Temperament and a good mind have to be a given. If they're rank or undependable/unpredictable, they're useless to me. I need to be sure these traits are passed on to my foals. Conformation and beauty are also important, else why bother? Versatility and a good work ethic are necessary, but perhaps the most important thing next to a good mind is his ability to produce. The paramount reason to keep a stallion intact IMO is his ability to create outstanding foals.
THIS is how he proves himself. Very few are kept just as "buddies." There are too many stallions with titles that produce crap and plenty without them that produce gold. Always look at his get before choosing a stallion, and look for lines that are known to be prepotent.
My two colts, Gold N Psynn-Psyation and Gold N Echo, are the result of a stallion (Golden Ecstasy) with an amazing temperament, beauty, conformation, movement, and great mind. Both colts have inherited all that and more.
My stallion,Obsidian Dream S shares all of the above, easily handled during breeding and he as calm as a cucumber, extremely intelligent- picks things up wicked fast, is curious and friendly, and has no ax to grind. He has passed calmness, a good mind, beauty, type, and movement on to his daughter, Dream of Faery Fire. THIS proves him. The colts I have now, and his other get, prove Golden Ecstasy.
A perfect example of the whole package:
Golden Ecstasy - YouTube
What he produces:
Obsidian Dream S:
What he produces:
(and these are her "ugly" phase)
The proof's in the pudding, so they say! :wink: All the ribbons in the world have no bearing on a sire's innate ability to produce exceptional get. That always has to be proven in the breeding shed.