Hoffmann Stables is an all-breed mare and stallion station in Preston, Minnesota.
Owners Deb and Chris Thompson are Certified Artificial Insemination Breeding Technicians.
Deb’s family had Palomino grade horses when she was little. Her mother bought their first purebred Arabian, a beautiful mare, when she was a senior in high school. They began to breed the mare to top-notch Arabian stallions and gradually built up a brood mare band.
Deb worked as a full-time Arabian trainer from 1983 to 1996. In 1991, she began breeding not just for herself, but also for some of her training clients. The requests for her breeding services snowballed, and from 1991 to 1996 she engaged in the gradual process of switching from full-time training to full-time breeding. In 1992 Chris Thompson began working with Deb (Hoffmann) in the business, and in 1996 the couple married. In 1997 Deb ended her training and show circuit career and focused entirely on her new endeavor. Along the way, she studied Equine Reproductive Management and Artificial Insemination and Handling and Utilizing Transported, Cooled and Frozen Equine Semen at Colorado State University. Deb also received training through Jonen Enterprises and Colorado State on freezing equine semen. Chris Thompson has also received training at Colorado State for Equine Reproductive Management and Artificial Insemination and Handling and Utilizing Transported, Cooled and Frozen Equine Semen.
Deb and Chris work with a vet who performs all ultrasounds and palpations (by law, only vets can get insurance for these procedures). Deb and Chris handle all semen collection and shipping, teasing, inseminating, culturing, infusing and flushing.
Hoffmann Stables is designed to facilitate the monitoring of mares, especially problem mares, and also offers services foaling out mares. Hoffmann Stables has stalls set up with cameras to permit around the clock monitoring.
Deb’s experiences with Equine Reproduction have resulted in articles about her being published in the MAHA Leader and The Arabian Horse Times.
Deb was awarded the Pearl Award from the Fillmore County 4-H Federation for 15 years of volunteer service to the Horse Project in the county.