Overall costs of a baby!

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marielongstaff

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Hi - big question I know but I am looking to put my mare in foal this year for the frst time, I have some savings to cover the costs but the husband wants it in black and white - just to extra well prepared! Can anyone help with a breakdown of costs - i.e vets for swab, vets for this etc etc up until the foal is born and hopefully healthy out at grass with the mother? If not is there any great books anyone could recogmend?
Thank you
x
 
mine so far has cost:
semen £500
AI package £325
extra vet cost £ 190 (retained water after AI & stitches)
herpes injections x3 £50 a time depending on shared call out
stitches removal £35
foaling extension on insurance £226
vet check of foal & blood test £80
vet for mare after foaling £150 (she retained some afterbirth)
all plus vat except for semen.
mine was very easy you have to remember if they don't take first time there would be extra AI costs

BUT.............foal priceless
 
Mine was (two years ago)
£150 covering fee
£2 per day grass livery = £70
About £100 vets, that was for a jab to bring her into season, and then a scan.
Nothing else except normal working, hoof trims etc.
Don't forget the price of feed, we used Baileys Stud Balancer, now £19.69, started on that three months before she was due.

Say £350, and the mare was only £100, it was only after buying her and doing some investigtaions we found she had good bloodlines.
 
I sent my mare away to foal as peace of mind for me is invaluable which added on another 450 including foaling fee & livery for mare & baby.

My stud fee was 650 (Pro-Set although he has gone up since then!)
Swabs prior to covering approx 150 inc call outs (may also include her flu jab)
Livery while away at stud approx 200
Scans after covering were about 40 each as I took my mare to the vets for these.

A perfect healthy baby foalie - priceless!
 
Veterinary Foaling Package (if AI'ing at home) - around £400 - £500 - this does not include any drugs.
Stud Fee - ie. £650
AI collection - circa £70 a go
Livery for mare at stud - if she goes - circa £5 a day for grass keep.

There must be others, but can't think of it now.

Cost me around £2k in total to get my mare in foal ultimately. (no foal at the end
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Semen £500
Vet package £325 + VAT which includes

Initial reproductive assessment
CEM swab and lab fees
All scans
Insemination (upto 3 cycles)
Semen storage & handling
Ovulation induction agents
Oxytocin & post-insemination wash out
Pregnancy diagnosis scans at 14 & 28 days
Upto one weeks livery.

My mare was there a fortnight so will have to pay extra £4.29 + VAT per day for 7 days extra grass livery.
Does not include call out fees for doing pregnancy diagnosis scans at home.
She gets scanned on Friday so everything is crossed otherwise she is back again.
 
I think its realistic to estimate £1500 all in, semen, livery, up to three cycles, eventual lavage, antibotics, hormone treatments scans vet packages etc.....if it works out less then your doing well and he'll be pleased
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Of course it can work out MUCH less but would definitely budget for that amount.
 
AI package (two attempts and failed) £650
Then sent her to stud
Stud fee £300
Vet at stud £80 for scanning etc
livery fee whilst at stud £150
vets fees whilst at home (£150 for two scans and flu/tet), foal due in august so i estimate another £300 by the time i have paid for flu/tet booster of mare, foal/mare check.

I would allow £1500-£2000 but depending on how much stud fee is. Check out terms of stud. Mine is no foal no fee which is rare now.
 
Costs will vary wildly depending on whether it's natural service etc. Mine is just going to stud next week. Stud fee £400, Grass livery £25 per week, Swabs approx £75.

Don't forget to add in things like worming (studs generally worm on arrival and bill you for it) and shoes off / on depending on your mare.

Add in a contingency fund incase things go wrong too.

Best to let your husband have a few drinks before you tell him all this - works a treat with mine.....

Good luck!
 
Good God!! I know all the costs above are very realistic, I am just thankful that my mare has been exceptionally easy to breed - though this years foal needed plasma (she had hyper immune plasma) and that cost a further £150. I don't think about it too much though, otherwise I'd never, ever have done it!
 
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I am just thankful that my mare has been exceptionally easy to breed - though this years foal needed plasma (she had hyper immune plasma) and that cost a further £150. I don't think about it too much though, otherwise I'd never, ever have done it!

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Tell me about it! Just got last month's bill and my Widget (who had a bad foaling and bled into the broad ligament) notched up just over £600 in one DAY for visits and drugs!! If her bloody colt doesn't turn out good enough to be a stallion I'll be extra gutted!

But on the brighter side, Pride and Booker didn't add ANYTHING to costs for their foaling - both in daylight, one with minimal assist from me - the other completely unaided. It's swings and roundabouts! (Or so I tell myself!)
 
Perfect - thank you!
One last question - Pro set - were you pleased with this stallion? This is the one I have chosen for my mare he's definately more expensive now @ £850!
 
The cost to me to get my 2 foals on the ground last year was somewhere around the $50 mark for the two. I used my own stallion and he pasture-bred my own mares, have my own land and was at the birthing of both foals. It cost me about $30 for the first foal to have vet checked the following day and to be given an anti-toxin shot. The second foal didn't have a foal check the following day and my vet had previously given me the anti-toxin before the foal was born, so I gave her it the day after she was born. My vet happened to be out to look at another horse a couple of days after she was born and although didn't charge for a vet check, gave her a quick once-over while he was here.

Had no problems with either foal and both mares did an excellent job and recovered very well.
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I love my Pro-Set mare, she is going to be a star. She is due to foal in the next couple of weeks to a blanket spot QH stallion, and then she goes into training to show the world just how good she is.

She has the sweetest temperament, we took her to the KWPN mare grading last year (3 year old) We literally pulled her in from the field (we decided to take her at the last minute, as we had a mare and foal going), put a bridle on her (first time), did about 10 minutes work on her trot in hand, gave her a bath, plaited her, she took everything in her stride no fuss, loaded like a pro , and was champion mare.

She is very special.

Edited.................SPELLING AGAIN
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I ride a Pro Set gelding, based on him, I would actively seek a Pro Set baby if I was buying. He is fantastic, so easy to teach.

I estimate my foal to have cost about £1500 so far and she is two weeks old now. My mare was covered naturally, and kept on full livery at stud. Yes it cost more, but I struggle to persuade her to stay out 24/7 she prefers to be out at night and in during the day in summer, and is probably begging someone to bring her in right now!!

I haven't added to that the cost of the diesel to take her to and from the stud (3 and 1/2hrs each way) or the diesel to take her to the vets to be scanned.

My little one is priceless to me though, and I think the cost is 100% worth it, else I wouldn't have done it.
 
Last years filly came in utero when I bought the mare, and as the mare was a reasonable price I don't consider that the foal cost me anything. Vet fees were about $70. Sold her at 5 months old, she is still boarding with me.

The two foals I have due? I used my own stallion, have my own premises, so up to now just the normal running costs involved in feeding etc, which I would have to meet whether the mares were in foal or not.
 
Hi - my mare is Belgian by Cantango Z. Really sweet nature - the only bad thing i heard about pro set was that he didn't have a great neck and my mares is not great either. The other choice is a local one called Surprise which is out of Royal Dance. The fact you like their character and trainable mind is perfect but still not sure.
 
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Hi - my mare is Belgian by Cantango Z. Really sweet nature - the only bad thing i heard about pro set was that he didn't have a great neck and my mares is not great either. The other choice is a local one called Surprise which is out of Royal Dance. The fact you like their character and trainable mind is perfect but still not sure.

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I certainly would not say that about him, and have actually never heard it before. He did a great job with my mares neck.

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She is very elegant.

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The only thing I will say about my Proset mare is that she is probably going to be one of those late developers, but she is a big girl around 16.2-3 now, so not really surprised.
 
Can you tell me what a "blanket spot QH stallion" is? Registered QH's can only be solid colours and any deviation from this is not accepted by AQHA.
 
Sorry I have made a mistake, the stallion is based at a QH stud so I assumed, incorrectly, he was QH himself Opps.
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He is indeed an appy stallion, I was always of the opinion that Appy was a colour not a breed, I have since seen the light.
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Here he is.
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He is lovely and has really super movement, confirmation and temperament, this is why I chose him to put to my WB dressage bred mare. I am really praying that the foal has a spotty botty like dad, but if not I know it will be a lovely foal with good movement, temperament and confirmation.
 
Oh yes spots would be lovely. I have a couple of Apps and their temperaments and willingness are only second to my Quarter Horses. Apps tend to be very intelligent, often getting themselves into minor trouble because of them being so inquisitive; I hold them in high regard. Of course Appys derive from QHs so you do see their calm nature and they do like to work so I should think the cross will be a wonderful outcome.
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