So, you have decided you want to breed your mare. Before you start looking for a sire there are many costs to consider.
Some are more obvious than others, but some good planning and a little bit of research will ensure that you are prepared for the costs you may incur.
Getting your Mare to Conceive
Once you have decided to breed with your mare it is time to establish the pregnancy. There are numerous options available and each carry their own associated costs and risks.
If you do not own a stallion you want to breed with, you will need to decide whether you want your mare naturally covered by a stud, or if you are happy with artificial insemination.
If the sire of choice does not belong to you, you will have to pay stud fees. These fees can range from affordable for ‘the horse next door’ to exorbitant depending on the breeding of the sire, and may require you to win big playing the online blackjack for real money has to offer to afford them.
There will be the additional costs associated with getting the mare to the stallion, the travelling, stabling, feed and veterinary costs.
The costs associated with artificial insemination will include the cost of the semen, the veterinary cost of insemination and for every cycle that passes that the mare does not conceive, more money to redo the process.
Artificial insemination is not as reliable due to the viability of the semen after being cooled or frozen.
Once it has been confirmed that your mare is in foal, there will be costs for additional feed for extra nutritional support and veterinary expenses for vaccinations. In general, pregnancy costs are quite low.
Keep in mind that although your mare can now be kept in much the same way as other horses there is the cost of food and boarding for her and eventually her foal to take into consideration.
Foaling and the Years that Follow
Most mares will safely foal without requiring any intervention. However, one must keep in mind the cost of losing the foal should difficulties arise, so you may want to consider having the vet on hand, or sending the mare away to foal.
There will be post-partum care requirement for both mare and foal, starting with a basic check for good health.
Over the next several years you will be paying for annual vaccinations and deworming. Check-ups including dental care and incidental medical expenses. Farrier costs, whether you shoe your horses or not as trimming will be required from time to time.
Training costs
In the first year of life you should have covered the basics with your foal like lifting the feet and getting used to being tied, but most of its skills will have been left to mom to teach. Now that your foal is old enough you will need to invest in training.
If you yourself are not an experienced horse trainer and you want your horse to be a happy, well-behaved animal it is best to hire a professional. The trainer will get your horse used to the saddle and having a rider on its back. Done properly this will set the stage for year 3 when together you and your horse will need to attend some training to learn and teach stopping, reining and lead changes.
There are many reason to choose to breed instead of purchasing a ready to ride horse. You may be breeding for a specific purpose or as a natural progression in your riding career. Whatever the reason the costs associated with breeding are many and all should be considered before taking this step.