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Selecting a Stallion
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. For information on reprint rates please send me e-mail at oogiem@desertweyr.com
Six Important Factors
The process of selecting a stallion to breed to is a long and complex one. This article will cover the six major points to consider when starting this selection process.
2. Fees and Costs
3. Mare Care and Facilities
4. Guarantees
5. Special Offers
6. Breeding Contract
I feel these six items are the most important and must be considered in any successful breeding program.
Breeding Goal
What is your personal breeding goal?Before deciding which of the many stallions offering their services is the right one for you you must decide what you are trying to breed for. If your goal is a top event horse you need a different stallion than the person who wants to breed park horses. The importance of a clearly defined and perhaps even written breeding goal cannot be emphasized enough. A good way is to describe your ideal horse in terms of conformation, temperament, color and other traits which are important to you. After you have defined what you are breeding for you need to evaluate your mare. What qualities does she share with your ideal? What qualities need improvement? Which of the many items defined in your ideal are you willing to compromise on and which are must haves? The perfect horse has not been foaled so every mare and every stallion has faults. Only with your ideal in mind can you evaluate these faults and determine whether this particular mating is likely to move you closer to your breeding goal. An easy way to compare potential mates is to make a list of the good and bad points of your mare and chart next to them the good and bad points of the stallions you are considering. Where possible pair positives and never duplicate negatives. That way in the breeding gamble you can hope that the foal will get the good points of both parents. Keep in mind that breeding is risky and you might end up with all the bad points instead! An example of this approach is listed below.
If you define the most importnat parts of your ideal horse as:
| Ideal Horse |
Perfect front legs 40-45 degree Shoulder angle Strong, powerfull hindquarters Pretty head with clean throatlatch. Short back Solid hind legs |
Chart your mare against the possible stallions in this way.
| Mare | Stallion A | Stallion B |
Good correct front legs 47 degree Shoulder angle Solid hindguarters Plain head Long back Good hindlegs |
Average front legs 40 degree Shoulder angle Weak hindquarters Superb, elegant head Short back Slight cow hocks |
Good front legs 45 degree Shoulder angle Average hindquarters Plain head Short back Straight to slight cow hocks |
Now you can compare the choices.
In this example Stallion B is probably the better mating because he improves on all the faults of the mare even though Stallion A contains some points which are superior to Stallion B.
The goal of the Stallion owner
The stallion owner has several goals. First she wants to get breedings to her stallion. Second, she wants to improve the breed or horses in general. Third, she wants to have repeat clients. Fourth, she may have a specific goal for her own breeding program. When you are evaluating potential mates for your mare check on the breeding goals of the stallion owner. Most breeders will willingly discuss their favorite subject and gladly explain their goals to you. You might also try and ask for a comparison of the breeders own mares and her stallion. Ask for the reasons why she choose that particular stallion for her mares and see if the traits she is breeding for coincide with yours. You might want to discuss the faults of your mare and the stallion and get feedback on whether they will nick well.
Fees and Costs
Breeding horses is expensive. If it is your hobby it can be one of the most expensive things you can do with horses. If you are in the business of breeding horses you must keep track of the costs to produce each foal and attempt to reduce these costs. In addition to the major fees commonly associated with breeding horses don't forget to include the additional veterinary care and feeding pregnant mares require. Some of the more common fees are described below.Booking Fee
Some stallions require a booking fee in addition to the stud fee. This fee is usually non-refundable except for the death or injury of the stallion. A booking fee guarantees that you are interested and allows the stallion owner to plan the breeding season. Booking fees are usually payable when you make a breeding reservation.
Stud Fee
The stud fee is the actual service fee. Stud fees are usually paid in part when the mare arrives and the rest when she is confirmed in foal. The stud fee may only cover a service to the stallion or may come with guarantees such as a live foal. Although the stud fee may appear to be the major expense keep in mind that mare care and veterinary fees are frequently higher than the stud fee.
Care Fees
Most breeding farms charge mare care or boarding fees during her stay at the farm. This covers the cost of feed and care for the mare. Usually mare care does not include veterinary and farrier fees. Costs vary widely and a stallion who has a high breeding fee may have low mare care and can be a better deal financially. Costs are typically higher for a mare with a foal at her side. This is often called the "wet" fee as opposed to "dry". The amount of time your mare will be at the breeding farm depends on her breeding condition and when she arrives. It is wise to plan on at least 2 months and 3 or 4 is not uncommon. The stallion owner will usually require that the mare stay at the farm until she is confirmed in foal to aid in teasing and prevent early foal loss because of the trauma of moving. When discussing mare care be sure to mention any special feeding instructions such as grain or supplements and extra services such as grooming and blanketing that you want. Mare care can be the major source of revenue for the breeding farm so it pays to shop around for the best deal.
Expect to pay more for mare care than for equivalent boarding fees. There are many added risks when handling mares and stallions and liability insurance is high for breeding farms. The increased labor costs and higher farm maintenence costs are reflected in higher boarding fees. Mare care costs are usually on a day by day basis. You may be able to negotiate a lower fee if you will commit to a certain number of months.
Handling Fee
In a few cases there will be an additional handling fee. This is to cover the costs of the extra handlers required to safely tease and breed the mare. It will usually cover the costs to prepare the mare for breeding and the actual breeding process for all covers during a single breeding season. If it is not listed separately there may be an implied handling fee expressed as a minimum mare care fee such as, "Mare care at the rate of $10.00 per day with a 30 day minimum".
Mare Care and Facilities
Type of Care
When you entrust the care of any horse to another person you should make sure they are capable of providing the level of care you desire. There are hundreds of acceptable ways to care for horses and each approach has its proponents. One farm may keep all visiting mares in pipe corrals while another provides individual stalls with runs. Neither is better or worse than the other but you should know what is to be provided and it should meet your standards of proper care. Make a point of visiting the facility at least once. Note the care given to the farms own horses as well as that given to visiting mares. Look at the horses condition and surroundings. Are the horses well fed? Are they healthy? Are the fences in good repair and safe for horses? How are the animals handled? What is their temperament and disposition?What is the worming and vaccination care given to the horses on the farm? Where is the actual breeding shed or area and is it safe? The answers to these questions will provide clues to the type of care your mare will be given. Don't overlook a small operation which only takes one or two mares at a time. Frequently the small breeder can provide more individual care than a large farm with hundreds of animals and many staff workers.
Experience of Handlers
Not all people who advertise a stallion at stud are experienced in handling breeding animals. Ask for and check out references from previous clients. If the owner is new to breeding ask about special training she may have attended. Find out if a veterinarian will be in attendance. A new stallion owner may have an experienced veterinarian on site during all covers for the first year. If you are not comfortable with the care or handling your mare will receive don't breed to that stallion no matter how good his pedigree and low the cost. The extra aggravation and worries are not worth it.
Guarantees
There are many stallions competing for your mare. As an incentive to breed to him many stallion owners will offer some form of guarantee or special offer. When comparing stallions with different guarantees be sure the benefit you receive is important to you and worth the extra cost.
LFG
It is common for the stallion owner to guarantee a live foal from the breeding. Be sure you understand what constitutes a live foal. Must it nurse without assistance? How long must it live? If it has a congenital defect such as cleft palate or is a CID foal which may live but will not survive to maturity what happens? Do you get to rebreed the same mare? May you substitute another mare? Is a veterinary certificate of death required? If you are a gambler by nature and on a very tight budget consider negotiating a lower fee for service only and waive the live foal requirement.
Live Filly
A special version of the live foal guarantee is a live filly clause. This is typically found in breeds where the price for a filly is higher than the price for a colt, such as the Arabian breed. Live filly clauses can provide either a free rebreed if the mare produces a colt or the second breeding can be at a reduced fee. Variations of this would include a gelding clause where a colt which is gelded before a certain age entitles the mare owner to a free or reduced rebreed. This is another marketing tool used to get more breedings for the stallion. Be sure you really need and are willing to pay for the extra costs if you accept one of these guarantees. Even a free breeding costs you mare care, veterinary fees and time. If your goal is to produce a good riding horse you may not care what sex it is.
Color Foal
Stallions of color breeds like pinto, paint, buckskin, palomino and Appaloosa may offer a color foal guarantee. If the mare produces a foal which is not acceptable to the color association or cannot be registered a free or reduced rebreeding is allowed. A few stallions of other breeds will offer color guarantees for color mares. If your market requires a particular color to sell the foal you may wish to consider the added security of a color guarantee if it is offered. A solid colored pinto or Appaloosa is worth much less than one which is marked correctly.
Special Offers
To attract good mares and repeat breedings, stallion owners may offer a variety of special incentives. If you qualify they can be a good way to reduce your costs. A few common types are described here.
Youth Discounts
If you are a member of a youth club such as 4H, Pony Club or FFA you may wish to ask whether the stallion owner will offer reduced fees for club projects. The youth are the future if the horse industry and many breeders will assist a young breeder in getting started. Sometimes "sweat equity" in the form of stall cleanings or barn work can be exchanged for part of the stud fee or mare care. These and all other special arrangements must be discussed in advance and clearly spelled out in the breeding contract. Because there is a registry for Half Arabians many Arabian stallions are offered at stud with reduced fees for youth club members with grade mares. The resulting foal can be registered and is typically of higher value than a grade foal produced by the same mare.
Early Booking Specials
If you sign a breeding contract early, typically the year before you wish to breed the mare, some stallion owners will offer reduced rates. A stallion whose stud fee is going up may keep the fee at the old price for those clients who book before the change in fees. This benefits both the stallion owner who can count on a certain number of mares and the mare owner who can reduce costs.
Championship Mare Specials
If your mare has won several championships or is a great performer you may wish to ask for a discount. The presumption is your mare will produce a superior foal by the stallion and the foal can help improve his reputation as a sire. This type of discount is usually available for young unproven stallions who wish to make a name for themselves. An older stallion whether he is a champion or not will probably not offer this type of breeding incentive.
Breeding Contract
It helps to have most of your questions answered by the time you start to negotiate a breeding contract. You should have decided that the stallion is one which will mate favorably with your mare. The facilities and mare care are both to your standards and of a reasonable cost. You have discussed any guarantees and special offers. Now comes the hard part. You must document all your assumptions and conditions. In general, any item in a breeding contract is subject to negotiation. The stallion owner will usually furnish you with a copy of her standard contract during one of your inspection visits. If you have previously discussed all the items there should be no difficulty in proposing changes to the contract before you sign it. I would suggest checking out the attitude of the stallion owner to negotiating contracts prior to starting. It is disconcerting for the stallion owner to expect a simple booking and be faced with a whole series of changes and modifications at signing time.
A breeding contract is a legal document. It should clearly specify the type of services provided, the costs associated with those services and the penalties for failure to comply. It should cover what happens in the event the stallion dies or becomes unfit for service as well as if the mare dies. If money may be refunded the conditions should be specified as well as how it is to be paid. Details of all tests and guarantees should be spelled out. Is the mare required to have proof of vaccination, negative Coggins test, and certificate of breeding soundness when she arrives? If the required tests are not completed will she be refused entry to the farm or will they do the tests and bill you? A good breeding contract can be several pages long but be sure you take the time to read it completely and don't sign until you understand all its provisions. If the contract is particularly extensive with many provisions or involves a large amount of money you may wish to consult a lawyer before signing. Sign at least two originals, one for you and one for the stallion owner and be sure all handlers and the legal owners of the stallion sign it. Keep a copy with your other important papers in case of disputes.
Summary
Now you have defined your breeding goal and selected a stallion whose characteristics, fees and mare care fit your needs and budget. All guarantees and special offers have been discussed and everything is listed in the breeding contract. Only one more item needs to be considered. Your mare should be prepared for her visit to the breeding shed. She should arrive at the stud farm, clean, healthy with all required health certificates and test results in hand. If she is registered a copy of her papers will aid in completing the required stallion report forms. A clean halter, lead rope and blanket (if she is to have one) should be provided. Be sure all items are clearly marked with either your name or the mares name and are listed as an addendum to the breeding contract. It helps if you deliver the mare in person to calm her and assure yourself that she is placed in the agreed upon facilities.
Plan on visiting your mare during her stay and call the farm if you have any questions. Although no breeder can guarantee good luck by considering the six major items of breeding goal, fees and costs, mare care and facilities, guarantees, special offers and the breeding contract your breeding adventure should be filled with happy surprises.