Advice please. Selling a mare when there is a foal by her side you want to keep?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I'm debating what to do next spring (assuming mare delivers a healthy foal). I'm not really set up to be a breeder--I board. While I have this dream of owning a farm in the near future, I think it would be wise to have a contingency plan!! I bought my mare with the hope of having one baby for me--which will hopefully occur May 2010. I will need to bring her and the foal to inspection next year, which will likely be in mid-August.

I'm debating what to do. She is 15 this year.

I read on here that you all would rather buy an open mare than a bred mare, but logistically I don't think that will work, because there is no way I'm giving up possession of mare and foal until the mare is weaned and sold/paid in full. How else could you do it?

I'm not adamantly opposed to breeding her again and either keeping the resulting foal or selling her in foal. I would breed to a stallion that works with the registry she will be approved for. But she will be 17 in two summers if I wait, and I want to find a good situation for her too. She only has value as a broodmare (old injury--no riding).

Another consideration...I think my stallion choices may be different if I was breeding to sell her in foal vs. breeding a foal I want to keep. While I really focus on breeding an all-around foal, I think from a selling standpoint breeding her to a jumping powerhouse makes the most sense for resale (she's Galoubet/Abdullah). Maybe I'm wrong?

Just looking for some advice/thoughts on this.

[alliekat]

One option would be to advertise her for sale once she foals or even before she foal as a matter of fact. Give the potential buyer the opportunity to breed her while she is still with you as she raises your foal. After the inspection you can wean your foal and the new owner can take possession of the mare. This arrangement may be pleasing to the buyer of the mare since they would be able to pick the stallion of their choice and when they do get the mare she is already several months in foal.
A very good contract will be everyone's friend.
Good luck!!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

One option would be to advertise her for sale once she foals or even before she foal as a matter of fact. Give the potential buyer the opportunity to breed her while she is still with you as she raises your foal. After the inspection you can wean your foal and the new owner can take possession of the mare. This arrangement may be pleasing to the buyer of the mare since they would be able to pick the stallion of their choice and when they do get the mare she is already several months in foal.
A very good contract will be everyone's friend.
Good luck!!

What if she doesn't get in foal? And they want to blame me somehow or the vet clinic? You know what I mean? She would have to be their mare regardless...

Would someone really pay for a mare and keep her with someone else while they are trying to breed her?

I'm just trying to figure out the issues...

[lalyho]

I actually bought a broodie that had not given birth yet. She will get this year off from breeding since my mare caught, but I was willing to pay board on her if I needed to breed her. Of course I researched the proposed vet and knew the facility where she was at would provide great care.

In the end since I did not breed her I am not paying board and the baby will be weaned in the next couple weeks at which point I will go pick her up. I ended up not paying in full until I go to get her, but that is just the way her owner and I worked it out. I am sure as long as both parties are comfortable it could work differently as well.

[clint]

What if she doesn't get in foal? And they want to blame me somehow or the vet clinic? You know what I mean? She would have to be their mare regardless...

Would someone really pay for a mare and keep her with someone else while they are trying to breed her?

I'm just trying to figure out the issues...

Having the mare not get in foal when her only career option is as a broodmare would indeed be a problem for the buyer. As a 16 y.o., you might find getting in foal to be a contingency, should someone buy her prior to weaning. Because of her age, I think offering to breed her after foaling will be your best option for a sale as leaving her open, with a potential new owner taking her as a 17 y.o. open mare, possibly giving a buyer pause. I'm sure your asking price will also be a factor in her sale. Currently there are some very nice mares in her age range being offered for very little money, or free, and some are sound.

Yes, if attempts to breed the mare are made and she doesn't get in foal blame is likely to be placed, but it will most likely be placed on the mare unless there are obvious issues with the breeding management. If you try to breed her and she doesn't get in foal, however, the concerns are the same and would need to be disclosed to a potential buyer. Any breeder taking on an aged broodmare will do a breeding soundness exam.

[alliekat]

I would assume that you would continue to pay for the feed and board on the mare while she has your foal at side. The new owner would be responsible for choosing the stallion and the vet to get mare in foal. If you find the perfect buyer you two will be able to come to terms with an agreement that suits both of you. I would never sell my mare pregnant and send her off to the new buyers to foal out and then send me my foal when it is weaned. To many things could go wrong. It might be a harder sell than selling a open broodie that can leave at the time of purchase. I think it can be done though.

[Jellybean83]

Would someone really pay for a mare and keep her with someone else while they are trying to breed her?

I'm just trying to figure out the issues...

I sold my mare this year while she was out on a breeding lease to someone else which makes things even more complicated! Her colt is not yet weaned so she is still at her lease home right now. The people leasing her have continued to pay for vet, farrier, and board expenses on the mare. She goes to her new home once her foal is weaned.

Her new owner was originally going to breed her this year but decided to wait until next spring as it was already late July. Everything has worked out fine so far. Mare is 14 yrs old and has had 4 foals.

[Hillside H Ranch]

If it were me, I would breed her to a really popular (i.e. saleable offspring) stallion and try to sell her in foal. Of course, you do run the very real risk of her not selling and then you will be paying board on multiple horses. However, selling a teenage broodmare only, that is open, is going to be very, very difficult. Clint is right; there are people giving away very, very nice older broodies right now.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

If it were me, I would breed her to a really popular (i.e. saleable offspring) stallion and try to sell her in foal. Of course, you do run the very real risk of her not selling and then you will be paying board on multiple horses. However, selling a teenage broodmare only, that is open, is going to be very, very difficult. Clint is right; there are people giving away very, very nice older broodies right now.

That was kind of my gut feeling as well.

[Kneigh]

I second Hillside Ranch's idea of having her already bred to a popular/marketable stallion.

As a recent buyer in search of a brood mare, I would have been too afraid to purchase a mare of that age not already in foal.

[ThirdCharm]

I would advertise her this winter/spring, and give potential buyers some choices. I personally would not be put off by having a mare bred elsewhere (since I stand a TB stallion, I am somewhat familiar with the concept), and many people send mares off to clinics for frozen/embryo transfer/foaling etc.

Jennifer

[YankeeLawyer]

I personally prefer to buy mares open provided they have a good breeding history and/or pass a breeding soundness exam. I am very, very picky about choice of stallions and rarely would make the same choice as others.

I also don't think selling a Galoubet / Abdullah mare is going to be hard, even in this market and despite the fact she is aged.

[silvia]

You have to consider things like insurance for the mare, and also LFG if she is bred (generally it doesn't transfer to the new owner).

Personally I'd put some feelers out, but not sell until the foal was born MINIMUM, and even then I'd reconsider until the foal was ready to be weaned.

[alliekat]

I would have concerns if I was looking at the mare and was not able to breed her after she foals. If the new owner waits until the foal is weaned(Octoberish?) that will almost shot that year for breeding and I would have more concern if she had to sit a year and try to breed the following year. Though that is only my opinion.

[Home Again Farm]

I will not buy an aged mare that is open. I am particular about the stallions I use, but I am not willing to chance buying an older open mare who may end up open. Been there, done that.

[Iron Horse Farm]

I will not buy an aged mare that is open. I am particular about the stallions I use, but I am not willing to chance buying an older open mare who may end up open. Been there, done that.
I'm so with you on this one! Two years ago I bought an open mare.......aged, but imported and great bloodlines. Turns out that they had been trying for a year and she was open after many many tries, not because she was just standing around. Soooo, I will be much more careful if I ever do that again, however, mine turned out ok in the end.....my fab repro vet got her right in foal after clearing up an infection!:lol:

[tuckawayfarm]

I also don't think selling a Galoubet / Abdullah mare is going to be hard, even in this market and despite the fact she is aged.

Maybe not on the East Coast with it's greater concentration of breeders, but here in the Midwest, aged broodies are often "free to good home". It's their exceptional bloodlines that enable them to find a home at all. :( Hopefully the economy will pick up. :)

If she were mine, I would start networking now to find potential buyers who I could work with to get her bred back after foaling, with them taking possession after weaning. A sixteen year old confirmed in foal to custom breeding would have more value IMHO. I would write a good contract, have them pay all breeding associated fees, and retain the right to keep the custom foal if the mare has not been paid in full when you wean your 2010 baby. Because you might get stuck with the 2011 foal, I would require approval of their stallion choice. That would guarantee the buyer a pregnant mare without any additional funds from you.

Good Luck!! :)

What registries is she approved for?

[YankeeLawyer]

Maybe not on the East Coast with it's greater concentration of breeders, but here in the Midwest, aged broodies are often "free to good home". It's their exceptional bloodlines that enable them to find a home at all.

I am probably biased as I used to own part of Galoubet but I disagree as to that particular pedigree if the mare is fertile. I frequently am offered very, very nice mares but not Galoubet daughters.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

What registries is she approved for?

She is registered Selle Francais and I "think" that crossed to a SF stallion the baby would be in the stud book automatically (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong there ;-). Her first foal was this year and her then-owner had a Canadian warmblood stallion, so she/baby went into that book. I will be presenting her and her second foal next summer to Oldenburg GOV. Her pedigree has been ok'd by Hannoverian too, but I saw no point in bringing her at this point (no need to stress momma out unless necessary).

[Hillside H Ranch]

I am probably biased as I used to own part of Galoubet but I disagree as to that particular pedigree if the mare is fertile. I frequently am offered very, very nice mares but not Galoubet daughters.

I love Galoubet; I have a daughter and we are expecting a 2010 foal from her, by Abdullah, actually. BUT it wasn't too long ago that there was a Galoubet daughter for sale (cheap) and I know the owners had a hard time moving her as she was older (she was in foal, though). I think the pedigree is nice, but I know for a fact some people are turned off by the perceived "personality difficulties" that are associated with that line. Please notice I say perceived, as that has not been my personal experience!

[tuckawayfarm]

My post was not meant as a comment on her bloodlines (I happen to like them very much and am looking forward to seeing photos of her 2010 foal :) ), more of a statement about how the economy has affected breeders in this area. Many are downsizing and I don't know anyone who would take on an unsound aged mare without assurance that they would get a foal out of her. I still think selling her in foal would give the OP the best return and a custom option might attract more buyers.

BTW, I love my Galoubet grandson :)

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

You guys are so PC--I love it. :-) My feelings are certainly not hurt--as a few of you know, I'm the first to rip my horses apart!

I'm not terrible worried about selling her necessarily (I've had unsolicited interest this summer when she wasn't even for sale) but I was more worried about the logistics of offering her open at her age next year, when I need to keep her for my baby/inspection and how that could actually work for everyone involved.

I've decided I'm going to breed her again and appreciate the advice! A lot can change in a year and I may just sell the foal and keep the mare. The longer I have her and the more she comes out of her shell, she keeps growing on me *sigh.* Plus, even if she goes barren and ends up my permanent pasture pet, she's sure not hard on the eyes, lol! I'll have to post some better pics at some point...

Thanks for everyone's input!!

[YankeeLawyer]

I love Galoubet; I have a daughter and we are expecting a 2010 foal from her, by Abdullah, actually. BUT it wasn't too long ago that there was a Galoubet daughter for sale (cheap) and I know the owners had a hard time moving her as she was older (she was in foal, though)

I am pretty sure I know what mare you are referring to and there is a bit more to that story than any issue of a weak market, etc.

[EquusMagnificus]

I bought my broodmare, in foal, while her filly was still nursing. The seller kept the mare until the filly was weaned and paid the board for that period. I simply went and picked up the mare at the agreed date. :)

It worked well! My broodmare was 7 when I purchased her. :) I would rather purchase a broodmare in foal at any time. I prefer to fire-sale a foal that might not meet my standards but have guarantee that my mare can actually be bred and carry to term, rather then the other way around. :)

[alliekat]

You might want to consider advertising her before she foals giving the potential buyer the option to choose the stallion they would want. If you don't get any interest than you can always breed her to your choice and sell her that way. Good luck.

[alison123]

I have a very nice registered oldenburg, xx broodmare and she is in foal to freedom z. Freedom is producing hunters as well as jumpers and I have her listed at 5k. Poeple are not buying now. If she is only a broodmare you need to get her in foal however you could end up stuck with another one. Atleast I like the stallion I bred to and I am planning on bringing her into work very slowly if I cant get her sold. At this time I have lost money because it coast me more to get the stud fee and have her bred. Good luck.