I'll give you a bit of perspective from the stallion owners side. First, to raise, train and campaign any show horse takes a lot of time and money. I have thousands of dollars invested into each of my stallions with show, photography, advertising, basic care, etc. My intent is to breed for foals that can compete at the highest level. If they end up in show homes, great. If they end up as well loved pets, that is great too. I have long given up on recouping my total investment. This is not a business for me -- more of a professional hobby. Some people feel that offering a stallion at stud is "easy" money. It is anything but. A stud fee reflects the value of the stallion. Don't bargain shop. Find the best stallion that compliments your mare and has something to offer the breed. Just because it has the correct body parts, doesn't mean it should reproduce.
Standing stallions is a huge time commitment and well as an exercise in frustration. I will no longer offer my stallions to outside mares. There are so many factors outside of the control of a stallion owner, yet the stallion receives all of the blame if the mare doesn't settle, or the resulting foal is not what the mare owner expected. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. That mare must hold up her end of the bargain as well. Unfortunately, many mare owners refuse to see the shortcomings in their own animal and expect the stallion to fix everything. Additionally, I have had mare owners put off when I told them their horse did not meet my standards for breeding. We are not talking about creating widgets, but live animals with a 25+ year lifespan. If I do not feel that the cross has the potential to improve on the parents, I won't do it -- plain and simple. Again, it is not about the money. It never should be.
Another consideration is risk. Handling outside horses for breeding is inherent in risk, both physically for the stallion and financially for the farm owner. If you are to send a mare to be bred, you must factor in who is liable in the case of illness or injury to your mare. Is the stallion owner insured? Who covers the vet bills for any accidental or negligence injury? You need a contract that spells everything out implicitly for both parties.
I strictly hand breed, as I want to know exactly when my foals are due. This method takes time and diligence, as well as skilled mare and stallion handling when there is nobody around to assist. I don't allow my mares to kick at the stallions, nor the stallions to be rough with the mares. Their safety, as well as mine, depends on it. I know the cycles of each of my mares very well and keep detailed records as that will help with future matings. My mares have settled on one cover, one cycle for the past 7 years. Before sending a mare out for breeding, know her pattern. It will save you a lot of time and money to know when she is receptive for breeding, instead of dropping her off at mare summer camp and hoping for the best.
I have had my fill of overly aggressive outside mares and equally over aggressive mare owners who don't understand that settling mares isn't automatic. The ONLY mare that has not been settled by one of my stallions was an outside mare. To this day, that owner continues to toss jabs at my stallion because of it. It just isn't worth the time, effort or aggravation to deal with people like that. I know I am not alone in this sentiment. Finding outside stallions to breed to is difficult because of it.
There are many factors to consider when breeding. Be sure you have thought all of them through first. If you just want a baby to raise, my advice is to go buy one. If you want a copy of your favorite mare, consider that you are putting her life at risk to do so. Be informed, educated and prepared for all potential outcomes.
