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Offering breeding services to the whole country and beyond

A few miles just south of Stettler is a ranch fenced in white, surrounded with spruce trees that happens to be the only stallion...
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Monty Gertner of the Diamond N Ranch with one of his studs.

A few miles just south of Stettler is a ranch fenced in white, surrounded with spruce trees that happens to be the only stallion breeding station in the Stettler area.

Owned by Dawn and Monty Gertner, the ranch is a family-run operation with children Waycee and Whip as well as Dawn's parents, Reg and Sharon Nitschke contributing .

While the farm has been involved stallion breeding for almost 15 years, this will be their just sixth year of offering on-site artificial insemination (AI) and collection services to the riding communities throughout the country and as far as the United States.

"We have three resident stallions and collect an additional six to eight outside stallions during breeding season," said Dawn Gertner. "We offer on-site collection of stallions and can package and cool semen to ship all over Canada and the United States."

A typical breeding season would usually get the Gertners to foal in April and May and start collecting and breeding mid March to mid July.

"We foal out 12-15 of our own mares each year, doing on-site AI and take outside mares booked to the stallions that stand here," explained Gertner. "Our mares have been thinned out to only include proven performers and producers."

According to the Gertners a mare is 90 per cent of what her foal will be.

"We strongly believe that the foal will retain almost all the characteristics of the mare," said Gertner.

"Our stallions and all outside stallions have strong performance records and earnings in the arena and on the track, because the chances of having a talented foal are much better when both parents have proven themselves."

But it has always not been an easy road for the Gertners.

"It was really hard for us to imagine turning out our studs with the mares when we had so much invested in them and especially as we were competing on them as well at the time," recalled Gertner.

To start a breeding station just as how they wanted required them to get trained, which led to Dawn Gertner taking the AI and reproduction course in Colorado.

"It was obvious that that's what we needed to do," said Gertner. "When you collect and AI, you will discover any problems a mare might have almost immediately and don't have to waste time and money wondering why they didn't conceive, and it also opens doors to potential customers that want to ship cooled semen to other parts of Canada and the USA."

Within the first couple of years, the Gertners had other stallion owners needing a place to collect.

"We have very high conception rates and our vet has helped us with getting plenty of 'problem' mares in foal," added Gertner. "Dr. Ty Corbiell is an invaluable part of our program and is here at least once a week and sometimes more."

In the past couple of years, the Gertners were fortunate "to see (their) home grown babies compete and do well even winning and placing in futurities in Canada and the United States".

"We have also bred an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Show qualifier in the barrel racing," said Gertner.