Mare and stallion owners alike should have clearly defined expectations concerning the horses during breeding. C.L. and Ellen Caines manage stallions at Caines Stallion Station, their facility in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and have years of experience in dealing with both stallions and mare owners. Ellen currently manages nine stallions, including Rebel Jeb Stuart and Willies Neon Moon, and offered her advice on the many ins and outs of breeding.

Click here to download the stallion contract.

Stallion fees

When looking at stallion advertisements, there are often several numbers that are included. Usually, the first charge to jump out is the stallion fee, also referred to as the breeding, introductory or stud fee. This amount is the actual charge to breed the stallion to your mare—the purchase price.

When contacting a stallion owner or manager, a mare owner should establish whether a booking fee is included in the stallion fee. “It’s basically a reservation for you to breed your mare to my stud,” Ellen says. “Back when people were breeding 60 to 80 mares, it let them know how many mares to breed. If you reserve your breeding, they know how many oathers to book.”

Most stallions stand to a limited number of mares now, but the booking fee is your assurance that your mare will be bred. It also allows the wise stallion manager to ensure the health and well being of the stallion. If a booking fee isn’t stated in an advertisement or contract, be sure to ask the manager if it’s included in the stallion fee.

Once the stallion and booking fees are established, inquire about the chute fee. “A chute fee is when an outside party stands a stallion for an owner, and they get a percentage for handling the horse and taking care of business,” Ellen explains.

For example, the chute fee associated with Ellen’s stallions covers the cost of promoting, handling and managing the stallion. “It’s our commission for doing the work,” she explains. “In my business, we take the chute fee from the stud fee.” Be sure to clarify this with your stallion’s manager—some stallion contracts will charge the stud fee and a separate chute fee. It’s important to know all costs associated with the stallion so you’re not surprised when the bill comes.

Finally, find out if you’ll be charged a collection fee for artificial insemination (AI). The contract should explain if the first collection is included in the stallion fee, and whether you’ll be charged extra if your mare requires a second or third shipment of semen. Further, ask the manager if the stallion is collected at his residence or transported to a clinic or another farm, because you may be charged for transportation in those cases.

Mare care

If you’ve selected a stallion that offers live breeding—referred to as live cover—your next inquiry should be the costs associated with her care while at the stallion’s residence. Just as you would pay to board a horse at a trainer’s, you should expect to pay for your mare’s upkeep during the breeding process.
This charge will include feed and daily care, but can also extend to veterinary and farrier services, depending on the length of stay and what your mare needs. Clarify who will be sending the bill when it comes to mare care. If the farm’s veterinarian administers spring vaccinations to your mare, will the vet bill you directly or will the farm include the charges in your monthly bill? Details such as this are important!

You should also note that the charges for a “dry” mare (one without a foal) often differ from a “wet” mare (with a foal at her side). If your mare is pregnant and foals while in residence at the stallion farm, there may be a foaling fee.

If you elect to allow the breeding farm to manage your mare during breeding, be prepared to pay for pre-breeding diagnostic tests. If you’ve elected to breed via AI, be sure to locate a qualified veterinarian with experience in conducting artificial insemination, because it’s a time-sensitive procedure.

In either situation, make sure your mare undergoes a breeding soundness examination to identify and correct any problems that may interfere with breeding, conception and pregnancy. Your veterinarian should also collect cultures during the examination and ensure your mare’s reproductive organs are clean.

A stallion contract often includes a clause that requires the mare to be healthy and in sound breeding condition, so conducting these exams is beneficial to your negotiations with the stallion manager. Check the contract to ensure your mare meets all expectations.

A live foal

Because the foal is the goal, nearly every stallion owner offers a live foal guarantee (LFG). “Everyone has their own version,” Ellen says. “Mainly, it means your foal stands and nurses on its own for 24 or 48 hours.” The LFG will be included in the contract and should be closely examined.

Contracts often outline exactly what is required to ensure that the LFG is honored, including the time in which the mare owner is to notify the stallion owner/manager of foaling (usually within 48 hours) or if the mare is sold, which may void the LFG.

In the event a live foal isn’t produced, most stallion owners will give a return service for the subsequent breeding season as long as all contract conditions were met. If any questions arise regarding this guarantee, be sure to ask the stallion manager. “Every stud owner wants to give that mare a foal,” Ellen says. “Sometimes things happen. Most people are very good about honoring [the live foal guarantee]…I want everybody to have a baby.”

A contract should include a clause detailing that each party agrees to carefully try to settle the mare, or, in other words, successfully impregnate her. It will often include that the stallion’s farm and/or manager isn’t responsible for injury, sickness, death or disease of the mare, so it’s in your best interest that your ensure your mare is healthy and ready to be bred.

Sealing the deal

Just as your mare is expected to be in good health, so too should the stallion. Don’t be afraid to ask the stallion manager about the stallion’s sperm quality, motility or conception rates before you sign the contract. Ellen keeps records on the stallions under her management, and is happy to share information with mare owners.

Each stallion is different in regard to sperm quality, especially when breeding via AI. Many stallion owners will have a veterinarian’s statement on semen quality to review; a manager should be knowledgeable enough to inform you of how well the stallion’s semen ships, or if more than one breeding session will occur. “It’s good business to be honest,” Ellen says. “I know of a Quarter Horse whose owners will tell you he’s a bad breeder, that he won’t ship well. This horse breeds a lot of mares, but they’re up front about him.”

Be sure you understand all contract specifications, and again clarify anything contained in the contract with the stallion’s manager. Be aware of payment schedules and make note of when your fees are due. Ellen won’t ship semen until the payment is received in full. If a mare is on site, the owner is billed monthly.

It’s important to acknowledge that every stallion contract will contain different language, so be sure you evaluate each contract on an individual basis. If you do your part as a mare owner, you only serve the greater goal of having your next Appaloosa on the ground the following spring.

Editor’s note: Comment on this story below. Thanks to Ellen Caines for her help with this article!

By Tafra Donberger

Full-text version printed in the February 2010 issue of Appaloosa Journal.
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