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Should you breed your mare?
By Jodie Strait
As we get closer to spring, many mare owners are asking themselves if they should breed their mare. In today’s economy and over-breeding situation horse owners need to make sure they are making the right decisions. Pedigree Any mare being bred should prove her worth. Just because she has one or two nice horses in her pedigree is not a reason for her to be bred. Yes there are stories of an unknown mare and stallion creating a spectacular foal but for every one of those there are thousands of mediocre ones. Genetic Testing If your mare is a stock horse, have you had her tested for all of the genetic diseases. All mares should be tested/cleared for HERDA, PSSM, HYPP and OWLS. When deciding on a stallion, ask for copies of their tests as well. If the stallion owner does not have results make sure that you add that to the equation – would you be fine with an N/H baby? Or a lethal white? Physical Health Make sure that your mare has been thoroughly checked by your vet. Make sure that you have a uterine culture so any infections can be taken care of prior to breeding. Expenses Breeding a horse is expensive. Stud fees range from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. Beyond a stud fee there are collection fees, chute fees, ultra sound charges and vet farm calls. If using shipped semen don’t forget to add in shipping costs. Assume that each cycle will cost you $250-500 over and above the actual stud fee. Veterinarian costs Expect your vet costs to increase dramatically from your regular costs. The vet will need to examine your mare regularly. Ultrasounds will need to be done to make sure your mare is not carrying twins. There are also extra inoculations your mare will need while in foal. Assume that your extra veterinarian costs will be a minimum of a few hundred dollars. Effort Foals are very cute but they take lots of time. Halter training, handling, and all the other necessities need to be done on a regular basis. Once your foal has grown the cost of training needs to be added to your expenses. Adding it all up After going through the list of costs take a good hard look at the numbers and ask yourself = can I buy EXACTLY what I want for less than the cost of breeding it. If the answer is yes the please consider doing just that. Each year dozens of mediocre foals are born and many of them end up in low end auctions headed to the Canadian and Mexican border to be slaughtered.
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