The Real Costs of Breeding Your Mare
How much does breeding a mare really cost? Our full guide breaks down common costs to help you budget for breeding season.


By Rachel Kosmal McCart
Breeding season is an exciting and hopeful time for mare owners. You’ve carefully researched and found the perfect stallion to cross on your mare. The stud fee seems reasonable, and you have visions of making a little money by selling the foal. But do you know how much it will truly cost to breed your mare and get a foal on the ground?
As little as 20 years ago, almost all horse breeding operations used live cover, and live cover is still the norm in the Thoroughbred racing industry. With live cover, the breeding process is relatively simple. Mare owners send their mares to the stallion’s farm, where they typically stay until they are pregnant or the breeding season is over, whichever comes first. With live cover breeding, the mare owner can expect to pay to transport the mare to and from the stud farm, daily mare care while the mare is at the stud farm, a booking fee, the stud fee and some veterinary expenses.
Today, the widespread use of artificial insemination (AI) has changed the breeding process forever. At first glance, AI might appear to be a huge convenience and money-saver, as it is often saves the cost of boarding the mare at the stallion’s farm. However, there are numerous additional costs associated with AI, and they can take mare owners by surprise.
Set forth below are common costs reflected in horse breeding contracts (also called stallion service contracts). The terms of stallion service contracts vary widely, so be sure to read your contract carefully prior to signing it.
Stud Fees or Breeding Fees
The stud fee (also called a breeding fee) is a base amount charged for the stallion’s services. Some stallion service contracts require payment of the entire fee prior to collection and shipment of semen; others require partial payment in advance with the balance due when the mare’s pregnancy is confirmed. Stud fees vary from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars.
Sometimes, stallion owners (or the owner of a stallion’s semen) charge by the “dose” instead of by the breeding. What this means is the mare owner pays a set amount per shipment (plus additional shipping-related fees as described below) for each semen shipment.
Booking Fees
The stallion owner charges a booking fee to reserve a place for your mare in the stallion’s upcoming breeding season schedule. Booking fees are typically nonrefundable and due at the time you enter into the breeding contract. The booking fee may or may not be included in the stud fee.
Semen Shipping Deposits and Fees
Containers used for shipping semen are expensive, specialized equipment and, thus, almost all stallion owners will require a container deposit from the mare owner before they will ship semen. Typically, the container deposit is refundable if the mare owner returns the container promptly and in clean, good condition. Contracts usually specify a certain number of days within which the container must be returned to get a refund of the container deposit and typically specify a daily late fee for each day past the return date (and this fee is usually in addition to forfeiting the container deposit). Be sure to send the container back to the stallion owner via Federal Express or another express shipment method that provides proof of delivery, and do not rely upon your veterinarian or equine reproductive specialist to perform this service for you, as you will be solely responsible if the container is not returned on time. Some stallion owners permit the use of one-time disposable containers, which the mare owner must purchase.
Collection Fees
The stallion owner typically charges the mare owner a nonrefundable collection fee each time semen is shipped to the mare owner. Sometimes, the first collection is included in the breeding fee — review your stallion service contract for details. Some stallion owners charge an additional surcharge if they receive less notice than the stallion service contract specifies for shipment requests.
Shipping Fees
In addition to collection fees and shipping container deposits, mare owners must pay nonrefundable shipping fees to have the cooled or frozen semen sent via overnight delivery.
Handling Fees
In addition to collection fees, some stallion owners charge mare owners a nonrefundable handling fee per collection.
In-Season Vet Check
Many stallion service contracts require a licensed veterinarian or approved equine reproductive technician to examine the mare, verify she is in season and then place an order for semen shipment. The mare owner must pay for these costs each time the mare is examined.
Insemination Costs
Stallion service contracts typically require a licensed veterinarian or an approved equine reproductive technician to perform the insemination. The mare owner must pay for these services each time the mare is inseminated.
Prepregnancy Vet Check
Some stallion service contracts require the mare owner to obtain a prebreeding vet check with a negative uterine culture to verify the mare is breeding sound, particularly for barren mares, maiden mares and mares with a history of reproductive issues. As the mare owner, you are responsible for paying for this service. And if the prebreeding veterinary examination reveals any issues, the mare owner will need to pay to treat the mare and then have her reexamined.
Initial Pregnancy Vet Checks
Most stallion service contracts that have any live foal guarantee require confirmation from a veterinarian that your mare is in foal approximately two to three weeks after insemination. The mare owner is responsible for paying for this service after each insemination attempt.
Open Mare Vet Checks
If the mare does not conceive after one or more inseminations, the stallion service contract might require the mare owner to obtain another veterinary certificate that the mare is breeding sound. As the mare owner, you are responsible for the costs of this service.
Additional Pregnancy Vet Checks
Many stallion service contracts require an additional pregnancy check about 45 days after insemination. The mare owner is also responsible for paying for this service.
Foaling Expenses
Many mare owners opt to have their mares foal out at a facility that can provide a safe foaling stall, round-the-clock monitoring by experienced personnel and ready access to veterinary attention. Typically, foaling facilities charge a daily mare care rate, and the mare owner is also responsible for all veterinary expenses for mare and foal. Of course, if there are foaling complications and/or the foal has any problems, these circumstances will result in increased costs.
Embryo Transfers
Mare owners with valuable mares or mares that have difficulty carrying foals to term might opt to produce foals via embryo transfer. Embryo transfer increases the cost of putting a foal on the ground exponentially. The donor mare must be inseminated to produce a pregnancy, incurring all the costs described above. In addition, the mare owner will incur the cost of harvesting one or more embryos from the donor mare and transferring them to the recipient mare(s). Often, the first embryo transfer is not successful, and more attempts are needed to result in a pregnancy, which increases the costs. Unless the mare owner happens to own a recipient mare already, they must purchase or lease one. Often, recipient mare lease agreements require the person leasing the mare to keep her for the entire lease term regardless of whether embryo transfer is successful and the recipient mare carries a foal to term. Embryo transfer is a highly technical process that requires highly trained and experienced personnel and specialized equipment and, therefore, is only available at select facilities.
Oocyte Breedings
Producing a foal via oocyte is even more costly than embryo transfer. This process involves harvesting oocytes (eggs) from a donor mare or purchasing frozen oocytes, inseminating those oocytes in a laboratory to create an embryo (a process known as ICSI) and then transferring the resulting embryo(s) to recipient mare(s). As with embryo transfer, this highly technical process is only available at select facilities.
‘Free’ and Discounted Breedings
Stallion owners trying to promote less-proven or less-popular stallions and/or trying to increase the quality of mares being bred to their stallions might discount or even waive the stud fee for approved mares. However, just because the stud fee is discounted doesn’t mean the breeding is a bargain. As described above, the stud fee is just one of many costs the mare owner will incur to get a live foal on the ground.
Rebreeding Fees
Often, stallion service contracts will specify a rebreeding fee that applies if a mare doesn’t get in foal during the initial breeding season and the mare owner opts to try again the following breeding season. (Note, however, that stallion service contracts often limit rebreeding to one subsequent season, and others don’t allow for any rebreedings.)
Other Factors
The costs of breeding your mare are not just economic. While many mares carry their foals to term and foal out with no problems, there are no guarantees in life, much less horse breeding. Many mare owners find the process extremely stressful, and having a mare abort, give birth to a dead foal or die herself can be very traumatic.
Conclusion
All in all, mare owners considering breeding their mares should realistically estimate the costs involved and decide whether the process is worth the cost. If the goal is merely to obtain a quality young prospect for show or sport, purchasing a youngster that’s already on the ground vs. breeding to obtain a foal will certainly be faster and less risky and might even be a lot less expensive. On the other hand, if the goal is to reproduce a truly unique bloodline, breeding might be the only way to accomplish that.
Share this article
Written by: Rachel Kosmal McCart
Rachel Kosmal McCart is a lifelong horsewoman and the founder of Equine Legal Solutions, PC, an equine law firm based in the Portland, Oregon area. Rachel is a member of the New York, California, Oregon and Washington State bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Rachel currently competes in three-day eventing.
Legal Counsel With Horse Sense™
Equine Legal Solutions provides legal services for equine matters in the states of California, New York, Oregon, and Washington.