Around the same time, Steens Kiger, Littleton's prized stallion--the horse had sired 20 foals a year in his prime and was the most prominent privately owned Kiger--had a breeding accident during which an ornery mare kicked him in the privates.
Furthermore, new developments in the field of microbiology seem to suggest that the mare lineage may be fare more important than the sire which is the opposite operating approach to breeding taken by most breeders.