Should you breed your own horse? It is a question that many mare owners ask themselves at some point, particularly when their mare is a much-loved member of the family or a successful performance horse. However, most horse owners are equally aware that there is a glut of horses available on the market, and particularly in today’s economy, the question of what to do with unwanted horses looms large (for more on this, read Part II of this series next month).

This month’s article is going to focus on the pros and cons of breeding your own mare, as well as answer some commonly asked questions. To help us out, we consulted with Dutch Warmblood breeder Kathy Hickerson of Majestic Gaits in Brookline, New Hampshire,

Connemara breeder Linda Haines of Trout Ranch in Northfield, New Hampshire, and AQHA reining horse breeder Dan Sanborn of MDS Farm in Salisbury, New Hampshire. Each of these breeders knows first hand about the excitement, trepidation, disappointment and pride that can come with breeding your own horse.
 

Before You Begin

A few questions that prospective breeders should ask themselves include:

·         Does this mare have valuable genetics to pass on?

·         For what purpose is the foal likely to be used?

·         Is there a market for the foal if the breeder doesn’t wish to keep it for life?

·         Does the breeder have the ability to manage the mare through the pregnancy and foaling process and then also to handle a young horse?

The first and most important question that any prospective breeder must ask themselves is whether you like your mare enough that you would want another horse just like her.
      “Most people who breed for themselves do so because they have the mare, know and like her, and would be willing to get just what they have now in another horse,” says Dutch Warmblood breeder Kathy Hickerson. “I always tell the mare owners that when they breed, they can always get their mare, and so if they don’t like their mare, they shouldn’t breed [her]. Don’t breed your mare if you will only be satisfied with something better.”
      It is important for mare owners to be clear in the assessment of their mare. Horses with obvious behavioral or genetic defects should not be bred. Likewise, a mare should not be bred simply because “we can’t do anything else with her.”
      “You can’t tell what a mare stamps in her foals until she has put out a lot of foals,” says Hickerson. “You need to ask yourself ‘what do you really want out of the breeding?’ Performance ability and a good temperament are two keys.”
      Dan Sanborn says that his family has been breeding Quarter Horses for the reining arena for over thirty years, and their policy has been to keep only the very best show mares for breeding.
      “The foal’s physical capabilities will be key to successfully performing reining maneuvers,” says Sanborn. “Good conformation and a good mind come next. The horses we breed must be able to hold up to the rigors of training and showing. The value of that young horse will be based on how much the sire and dam won, as well as the success of any siblings.”
      The temperament of your mare is especially important when considering breeding her. “The mare is more important to that individual foal on the ground than the stallion is,” says Hickerson. “The stallion has a big impact on breeding across the board, but the mare is the one who teaches that individual foal how to see the world. The foals tend to inherit their dam’s behavior.”
      Linda Haines initially began breeding her Connemaras to assist in promoting the breed; she and other Connemara breeders take quite seriously the study of pedigrees and analysis of which lines do well together.
      “I thought at one point that I would find a replacement for my mare, but this hasn’t yet happened,” says Haines. “The Connemara is a breed with limited numbers, and there isn’t a robust foal crop each year. There are normally only about one hundred and twenty-five purebred foals bred each season. To promote this breed, we need to make sure that quality young stock is available.”
      Majestic Gaits sells and ships semen for many of the best Dutch Warmblood stallions in the world through their partnership with the VDL Stud in Holland. Hickerson says that breeding a horse who will be able to be papered with their breed’s registry is always a good idea.
      “Having a horse with papers opens up more options for resale,” says Hickerson. “I ask the mare owners to think down the line, about what will happen to the horse if something happens to you.”
      Sanborn says the same is true for reining horses. “A lot of our horses can be double registered with the American Quarter Horse Association and the American Paint Horse Association,” says Sanborn. “We like to register them as many ways as possible so the young horse has many avenues.”
 

Expected Costs

The exact cost of breeding your own foal may be hard to calculate, but the wise prospective breeder should do some homework related to the geographic region and specific breeding you are dealing with.
      “Sometimes people think that breeding is a cheaper way to get a horse,” says Sanborn. “But there are many hidden costs, such as overnight shipping of semen and collection fees. The costs really add up quickly.”
      For starters, you should have your vet out to do a breeding soundness examination on your mare to determine if she is healthy enough to breed. Your vet will also work with you to determine her state of ovulation and then to assess the optimum time for breeding. If you are breeding via artificial insemination, you will need to make sure that you are working with a vet who is comfortable with this process. Finally, your mare will need routine check ups throughout the pregnancy and various booster vaccinations. The costs for these services vary widely by region.

Next, all stallions come with a stud fee and often a booking fee as well. The exact amount charged varies dramatically but generally is determined by the breed and quality of the stallion, the performance record of the stallion and his get, and which discipline the stallion specializes in. The fees for quality sport horse stallions range from under one thousand dollars for a new or unproven stallion up to several thousand for more established studs; racehorse stallion fees may reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In general, fees will reach the top end of the spectrum for a given breed or discipline as that stallion becomes established and successful.

“A good reining stallion may have a twenty-five-hundred dollar stud fee,” says Sanborn. “But the best may run as high as ten thousand dollars.”

While some breeders will try to cut costs by going with a stallion who has a lower stud fee, remember that in general the stud fee reflects the record of the stallion in question. This is one area in which experienced breeders do not recommend economizing.

The booking fee is generally not quite as exorbitant as the stud fee but still may be several hundred dollars; booking fees are usually non-refundable as their purpose is to reserve a place in the stallion’s upcoming breeding schedule for your mare.

When you pay the stud and booking fees, you generally also will sign a breeding contract with the stallion owner. Each of these contracts will spell out what will happen should the mare fail to become pregnant or should she lose her foal once she becomes pregnant. Most stallions offer a live foal guarantee, which usually stipulates that the foal must stand and suckle the mare for the conditions of the contract to be fulfilled. Such a clause provides protection to the mare owner should she fail to deliver a healthy foal, even for a reason such as her own death. It is important to read each contract carefully and ask for explanations of any such terms or conditions.

If your mare is bred via live cover, you will likely incur costs associated with shipping and boarding the mare at the stallion’s facility. If the mare is to be bred via artificial insemination, you will usually pay the stallion owner a collection and shipping fee for the semen, and also those costs associated with having your vet out to perform the insemination.

Finally, once your mare delivers a healthy foal, your vet should come out once again to perform a first exam to check on the status of the mare and the foal.

The preceding discussion only covers those costs associated with a healthy mare and foal throughout the pregnancy and birthing process. It does not account for the routine costs associated with keeping a mare and her future foal, such as boarding. People who keep their horses at home need also to inspect their facility to see if it is up to the challenge of the energy of a baby horse. Breeders who hope to keep their foal for riding in the future also should factor in the costs of upkeep and training for the several years before the animal will be rideable. And finally, all experienced breeders know that things can and do go wrong at many stages along the way.

Haines has seen both sides of the equation. Her first experience with pregnant mares and foals came when she purchased a mare already in foal; the seller wanted the foal once it was born. “It was so much fun; the vet wasn’t here all the time, the fencing was fine, the stalls were fine,” says Haines. “It made me realize [breeding] was something I could do. But overall, breeding is not an economical way to get a youngster. If you are lucky, you can do it economically, but overall it is hard to breed something for yourself that you couldn’t buy cheaper.”

Hickerson says that having the right vet can go a long way towards helping ensure the success of a breeding. “Not everyone has an experienced reproductive vet available,” says Hickerson. “Most vets can do the basics but not all can handle more unique procedures, or handle frozen semen. Sometimes you will need to send out for a specialist.”

Hickerson says that new breeders also are not always fully prepared for the process of foaling itself. “Foals and mares have been lost from difficult births or from no one being there to help,” says Hickerson. “A foal can suffocate in the sack if it’s not broken, and it is a simple thing to do if you are there.”

Those breeding on a small scale are unlikely to do any more than break even with the sale of a foal. The general rule of thumb is that a foal intended for sale should be worth three times the cost of their stud fee if they were sold at the moment of birth.

“The reining market has gotten so sophisticated now, with embryo transfers and other technology,” says Sanborn. “The average person is going to be better off going to buy a prospect than breeding their own. It doesn’t take long to triple your stud fee [in expenses].”
    

Words from the Wise: the Triumph and the Tragedy

Haines loves the romantic aspect of breeding her Connemaras. “I love getting to think about names, about what color the foal might be, and I love all of the planning and preparations for getting ready for the foal,” says Haines. “I spend the long winters studying bloodlines to figure out which matches will be the best.”

But Haines admits that breeding hasn’t all been about fun and games; she has suffered her share of disappointment, too. The last foal born on her farm was a stillbirth; her favorite mare was only able to carry one foal to term, despite repeated attempts via both live cover and AI to get her to conceive and settle. She also points out that breeders have a commitment not just to the foals but to their broodmares; her farm currently is home to two retired broodmares, aged 27 and 29.

Hickerson has a group of imported quality, top-rated mares and is constantly trying to improve upon the quality of this herd. “We have had anywhere from two to eight foals per year,” says Hickerson. “Sometimes there can be problems. It is important to know this and be prepared.”

Hickerson says that one way to ensure a greater chance of getting a foal that will be capable of reaching your goals is to select a stallion who is a good match for your mare. “At Majestic Gaits, we are usually dealing with top end horses, and their owners want a strong performance horse,” says Hickerson. “We often have mare owners calling to ask for advice as far as which stallion would complement their mare the best. We can analyze the conformation of the mare from a photo and provide them with guidance as far as which stallions might improve upon her faults.”

According to Sanborn, the performance abilities of the broodmare are the first priority when selecting her for breeding; after that, they choose the best stallion possible to match her. “If the mare has a strong personality, we will breed her to a quieter stallion,” says Sanborn. “A good rule of thumb is to breed hot to cold.”

Sanborn notes that in his family’s long experience with breeding, they have seen both ends of the spectrum of success and defeat. “Not every foal is a great one, no matter what you plan, and the costs are still the same,” says Sanborn. “We have kept some foals and shown them extensively, while others are sold. The economy also dictates how many foals we are willing to have on the ground each season; we have cut back recently and are only expecting two or three next year versus five or six.”

Sanborn says one of their greatest success stories is the horse MDS Sailor, whose sire was a stud at MDS Farm. “This horse was sold and came back to our farm and has been successful with each of his riders,” says Sanborn. “He has won nine out of ten outings in 2009 and was reserve World Champion with his previous owner. He has won over twenty-seven thousand dollars.”

It is this kind of success with a homebred that drives some people to want to breed their own.
 
To Breed or Not to Breed?

At the end of the analysis, the mare owner is in the best position to determine whether breeding their horse is the right choice. Hickerson points out that there are some distinct advantages to buying a young horse over breeding your own, including that you will be able to see just what you are getting as well as to get a sense of the personality of the animal.
      “That said, when you have bred the horse yourself, you are so much more involved that you are very connected to the horse,” says Hickerson. “The experience can be so rewarding.”
      Sanborn says that his family has had great success with both homebred horses and those purchased as prospects. “For a young prospect, you can see what they are like conformationally and temperament wise, and see what the sire and dam have done,” says Sanborn. “If you have a baby who isn’t going to do what you want, sometimes you end up selling them for less than half of what you have invested in them.”
      Cost wise, breeding your own horse might best be compared to buying over time as opposed to putting down one lump sum. “You probably spend as much to raise a youngster as you would if you simply purchased one,” explains Hickerson. “There is always more risk purchasing a younger horse than an older one.”
      Haines suggests that the best advice she can give is to make sure you are only breeding a horse that you would really like for yourself. “We try hard to breed the best to the best,” says Haines. “Be proud of what you breed, and be prepared to keep the foal until it can be trained and sold. You have no idea what the market is going to be like.”
      Haines is personally connected to each of the foals she has sold who bear the Trout Ranch name. “For me, it is important to match these babies that you love with a place where they will be successful,” says Haines. “The foal must have a job and needs a place. There are already enough horses out there that don’t have a real niche.”
      “In this business, to breed and be successful is tricky,” says Sanborn. “I definitely would say that the best way to get started [as a trainer] is to buy a young prospect. If you are looking to get into breeding, you want to buy some good mares or the full sister to a successful mare and breed to some junior studs, horses whose foals haven’t been proven.”
 
Conclusion
      Breeding your own horse is a process which can potentially be quite rewarding, but it is important to begin the journey with a clear idea of the expense, risk, and planning involved.