Just got to wondering

[wcr]

I don't advertise my stallions for stud as I don't want to deal with the responsibilites of outside mares or owners. You, as a stallion owner, have a big responsibility to get the mare bred, take better care of that mare while in your keeping than you would your own horses and if something happens you now have problems. If you decide to stand to outside mares then everything has to be well thought out and in writing.

In the big horses if you have a mare in season and receptive then the stallion will breed her and once out she won't have anything to do with stallion. In the minis, they have definate likes and dislikes and won't breed if they don't like their partner. And what about the mares that are in foal and still like to mess around. Really messes up your pasture breeding dates if that is the way you breed and watch for action to know when a mare is covered.

I will breed to outside mares if I know the owners and feel comfortable with the working relationship. Sandy has leased my tobiano stallion for the last 2 years as I wasn't using him but is home and back to work for me. Michelle has used Val the last 2 years for her overo bred mare and got a drop dead gorgeous filly and hoping for one as equally nice this year. The 3 of us have a working relationship that I wouldn't have with other mare owners and would rather sell a nice foal than deal with the problems of breeding.

 

[YHFF Miniature Horses]

This is an excellent Topic, I was just considering asking this question myself as someone asked me if I would breed my stallion(s) to their 2 mares. I told them to keep looking around and if they still could find a stallion to contact me again in the spring. There's alot to think about and several responsibilities to be considered.

 

[Chamomile]

I've found that it is a problem with some mare owners that take their mare home and put her in with their stallion! :new_shocked: They brought her here to be bred, paid the fee and the mare care and then took her home and put her in with another stallion. As was mentioned some mares like to fool around even if they are settled, and that can result in a lot of confusion and problems in the spring when the baby arrives. I have one mare that came, was bred, didn't come back in... went home and a month later started showing for their stallion so they put her in with him!!!! It's hard to say if she will have a foal from my stallion or theirs. The dates will tell I guess, but it seems needless. Some mares show to a new man regardless if they are settled or not. Anyway, be sure to have something in your contract addressing this issue. DNA'ing may be in our future!!

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

I'd like to add a few things:

If anyone figures that it's easy money -- wrong! You can end up working quite hard to get mares bred. There's lots of extra time & effort on your part to keep the mare safely & send her back home, bred.

It seems like the thing to do, right? You've got a stud you believe is good enough to breed to outside mares. Thing is, does he have foals on the ground to show prospective buyers of his services? Is he proven? A boy can be just beautiful, but if you've got no product example to show a buyer, well...............

And I've seen stallions at stud I wouldn't even consider. Some stallion owners are not concerned with anything except $$$$. There are people who have stallions standing at stud, simply because they CAN. It sometimes has nothing to do with quality. I'm not saying all cheap studs are not worthy, but sometimes people think because they have a stud, it's the thing to do. They couldn't stand a standard-sized stallion, but, hey, these little guys are cake, right?

I hate to hear of someone standing a stud for, say, $100. For the owner of that stallion, it's NOT worth it! And if your stud has Great bloodlines, I'm sure you paid a lot more for him than that. Do you want to "give" those bloodlines away? Would you want to see his babies all over the place, thus making your own from him not worth the potential price on them when you bought him?

I've seen stallions advertised at stud when they are just coming two years old. No, not ready for outside mares, IMHO.

But if you've got a wonderful boy who produces wonderful babies, you still might want to consider all that's involved. It's not just getting mares to come to him. It's a lot of hard work & time spent. This idea needs a lot of time & effort put into it before you act. YOU need the experience in stallion handling to do this. And you need to have handled enough mares in your time to make sure she's safe & happy while she's there.

(Stepping down off soapbox now)

:

 

[KrisP]

Another thing to think about, even if the mare APPEARS healthy when she arrives you never know. A friend of mine brought a mare in two years ago for breeding that came down with a HORRIBLE case of strangles nearly two weeks after she was delivered for breeding and it went through her entire herd, sticking her with a vet bill in the thousands and darn near losing two of her foals. It was NOT a good year for her.

Krisp

 

[Margaret]

"ALWAYS" make sure that the stallion that you are breeding to is "DNA'd"..Otherwise the resulting foal will not be able to be registered thru the AMHA.. You can "verify" if any stallion is DNA'd, by calling the AMHA registry, and giving them the stallions registered name.

 

[AJ]

If stallion born1995 or earlier and breeds fewer than 5 mares, DNA not required.

 

[Margaret]

Yes AJ,- I believe that is the "only" exception.

 

[billiethekid40]

Thanks for your replays everyone. I was wondering because so many people will tell a new, or small breeder not to keep their own stallion, but rather to breed to an outside stallion. I just wondered if that was really a possibility, because I hadn't heard of too many farms standing their stallions out.

 

[Orkie]

How many of you stallion owners do, or would, stand their stallion(s) to outside mares? Why or why not?

I stand my stallion to outside mares because I only have one breeding age mare right now and would like to get as many foals out there by him. I will only breed correct comformation horses only.