How much will it cost to breed my mare?
If you’re thinking of breeding your mare, you probably have visions of an adorable, tiny baby horse romping in the field with your beloved mare. It’s such a fun thought! But then, you start to wonder. . . how much is this going to cost? Do I really know what I’m getting into? Well, we’re here to help!
To be blunt, breeding horses isn’t for the faint of heart or the risk-averse! No matter how much you plan, how carefully you select your stallion, and how diligent you are with managing your mare, you can still expect the unexpected! From a mare that struggles with infertility to a foal with complications at birth, there’s a lot to think about. One thing you can plan for is the costs associated with breeding. Given average pregnancy rates across different methods, you should anticipate up to three “cycles” to get your mare in foal (hopefully she’ll get pregnant the first time, but it’s best to prepare for possibilities).
Let’s break down some breeding options and their costs (keep in mind, these costs do not include farm calls, board at the vet clinic, or sedatives for the mare if needed). We do offer a reproductive “package” that includes all the ultrasounds during a breeding cycle, as well as artificial insemination and a pregnancy check. That package is 550, but it does not include sedatives, board, farm calls, or treatment for any problems, so do plan accordingly!
1) Live cover: while mandatory in Thoroughbred breeding, this option is often unavailable or undesirable when working with other breeds. Typically, a stallion owner for live cover will require a uterine culture/cytology before bringing the mare to the stallion. For the first cycle, plan on 1-3 palpations/ultrasounds before getting your culture and cytology. The mare will then travel to the stallion, be bred, and return home for a 14 day pregnancy check, or remain at the stallion farm until the 14 day pregnancy check. While live cover is usually less expensive, the risk of injury to the mare or stallion is much higher, and mares may be more likely to develop uterine infections with live cover than with artificial insemination.
Cost for first cycle: about 500 – 800. Cost for additional cycles: 100 – 300 depending on management.
2) Artificial Insemination with shipped/cooled semen: This is a great option for most mares. The mare is managed at home or at the vet clinic, and the stallion owner ships fresh semen from the stallion when the time is right. This method has better overall conception rates than frozen semen. Shipped/cooled semen also usually comes with a “live foal guarantee” so if your mare doesn’t produce a foal, you can breed again or receive a refund.
Cost for the first cycle: 550-1,000. Cost for additional cycles: around 550-850
3) Artificial Insemination with frozen semen: This is the only option available when the stallion is located overseas, has died or been gelded, or when the stallion is otherwise unavailable for semen collection. Breeding with frozen semen is more expensive, since the mare will need to be checked with ultrasound very frequently (up to every six hours) when she is close to ovulation. Pregnancy rates are also lower for frozen semen than shipped/cooled semen. It is also important to note that frozen semen is usually sold “by the straw” or “by the dose.” There is no live foal guarantee, and you may be sold a quantity of semen that is typically lower than recommended for achieving a pregnancy. Stallion owners and semen brokers enjoy the convenience of selling frozen semen, but mare owners should expect increased expenses and lower pregnancy rates using this method.
Cost for the first cycle: 1,600-3,000. Cost for additional cycles: around 1,200-1,600.
These are just ballpark estimates for breeding your mare, so keep in mind there are a lot of variables!
*A note about Embryo Transfer* - we get a lot of questions about this! If you are planning to utilize embryo transfer, you’ll still need to pick one of the above options for breeding the donor mare! Click *here* to learn more about what happens after breeding an embryo donor mare!
Here are some “real life” examples of mare breeding costs from our 2019 and 2020 mares:
8 year old, healthy maiden mare bred with shipped/cooled semen, stayed at the clinic for one week: $ 930
7 year old healthy maiden mare, bred with shipped/cooled semen, and needed sedation for every check: $1025 (1400 with farm calls).
5 year old healthy maiden mare bred with shipped/cooled semen. The stallion was unexpectedly unavailable at the time of ovulation, so the mare was short-cycled and bred on her next ovulation: $1455
14 year old mare, bred with frozen semen, had culture/cytology, had pre-breeding uterine fluid, needed sedation for every check: 2,225
10 year old mare, short cycled after “foal heat” and bred on her next cycle with cooled semen. She developed significant inflammation (uterine fluid) after breeding, and needed uterine lavage (“washing out” the uterus) after breeding: $1375
12 year old healthy mare with multiple previous foals. Short-cycled off foal heat and bred with semen from the owner’s stallion, needed sedation for every check: $925
19 year old maiden mare with health issues, irregular cycles and a uterine infection who was live covered, took two cycles to become pregnant, and developed twin embryos: $5000