Dear George: A little history first and then the modern application. A "Keeper Stallion" was a stallion the owner could make money off of by charging a stud fee. The Stallion may have been know as a good worker for pulling freight wagons - heavy freight like coal, picking up milk from farms - Menzie Dairy Clydesdales or Belgium Percherons or perhaps a good trotter for a fast buggy. The men in those days who drove these wagons and the ones who drove stage coaches, like those you see in the old western films were called Teamsters - as are Truck Drivers today. When horses were phased out for internal combustion trucks etc. the Teamsters retrained themselves from horses to the mechanical. Horse traders, farmers who raised horses for a variety of reasons, or ran the livery stable where you usually could order or buy the type of wagon, buggy, buckboard, get your horse shoed or wagon springs reforged turned to cars. The general mistrust of Car Dealers is descended directly from the Horse Traders. The saying "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" was because the horses teeth would reveal the true age of the animal by the amount of wear on the teeth. The less wear the younger the animal. It then evolved into kicking the tires, insisting that you look under the hood. A crooked horse trader/car salesman might have the engine steam cleaned so that it look better cared for - no or little grease or grime. Horse traders would sometimes use Milk Paint to cover gray around a horses mussel, braid more hair into the tail to make it look younger - cosmetics isn't modern. There you have it. Keeper stallion = breeding = income. Marc M. G. Stauffer