Breeding is the one equine service where the emotional case and the financial case most often diverge. Approaching it with clear eyes serves both the mare and your budget.
A breeding soundness examination before you commit to a stallion is money well spent. It is far cheaper to learn about a uterine problem now than after two failed cycles and a paid stud fee.
Live foal guarantee, rebreeding rights, who pays for what veterinary work, and the position if the stallion dies or becomes unavailable. These are the clauses that matter, and they vary enormously between farms.
Owners budget for the stud fee and are surprised by everything after it. Mare care while she is at the facility, ultrasound scans across the cycle, collection and shipping charges for cooled or frozen semen, veterinary work at every stage, and a foaling that may or may not go straightforwardly. Then eleven months of keeping a pregnant mare, followed by three or four years of raising a foal before it earns its keep. Add the whole stack before deciding, because the stud fee is rarely more than a fraction of it.
Mares cycle seasonally, and the natural breeding season runs from spring into late summer. Breeding early in the year usually means artificial lighting to bring the mare into cycle sooner, which takes planning weeks ahead. Think about which month you want a foal on the ground: one born into deep winter needs facilities you may not have, and one born late has less growing season behind it.
Decide in advance what happens if the mare does not conceive after two or three cycles, if she needs veterinary intervention, or if the foal arrives with problems. Agree with the facility who makes decisions at two in the morning and who pays for them. A breeding operation that has this conversation willingly is one that has had it before.
Live foal guarantee terms, rebreeding rights, who pays for veterinary work, mare care costs, and what happens if the stallion becomes unavailable.
Typically it means a rebreeding at no stud fee if the foal does not survive a defined period. The definitions vary considerably — read them.
Yes. It is far cheaper to discover a problem before you pay a stud fee and board than after two failed cycles.
Rarely. Between stud fees, veterinary costs, mare care and the risk to the mare, breeding usually costs more than buying an equivalent young horse.
Related: the horse gestation period.
Related: what a gelding is.
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Live foal guarantee terms, rebreeding rights, who pays for veterinary work, mare care costs, and what happens if the stallion becomes unavailable.
Typically it means a rebreeding at no stud fee if the foal does not survive a defined period. The definitions vary considerably — read them.
Yes. It is far cheaper to discover a problem before you pay a stud fee and board than after two failed cycles.
Rarely. Between stud fees, veterinary costs, mare care and the risk to the mare, breeding usually costs more than buying an equivalent young horse.
