THEY say size matters and at 32-pages, our Stallions 2017 Guide, is our biggest ever.

Packed with advice from industry experts and some of Ireland’s top breeders, it’s an informative read from start to finish and brings you breeding trends, mating plans, coupled with plenty of sire information and industry from some of Ireland and Europe’s top breeding operations and stallion centres.

Susan Finnerty and Emer Bermingham take you through the mating plans for some of Ireland’s top sport horse breeding operations, while Teagasc Equine Specialist Declan McArdle analyses the Costs of Production for breeders - providing essential information on that all-important bottom line for any viable business.

We look at the leading bloodlines in the sport horse world and bring you the top 10 sire tables for show jumping and eventing sires, while Alison Corbally of Horse Sport Ireland advises on the importance of pedigree research.

Ken Rehill of The Stallion Company explains how their new Ashbourne centre has become such a hit so fast with Irish breeders, while we introduce Ballywalter Farms new breeding operation with the multi-talented siblings Bertram and April Allen offering the services of Romanov, Hector van d’Abdhijoeve and Dino W.

The stallions business is always a competitive market for both continental and particularly traditional Irish-bred stallions, and we are delighted to bring you a packed Stallions 2017 Guide featuring so many operations both standing stallions of their own or offering semen supply services.

Whatever your business, is on a big or a small scale, the old adage, ‘if you are not in, you can’t win’ holds true and for those who may be feeling the pressure of increased competition, Brendan McArdle, Mary Gordon and Gareth O’Hara, invite you to get in touch, they have an advertising package to suit - after all, one size does not fit all!