Breeding Costs

[heathera]

List started for others to add to so any new breeders have the information to hand.

I've listed everything I could think of but many people don't bother with all of it. Perhaps those of you that do breed could say what you do and add in the items I've missed?

If any of you feel you can contribute could you copy the list below and put your estimated costs against the items you feel comfy costing up?

• Broodmare purchase
  
• Basic mare care for 2yrs (mating, pregnancy and suckling period)
  
• Breeding health check and swabs on mare
  
• Stud fee
  
• Scans to check for pregnancy and to check foetus progress
  
• Extra feed for mare in last three months of pregnancy
  
• Foalcam - baseline set up of one camera run to a laptop in the house
  
• Stuff for foaling bucket (hibiscrub/iodine, surgical gloves, gamgee, torch, string, scissors (for string, NEVER for cord!), vetwrap, notepad and pen, watch)
  
• Vet checks post foaling - from basic check to IgG blood tests
  
• Feed for mare whilst nursing
  
• Foal vaccinations
  
• Foal registration/passport
  
• Foal micro-chipping
  
• Gelding costs for colts
  
• Additional livery fees for having a weanling
  

[cadeby]

I've been keeping a running total of what it cost me to produce Viking and Vanguard from conception to weaning so have my figures to hand. Remember these are FRENCH prices and the vet fees tend to be cheaper : :

Broodmare purchase - averaged at £3000 (some mares would be more and worth it, others less)

Basic mare care for 2yrs (mating, pregnancy and suckling period) - Our broodmares are not in work so only have their feet trimmed every 12 weeks, so 4 times a year @ £25 a time = £100/yr therefore £200 over the entire period.
Plus wormer (I use one with a 14 week duration and buy them in bulk) so 4 times a year @£12.50 = £50/yr so £100 over the period.
Plus hay - approx 5 large round bales per year @ £12 each (we use our own grass but pay for cutting, turning and baling) = £60/yr so £120 over the entire period

Breeding health check and swabs on mare - not applicable to us as we don't stand our stallion to outside mares and we know our own mares' history

Stud fee - not applicable to us as we have our own stallion - although he obviously costs money to keep!

Scans to check for pregnancy and to check foetus progress - minimum of 2 scans @ £20 each = £40

Extra feed for mare in last three months of pregnancy - alfa-a, stud mix and top-spec balancer £20/month, so £60

Foalcam - baseline set up of one camera run to a laptop in the house - haven't got one as can't afford it. We have leg-cam and bleary-eye cam!

Stuff for foaling bucket (hibiscrub/iodine, surgical gloves, gamgee, torch, string, scissors (for string, NEVER for cord!), vetwrap, notepad and pen, watch) - plus thermometer, bin liners, clean towels, sharp knife/scalpel, dystocia diagrams, mobile phone & camera. Approx £30 - assuming you already have the phone and camera!

Vet checks post foaling - from basic check to IgG blood tests - or retention of the placenta £50

Feed for mare whilst nursing - £30 assuming good availabilty & quality of grass

Foal vaccinations - 2 @ £20 = £40

Foal registration/passport - plus micro-chipping at same time for us £60

Foal micro-chipping - included above

Gelding costs for colts - £100 assuming no complications

Additional livery fees for having a weanling - N/A

Bedding - straw for us. 2 large round bales @£20/bale = £40

Plus wormer for the foal to weaning approx £20


Which comes to a total of £3790 for a filly foal and £3890 for a colt.

Assuming you already have the mare, APPROX £800 FOR A FILLY AND £900 FOR A COLT THAT HAS BEEN GELDED, plus your stud fee

...and that doesn't include anything for the hundreds of man/woman-hours, or the thousands of pounds spent on purchasing your farm/stud, buildings, tractors, fencing, stocks, equipment, showing etc...etc...
...nor any contingency expenses for when something goes wrong!

So it's totally for love and the benefit of a beautiful rare breed

[cadeby]

Lol Heather - we cross-posted with our epic replies but we have still arrived at exactly the same figure of approx £800 for a filly foal to weaning

[sck1]

Wow, just goes to show how dedicated you guys all are! And how lucky we all are that you love the breed.

[harleydales]

Very, very interesting - thank you for taking your time to work it all out for us.

[harveydales]

Well, I've always said you don't breed to make money. You do it for the love of horses and the breed.

[lucydales]

"Fools breed horses for wisemen to buy."

Add a £300 vet bill on foaling day, another vet trip out in week one, £175 gelding cost, and Tim is well in the red!

You didn't do too bad on Celt though Helen, keep on breeding boys so I can realise my investment!!

[sammy]

Broodmare purchaseI have bought a few and they ranged from a 2yr old to a 4 yr old and cost from £2500 to £4000 for them

Basic mare care for 2yrs (mating, pregnancy and suckling period)

Breeding health check and swabs on mare 2 of the ones I bought were covered as part of the deal so I didn't do health checks, we now use our own boy.
Probably should inclue here £30 for Regumate and about £50 including call out and prostaglandin injection to assist a mare coming in to season to try and get the correct time for covering her! Scanning costs of mare to see if everything is okay £30 call out £30 per scan

Stud fee £100
Scans to check for pregnancy and to check foetus progress£30 call out and £30 per scan and don't do them after heart beat found and is okay. Just watch bellies increase in size

Extra feed for mare in last three months of pregnancy low cal balancer throughout the winter, with HI-Fi lite and continue this until they foal then introduce stud cubes

Foalcam - baseline set up of one camera run to a laptop in the house£100 infrared camera and monitor in my bedroom. OH hates it as it keeps him awake, HA HA!!!!!

Stuff for foaling bucket (hibiscrub/iodine, surgical gloves, gamgee, torch, string, scissors (for string, NEVER for cord!), vetwrap, notepad and pen, watch)Include Peter Rossdale's book on Breeding in this as it's with me when the pony starts to foal!!

Vet checks post foaling - from basic check to IgG blood tests

Feed for mare whilst nursingbalancer and stud cubes, then as the grass goes hay and haylage

Foal vaccinations I do tetanus and have the first one done when the foal is chipped, £30 call out £20 tetanus, then 4 to 6 weeks later the second tetanus same cost involved

Foal registration/passport

Foal micro-chippingLast one was about £120 and included the call out, completing the registration form with the foals markings etc

Gelding costs for colts

Additional livery fees for having a weanling
That's if all goes well, Delight retained her placenta £300 for several call outs and wash outs and antibiotics. 11 weeks later she got mastitis as a result of scally becoming poorly! It was several hundred pounds later that they were both okay. Scally was on antibiotics and bottle fed. Then Penny was poorly with rotavirus, tests. call outs, medicine she wouldn't have, the bills just increased but if I have a poorly pony I get the vet out!!!Then Rose went lame she had a foot abcess £142 for the vets bill plus the extra bandages.
You do it because you love them

[cadeby]

Dec 31, 2009 16:51:58 GMT -1 lucydales said:

You didn't do too bad on Celt though Helen....

...except she was sold as a 2 years 8 month old, so there's two extra years of feed, hay, feet, jabs, wormer, bedding etc... to add to the weaning price

If Martin sees these figures, Celtie may never get another brother or sister!

Taz was my financial disaster - mum retained her placenta, so vet had to cleanse her and dispense a boot load of expensive antibiotics. Then Taz got an infection, more antibiotics.... It only takes one little problem and there's no money in breeding whatsoever.

Now sounds like I'm moaning, which I'm not because we're not in it for the money! Think this post is really useful for anyone contemplating breeding from their mare, or purchasing a foal, as it serves to give a pretty clear picture of the financial commitment involved

[jap]

just to add a real dampner on this thread.Lottie ,s filly was stillborn this year.So all the costs involved up to foaling were the same plus long vet callout, lots of drugs administered,retained placenta, second callout ,out of hours and nothing to show for it.thats the financial side never mind the emotions connected with a disaster like that. Then when you come to sell you have to put up with those who like to show their "knowledge" by running down your pony and wanting it cheap.Thankfully there are people who appreciate seeing a lovely pony and give them a lovely home, hopefully for life and make it all worthwhile.

[charliedales]

Very useful thread, ty for putting up the info

[maggie]

Unfortunately, Julie's right, not all breeding ends with a happy outcome, but many of the costs are there just the same.

We had Peigi tested in foal after she was covered in 2008 and thought all was fine, but when we had the mares re-tested at Christmas that year, she'd slipped, so we had an empty mare, all the costs of getting her in foal plus the cost of having her 'washed out' (a procedure to make sure there's no infection lurking).

We covered her again in spring 2009, tested in foal in April, still ok in July and she was re-tested a few weeks ago. She has held and is still in foal , and here's hoping it's a cracker, because, on current reckoning, it will have cost well over £1,000 to get to registration!

What was that about fools?

[lucydales]

Dec 31, 2009 17:53:45 GMT -1 cadeby said:

...except she was sold as a 2 years 8 month old, so there's two extra years of feed, hay, feet, jabs, wormer, bedding etc... to add to the weaning price

Sorry Helen, I was only pulling your leg! I know you do it for love not for money, and I think most of the Dales Pony breeders are in the same boat. And to make matters worse, you have all the heartache and worry of selling them too.

I take my hat off to you all for doing it, and for running stallions too. Many thanks to you all.

[dalesponyrider]

I am thinking of getting D covered again this summer. The costs don't put me off as I will enjoy it so much. The thing that does give me second thoughts however, is the fact the foal might not sell before winter. I'm not sure I could cope with 4 over winter! I'd really like to do it though as D has produced such a lovely foal this year and is SUCH a good mum. It doesn't seem right to keep a good mare without breeding from her. So I expect I will go ahead and then worry myself sick that I will find a good home before the worst of the winter!

[cadeby]

Jan 3, 2010 21:10:11 GMT -1 lucydales said:

Sorry Helen, I was only pulling your leg! I know you do it for love not for money

Lol Lucy - no need to apologise. I wasn't in any way offended
Just used your quote as an example of how these Dales keep on munching and running up the costs if you don't sell them at weaning.

Plus, as Linda (dalesponyrider) has discussed, there's the logisitical complication of bringing a baby through the winter if you can't find a good home for it at weaning.

My friend Lynda (Lyndales on here) lost her Shettie mare and unborn foal in 2009 due to foaling complications. That is the absolute worst nightmare for me and makes talk of finances fairly irrelevant. It's not nice to think about, but the RISK involved should probably be a person's biggest consideration when deciding whether to breed from their much-loved mare, or not.

So good luck to everyone expecting the patter of tiny hooves in 2010. I know there are some dalesfans babies due fairly soon