Live foal guarantee - how far would you go?

[szipi]

A couple of weeks ago I read a post about a breeder going way beyond her duries by trading back a horse they had sold, to make the buyer’s dream come true.

It is a sad situation when the mare owner’s mare is very difficult to catch, dies and/or the breeder goes through difficult financial times and unable to breed for a couple of years. In a standard breeding contract, there is usually a 2-3 year period when the breeder can come back with the same mare or substitute another. Also, there is usually a “foal stands and nurses” provision.

Stallion owners: how stricktly do you enforce the contract and what do you do to keep mare owners happy? Are smaller studfarms more flexible that larger, corporate-type operations? I would also love to hear from mare owners who benefitted from the SO bending of the written contract.

[Home_Again_Farm]

I once lost a filly at about 4 weeks of age. Even though I was not owed a re-breeding, a SO graciously allowed me to breed a mare back at almost no cost the following year. It was well beyond the call of duty and that SO made lots of points with me because of her generosity.

I had also been generous myself, as that filly had been sold about a week before we lost her. I refunded the buyer’s money, as the filly was still in my care and I felt terrible about the loss.

Sometimes what goes around, comes around. :yes:

[rideagoldenpony]

It depends on the client.

I have a lovely client, who, over time, has become a friend. She had to put down her 2 year old by my stallion, and had tried everything to save her. While it is certainly long past the “stands and nurses” of the LFG, I have given her another breeding to replace her filly.

[RiverOaksFarm]

Sometimes what goes around, comes around.

This might sum it up the best!

I was once on the receiving end of a SO who was not very flexible, and so I decided as soon as I started managing stallions myself that I would try to be one of the SO’s who would go beyond the call of duty. This has only been tested twice, but in both situations I ended up doing the “nice” thing, even though in both situations I ended up the loser financially.

But I’m a big believer in the Golden Rule – do unto others…

[Eye_in_the_Sky]

[QUOTE=rideagoldenpony;5579878]
It depends on the client.

I have a lovely client, who, over time, has become a friend. She had to put down her 2 year old by my stallion, and had tried everything to save her. While it is certainly long past the “stands and nurses” of the LFG, I have given her another breeding to replace her filly.[/QUOTE]

WOW! That’s class!

[camohn]

as a SO I have had a couple mare owners that lost foals. One was a red bag foal they lost at birth. I could have just given her a re breed but I had a foal on the ground that was out of a similarly bred mare myself that year…so I sold her at a very discounted price. WE both had Paint mares of similar type. The foal she lost was a breeding stock colt/my mare had a breeding stock colt. Another MO had a foal that was born healthy but had a stall accident…was found in his stall with a fractured neck/had to be euthanize. She had a mare I liked/she wanted to get out of breeding so I took her mare in trade. I bred the mare to my stallion, gave her the first foal and kept the mare for myself. Another MO had a mare she bred but the mare did not take…turns out the mare had repro issues. I also had a filly she liked here so I took the cost of the studfee off of the filly and she bought my filly since hers was not breedable.

[Sugarbrook]

I try hard to always go above and beyone the clients expectations. Having a foal die, even months into their life, is so traumatic for all that the least I can do is offer a free breeding.

So true, what goes around- comes around.

[paintjumper]

what goes around definitely comes back around…

many years ago I shipped semen to a man that claimed both his mares were not in foal for 2 years…I shipped semen for the 3rd year…all at MY costs each year after the first year. Turns out he had foals out of both mares every year! He got 6 foals for 2 breedings, his “vet” was his sister-in-law, I later found out. The next year his equipment shed with 2 tractors and other farm equipment, his truck & LQ trailer, his house with 2 cars burned to the ground. Karma…

[Sonesta]

I had a gorgeous black colt by Manhattan that died at 3 months old due to a strange fungal infection that had nothing at all to do with his sire. When Kathy St. Martin found out about it, she contact me and gave me a breeding back to Manhattan.

She is pure class.

[Eye_in_the_Sky]

I’m a firm believer that class goes a long way. I know it costs the SO money, but the amount of excellent free press you get has got to be worth its weight in gold!

[sporthorsefilly]

There are some excellent SO who really do care, and are super helpful.

Ironman’s owner is one of those excellent SO.

My mare slipped her Ironman embryo at 6 months, the end of 2008; we missed her season in 2009; and finally we got her bred, last year. NM and I were rewarded this year when my mare produced a lovely Ironman filly. NM believes that the reward for the stallion owner and the stallion is the healthy foal on the ground. My reward is a wonder gray filly, with a fantastic temperment, I have cherish a very, very good friend in Nancy!

[myrna]

One so we dealt with wasn’t great.Bred a mare,ultra sounded her and twins were missed,she carried to full term(big mare) and both fillies were lost at the delivery.It was very sad.The stallion had been gelded,but they had another stallion that had been the same price as the one we bred to.They had upped the price on the 2nd stallion and would not let us breed our mare to him without paying the very considerable difference.So the lfg didn’t do us any good.Other stallion owners have been awesome.

[Dressage_Diva333]

I try to just make the mare owners happy. I don’t make money off standing a stallion - I enjoy it.

I actually just recently had a client who had booked and bred a mare in 2008, mare didn’t catch. Didn’t hear from client, and they just contacted me again asking to switch mares and try again. I said of course, even though it’s “out of contract”.

[likeaninja]

I was given more than my fare share of chances by a wonderful SO. My first mare would not catch. Despite everything we tried, culture was good biopsy was good as well. She just wouldn’t catch. After three unsuccessful tries and two seasons passed I switched mares, now into the third year of my contract. Just last week we finally got our baby on the ground. I couldn’t be happier with her. The SO was super responsive to all my calls and emails and I could not have asked for a nicer transaction. I will be sure to use this breeder again, she and her ponies are phenomenal!

[MagicRoseFarm]

I have had several clients who lost foals for one reason or another up to 2 years old and we have always offered another breeding. Its easy to go above and beyond your contract, and in doing so I have gotten to know some wonderful people much better

[szipi]

Great stories

Thanks for the great stories! The posts definitely reflect my overwhelmingly positive experiences - along with the very rare nightmare situation. I have been on the receiving end of the generosity of classy stallion owners. Bonnie Cruickshank with Lemgo, Siegi Belz with Veneziano were unbelievably generous and supportive over the years, too bad that both stallions are not with us any more. I also owe a lot to Karen Reid and Lisa Paulson. The “benefits” included re-breeds after the lfg expired, waiting on payments and payment plans when I didn’t have money, trading breedings. I have also tried to help my breeders Tge same way. I think one of the most extreme cases were when one of me breeders lost a 3yo to colic, then due to economics/relocation she could not take advantage of the re-breed I offered, for 3 years… In another case someone bought a Lotus T yearling who later died. Even though she was not the original breeder (she was not a breeder at all), I felt so bad for her, I gave her a breeding. She leased a mare from a friend, we bred her - and now she is the owner of a youngster of her dreams. This is what it’s all about.

[Vic_007]

Its great to hear all of these great stories about gracious SO’s!!!

[Sunnydays]

I must pipe up about SO Jennifer Arnoldt of Dreamscape. 4 years ago I lost my beautiful black Freestyle / Idocus filly at 2 weeks of age (freak accident). When Jennifer found out she offered me a free rebreed (just the booking fee to pay), although the filly had been born strong and healthy and was 2 weeks old.
Jennifer has always been unbelievably generous and gracious in all my dealings with her. (PS - mare caught on next heat, and produced another black filly one year later).

[Tasker]

Personally, I have offered re-breeds when there is a catastrophic injury in the first year. I know my parents did as well but I’m not sure that they charged a booking fee. At this point, I have to charge a BF with the price of diesel being so high and the 2 hour round trip to SBS. I’d would love to just make it a ‘freebie’ for the MO but that is not a good business decision.

We had good experiences with the folks at Hilton Hanoverians a few years back.

[camohn]

putting on my MO hat:
1)Had a mare we bred to Grandom when Edgar had him. First year, mare did not get in foal. Second year mare got in foal and had a stillborn baby. The contract was good for 2 seasons but Edgar let it go a third year and let me subsitute a different mare (where we had no issues).
2) Bred to Taskers stallion Waldaire. First mare vetted not in foal. She was old (over 20) so not a huge surprise.Retired her and subsituted another mare.Well as it turns out the first one really DID get in foal and I ended up with 2 preggo mares. Tasker gave me a discounted stud fee and payment terms on the second stud fee when I ended up with 2 foals by accident.