# ISO for Stallion At Stud



## Bleu (Nov 17, 2019)

My mare is getting a bit older and before she's too old I want to breed her. I want to note have no intention of selling the foal or the mare. Here are some things I'm specifically looking for:


Shipped Semen (no live covers) 
Nothing more than $200 (I am willing to go up to $300 if it includes shipping) 
NO browns, reds (sorrel/chestnuts) or bays
Can't be more than 15hh as the mare is only 14hh
MUST HAVE GOOD FEET! 
Not looking for papers but they are welcome 
Pictures are of my mare. She's a 14hh Dunalino with zebra stripes (can't really tell in these photos) 


Please post pictures if you have them


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## cbako01 (Oct 21, 2016)

I don't think you'd be able to find any stallion worthy of breeding for your budget of $200. Often times the shipping is more than $200 depending on distance and priority shipping. You would be much better off waiting and saving some more money in order to afford the stud fee and related vet costs. Breeding is not a cheap venture and often times the stud fee is the cheapest part. Having around $5000 in the bank is a good idea once you pay stud fee, vet care and shipping costs. Alternatively, have a look for the foal your after already on the ground. You'll likely have better luck and not be so out of pocket.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I agree with the above. 

It is not good to try and breed on the cheap. 

You will need a good equestrian vet to examine the mare tomsay when she is going to have an egg and when it is going to be released so shipping can be arranged, then they need to come back to use the straw. She should also be swabbed at the same time for cleanliness. 

That is going to cost. 

I would not look at a stud that is selling for $200 and for such a cheap fee it is very doubtful that they will have the set up to gather the semen and freeze it. 

Then, of course there is the possibility that she doesn't take a d you are back to square one.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

That stud fee is low enough that I would not want to see the quality of the animal that qualifies, and then you limit things even further by saying you would only accept a black-based stallion. Have you had your mare color tested? If not and she is A/- for agouti, you could wind up with a bay-based foal regardless of what she is bred to.

I think you would be much better off taking your $200 and looking for a foal already on the ground to buy.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

I'm in the process of breeding to a nice hunter stallion and have already spent roughly $1500 just on ultrasounds, culturing of the uterus, lights to help her ovulate, medications.... 

Breeding isn't an easy thing if you want a nice, healthy baby. 
Without checking the mare for ovulation and timing the insemenation correctly, she probably won't take. If she isn't cultured for infections or bacteria in the uterus, she probably won't take. 
Have you discussed this with your vet to make sure she's healthy enough to carry to term? A lot of places won't consider breeding or have different contracts to mares over 17 unless they're proven broodmares with good babies on the ground.

I just looked at the AQHA stallion directory and the lowest price I found in a quick search was $750.

I understanding having a baby would be fun and exciting, but you have to think of what's really the best. You could get a cute baby tomorrow for $200, or you could put that money into your emergency fund just in case.

I wouldn't breed.


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## txgirl (Jul 9, 2010)

You are looking at spending at least $1000, that includes $250-300 to collect, $250-300 to ship, (at least around here) a stud fee of $500 and the vet fees for the actual palpating and AI. More if she doesn't take the first time. Going thru this now , but like you my mare is getting up there in age and I want one more foal from her.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

You're a little late to get in on the stallion auctions where sometimes you can get a really reduced stud fee. But with that said I think the lowest starting bid on a lesser known junior stallions was about $350.
And like everyone else said, the breeding fee is the cheap part. The additional costs to get your mare bred adds up fast especially if she doesn't catch on the first round.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Between booking fees, collection fees, handling fees, container fees, shipping fees, return container fees ($350 just for shipping is not out of line). Stallion fees here are starting at $500 so you are getting close to $1000. Then you have the costs for the mare - repro eval, ultra sounds and drugs to bring her in, AI fees, preg checks.... so another $1000. Then you have to look at what comes with that semen - is there a live foal guarantee or are you out the costs if she comes up open? Others have brought up the quality of the stallion - the lower the cost then typically the lower the quality or the stallion is unproven and just starting out so you don't know the quality or characteristics he'll stamp his foals with or whether he inherited any athletic qualities you are looking for, soundness... 



You'll be feeding and caring for the mare through her pregnancy - are you prepared for costs associated with the pregnancy - vaccines, feed increases when you hit that third trimester, an emergency before, during or after foaling? 



Color wise you are looking at ee?? (AA, Aa or aa) with one Cr for the mare so even breeding to a black you have to understand EEaa is the only thing that will give you a black coat and if your mare carries AA or Aa then you have the chance of of bay. If stallion is Ee then you are looking at the chance of red. So testing for color of the mare is important if you want to guarantee certain outcomes. She would have to be eeaa and stallion EEaa to guarantee black. If you are looking for another palomino then you would have to have a stallion that is CrCr and you open up the possibility of a double dilute. You'd also want an eeCrCr to get the highest probability of palomino... If your primary concern is color then you are better off going out and purchasing what you want. 



Having your own stallion to cover your mare? Cheap to breed? Still no, as you now have the cost of another animal to feed and care for in addition to the mare/s. If you want him to pay his way and not count on sales of weanlings or yearlings he has to be promoted or been around long enough to know how those babies perform.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

First of all, your mare is gorgeous. I would love to see a better picture with the zebra stripes!

Second, know that even though you intend to keep the foal, things happen and you might be faced with having to sell it. And it's these horses at the lower end of the price range that suffer the most if they have to be sold. Especially now, when we're staring a recession, if not a depression, in the face. I'm sorry, I just don't think it's a good time to be adding more horses to the world. I hope you are willing to reconsider and look for a foal to buy. I bet you can get some good deals right now.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I also do not have a stallion prospect for your mare. 

Will agree with the advice above. 

Your mare is very pretty and obviously very special to you. If she has never been bred before, her health and even life could be at risk trying to carry a foal. As much as it would be wonderful to have a baby of hers, there are so many pitfalls in the process it might be best to give up that dream. 

Also, even if you can arrange it, and the baby is born healthy and the mare survives the whole process, the mare and her foal will most likely bond very tightly and will be hard to separate, making it difficult to train and work with the foal. 

My advice would be to enjoy your mare, and keep an eye and ear out for a good deal on a young horse. There should be a lot coming available very soon as the economy tanks and the boarders are closed. 

approximately a month ago I saw two RMH yearling fillies at a kill buyer and he was selling them for only $350 each. You might find a deal like that.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I am sort of thinking of breeding my mare. With the outbreak, I'm going to see how things stand next spring, as now isn't the best time. I'm budgeting $1000 for the stud fee, booking, collections and shipping. An additional $500 in case she doesn't take on the first try. And at least an additional $1000 for veterinary expenses. I may even add major medical insurance on my mare to cover any potential complications. 

Or for under $3000 I could go buy something. Certainly it is cheaper to go buy something. 

Either way I want to see how this pandemic works out. Because the market might be flooded with cheap horses by the time this is over. 

You will want to pay extra for the best quality stallion you can find. Otherwise you are just breeding another average horse. I want to breed a phenomenal horse, not another average horse. Beauty is important, but so is soundness and health. People look at bloodlines and performance records. Even if you are only breeding for yourself, you should be sure your future horse will be wanted should some life changing event occur. 

It is not a bad idea to color test your mare. And increase that budget- if things go wrong you will need a much bigger budget.


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## MiniOak (Apr 8, 2020)

I believe you really need to sit down and really consider your options and costs. With that budget you likely are not going to find a quality stud to breed to for the stud fee itself. Let alone add in the extra shipping costs, shipping alone is expensive. I would really look into what your goals are with the baby. I understand you want to keep the baby and that's perfectly fine. Think about what you want in a foal in terms of quality. Find a stud that would compliment your mare and fit the goal of the breeding. Save up some money, maybe look into breeding next year after research studs and the breeding process a bit. Also have an emergency fund in place for worst case. Keep in mind breeding is a risk, if worst case happens you could even end up losing your mare and the foal. I'm not trying to be a debbie downer just make sure you understand the risk. People are selling off horses like crazy right now as we're going into a recession. Now's really the perfect time to buy a baby. 

Not sure where you are located but have you ever considered a nurse mare foal rescue? There's one semi local to me called Last Chance Corral


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I'll come at you from the stallion owner's point of view. 

#1 My stallion has a $750 fee (and he's very inexpensive at that)
#2 He's a Palomino Go For the Gold stallion, so if you get in early you could get his fee for $375, if no one outbids you

#3 I won't accept an unregistered mare, period. Not a market I'm interested in. 
#4 I reserve the right to reject any mare I deem unsuitable
#5 I require every mare to have a clean Culture, Cytology and in older mares a biopsy (that all adds up to around $300 from my vet, no idea for other parts of the country)
#6 I do ship but the mare owner pays $150 for me to haul the stallion to the collection station. 
#7 Collecting and shipping is roughly $350 to the stallion station, each time
#8 My vet charges $350/cycle to inseminate and manage the mare's cycle, could be more if she's particularly difficult to get in foal and needs special procedures and/or drugs. 

You're looking at almost $2000 before your mare even checks in foal. Breeding is not for the faint of heart.


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## 281187 (Sep 19, 2019)

MiniOak said:


> .Not sure where you are located but have you ever considered a nurse mare foal rescue? There's one semi local to me called Last Chance Corral


I'm sorry about this, but I have to jump in here and get this off of my chest.

The foals LCC offers are always cute, but frankly, it is my opinion that they need to stop buying them if they actually want to change the Nurse Mare industry for the better.

The OP would be better off buying a weanling from a livestock auction or Craigslist if they simply just "have" to have a foal running around.


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## Keira Cloudhawk (Nov 18, 2019)

You probably won't find a stallion around that price range, especially for shipped semen. Out of the 3 times I bred my mare, the cheapest we've gotten a stallion was for $600, but after his first foals showed promise, he rose to $1500. Of course, you have the vet bills from ultrasounds and vaccines. Sometimes, you end up paying the total of 3 or 2 times of your stud fee. Here where I live, the cheapest I've heard of a stud fee is $400. Anyways, good luck!!


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