classic at seven years old and finished second in that same race the following year. Fellow Thoroughbreds Dortmund (Big Brown x Our Josephina) and Kobe’s Back (Flatter x Well), both standing at Bonita Farm in Harford County, each have earnings in the millions.
Sweet Rock Stable’s Morgan stallion Circle F One Good Reason (KBA Sport Model x DeBar Patti Jane) was the 2018 Grand National Amateur In Hand Stallion at the Morgan Grand National Championships. Located in Carroll County, this stallion has also been making appearances at Horseland during the Maryland State Fair!

Once again, the Trakehner stallion Elfenperfekt “Pg” (Peron “Pg” “E” x Elfentraum “E”) competed at the US Dressage Federation National Finals. Standing in Frederick County, he finished fourth nationally at Grand Prix and sixth in the Grand Prix Freestyle in 2019. Also competing and succeeding at the FEI Grand Prix level in dressage is Hanoverian stallion Rapture R (Rotspon x Demaris). He also stands in Frederick County.

According to Commandalena’s (Smart Chic Olena x Givency Command) proud owner Dana Grafft (Frederick County), the Quarter Horse stallion has “too many NRHA and AQHA titles to list!” His current lifetime earnings are $144,000.

Tom Cooke’s Standardbred stallion Nuclear Breeze (Nuclear High x Radiant Breeze) is a world champion with a mark of 1:48.2 and career earnings of over $350,000. He is standing in Wicomico County; he has previously stood in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Producing Champions
A stallion’s accomplishments are certainly worth boasting about, but more importantly in the breeding world are what his offspring have accomplished. Maryland stallions have offspring winning in a variety of disciplines at the national and international levels.

According to our survey results, Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing is the most common sport offspring are participating in. Thoroughbred stallion Cuba made his mark right away with his first foal to run being champion Maryland-bred Laki. Laki has already won over $460 million in earnings and was the 2018 Maryland-bred Older Champion Male.

The 17-year-old Standardbred stallion Nuclear Breeze has over 150 offspring racing. He has sired horses with over $5 million in earnings to date.

The sport of eventing was the second most common discipline by offspring, according to survey results, followed by foxhunting. Cleveland Bay stallion Arena Maestro (Laughton Saladin x Knaresborough Moon Dust) has produced several event horses and foxhunters. Standing at Bella Vista Farm in Frederick County, Arena Maestro’s first crop included the 2018 Future Event Horse national champion yearling filly.

Other stallion offspring have been shown in hunters, jumpers, dressage, western pleasure, driving and halter classes. Specifically, Arabian stallions Qaadar Nadir Samar (Ansata Nile Nadir x Zahara Keela) and Imperial Baaru (Imperial Baarez x Imperial Falaah) both have offspring earning results in national halter championship classes. Both stallions stand at Infinity Egyptian Stud in Baltimore County.