If you are ready to breed your mare and have a foal, there are many things to take into consideration before doing so. There are some main focus points that you should be aware of.
Mare and foal:
Another horse?
-Do you think your ready for another horse? If you don't have much time for one, then there is no need for another one. A young foal needs to be trained and cared for 7 days a week. Manners need to be instilled from day 1 until they understand there space, and your space. A young foal can harm anyone because they are unpredictable and untrained. If you have 5 days a week and a few hours a day to spend with a new foal and there are good intentions for the foal then breeding for show is acceptable, also for profit. If you plan to breed your mare and then sell the foal at an early age for a profit that is popular among breeders that are trying to make certain stallions and mares bloodlines available in foals rather than an expensive older trained horse.
Financials
-A new foal that is bred can be expensive there are many fees that are expected and may come along unexpected. The stud fee is to breed to the stallion, this fee can range from $500-$15,000 just for the rights to breed to this stallion. Also depending on the mares location you will have to ship the semen to you and most times that price ranges from $100-$350 also if it is crossing the Canadian/USA border there are permits and other fees involved. While the mare is pregnant there will be the regular shots/dental work and farrier visits that will be needed but also ultrasounds that are extra from the normal vet fees. Once the foal is born it will need a check up by a vet within the first 24 hours and also it should be registered with its particular breed registry. Training and boarding fees will come into effect at about a year old or earlier as foals are normally weaned at 6-10 months old.
Conformation
-Your mares conformation makes up half of the foals conformation, your mare should be in good shape and have good features to her, picking a stallion that also has good conformation but one that will give a trait that the mare is missing. so the foal will have both of the good traits.
record
-Your mares show record or performance record is important too, having a good show record will be better for the foals performance record, a backyard pasture pal isn't worth breeding because there is no proof of good performance traits. Getting the foal experienced to trailering and being away from home at an early age will make showingless stressful later in life.
Attitude/personality
-The mares attitude towards training and being around people depends on if it was exposed to it early in life, if the mare has a nasty attitude towards people and doesn't like to be bothered it is probably not a good idea to breed her. She has to be a personable horse because humans will have to handle the foal early as well. If the mare likes to be the center of attention then she will probably not want people to pay attention to the baby.
Bloodlines
-The mares and stallions bloodlines make up 100% of the foal, having good knowledge about both bloodline sides is better in picking the foals possible sire. Having bloodlines that are proven in your discipline will help the foal succeed.
Stallion selection
-This is probably the hardest part about breeding your mare, finding a stallion that will compliment your mare the best and add good traits and features that she is missing. The mare will have to be examined by a vet before she can be breed to make sure she is sound enough to be bred and carry a foal. Picking a stallion that is i your price range may not be practical for breeding purposes, picking a stallion that will throw the best foal is the better choice.
Have fun in breeding your mare and enjoy the new addition to the family, send in pics of the mare with the foal and also a picture of the sire.. lets see the resemblance. :)
Mare and foal:
Another horse?
-Do you think your ready for another horse? If you don't have much time for one, then there is no need for another one. A young foal needs to be trained and cared for 7 days a week. Manners need to be instilled from day 1 until they understand there space, and your space. A young foal can harm anyone because they are unpredictable and untrained. If you have 5 days a week and a few hours a day to spend with a new foal and there are good intentions for the foal then breeding for show is acceptable, also for profit. If you plan to breed your mare and then sell the foal at an early age for a profit that is popular among breeders that are trying to make certain stallions and mares bloodlines available in foals rather than an expensive older trained horse.
Financials
-A new foal that is bred can be expensive there are many fees that are expected and may come along unexpected. The stud fee is to breed to the stallion, this fee can range from $500-$15,000 just for the rights to breed to this stallion. Also depending on the mares location you will have to ship the semen to you and most times that price ranges from $100-$350 also if it is crossing the Canadian/USA border there are permits and other fees involved. While the mare is pregnant there will be the regular shots/dental work and farrier visits that will be needed but also ultrasounds that are extra from the normal vet fees. Once the foal is born it will need a check up by a vet within the first 24 hours and also it should be registered with its particular breed registry. Training and boarding fees will come into effect at about a year old or earlier as foals are normally weaned at 6-10 months old.
Conformation
-Your mares conformation makes up half of the foals conformation, your mare should be in good shape and have good features to her, picking a stallion that also has good conformation but one that will give a trait that the mare is missing. so the foal will have both of the good traits.
record
-Your mares show record or performance record is important too, having a good show record will be better for the foals performance record, a backyard pasture pal isn't worth breeding because there is no proof of good performance traits. Getting the foal experienced to trailering and being away from home at an early age will make showingless stressful later in life.
Attitude/personality
-The mares attitude towards training and being around people depends on if it was exposed to it early in life, if the mare has a nasty attitude towards people and doesn't like to be bothered it is probably not a good idea to breed her. She has to be a personable horse because humans will have to handle the foal early as well. If the mare likes to be the center of attention then she will probably not want people to pay attention to the baby.
Bloodlines
-The mares and stallions bloodlines make up 100% of the foal, having good knowledge about both bloodline sides is better in picking the foals possible sire. Having bloodlines that are proven in your discipline will help the foal succeed.
Stallion selection
-This is probably the hardest part about breeding your mare, finding a stallion that will compliment your mare the best and add good traits and features that she is missing. The mare will have to be examined by a vet before she can be breed to make sure she is sound enough to be bred and carry a foal. Picking a stallion that is i your price range may not be practical for breeding purposes, picking a stallion that will throw the best foal is the better choice.
Have fun in breeding your mare and enjoy the new addition to the family, send in pics of the mare with the foal and also a picture of the sire.. lets see the resemblance. :)
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