My vet bill for my mare’s first cycle is more than 700$…I think this is a bit steep…Was wondering what yours was…Thank you very much.
Have had cycles that high, but we do a lot of breeding here and have gotten it down to a science to reduce the vet bills significantly.
I do some of my own work now, so am down below 200 on most mares when we use fresh semen and have a good teaser gelding or colt.
For a young mare, using fresh semen, with the vet doing everything we could do it for 250-300.
An older mare, if we are expecting fluid pooling, some post breeding ultrasounds and maybe flushing we’d be in the 450-500 area probably.
Cost really depends on how well you know your mare, your vet’s fees, what they recommend, what you expect them to do and the reproductive healthy of the mare.
I’m in No. CA and my vet bills average $1k per cycle, more with a problem mare and less if I bred at home with fresh. And that figure doesn’t include the preg. checks.
This last mare was 540 and a bargain at that… The breeding gods smiled upon me. Took mare in to see where she was cycling. Was sitting on a 40 follicle , ready to breed in eta of 2 days. Perfect timing. Got bred , 3 check: that she ovulated, 15 and 30 days checks . Nothing ever goes that smoothly!
I am fortunate to have Kathy St. Martin and Jos Mottershead 2.5 hours away from me so I took both of my mares to them this year. Both were bred with frozen semen, both settled on the first cycle, this year’s fee is $425 per cycle which includes standard (at least for them) drugs such as oxytocin. So $850 plus board to get two mares in foal with frozen semen 
As an added bonus they handled my foal and he came home friendly and leading relatively well. I believe the fee using fresh semen is $325 per cycle.
My regular vet here in Texas charges $60 for the first ultrasound and $30 for each additional ultrasound, $50 for insemination, and then whatever drugs are required. The last mare I had him manage for me was extremely cooperative in that she was ready for semen when I took her in for her initial follicle check so I think I got that one in foal for something like $200 but that was just pure luck with my timing. That was a fresh semen breeding, anything bred with frozen goes to Kathy, and honestly most of my mares bred with fresh do as well. There was a reason this other mare went to my local vet but it seems to be escaping me right now.
Frozen is $700-1000 depending on what management the mare needed.
Fresh is $500 - 800 again depending on what management the mare needed.
Most of my mares need little to nothing in the way of management so they’re on the lower end of each spectrum.
Nothing other than a few dollars for oxytocin or lutalyse. 
I went down to www.equine-reproduction.com and took their one-on-one with Kathy St. Martin & Jos Mottershead and learned how to ultrasound, palpate and flush mares myself (was already inseminating on own own previously). Kathy helped us find the right ultrasound machine and we started doing our own repro work on our mares. Over the last two years, I cannot tell you how much money it has saved us in the long run!
[QUOTE=Daventry;7698139]
Nothing other than a few dollars for oxytocin or lutalyse.
I went down to www.equine-reproduction.com and took their one-on-one with Kathy St. Martin & Jos Mottershead and learned how to ultrasound, palpate and flush mares myself (was already inseminating on own own previously). Kathy helped us find the right ultrasound machine and we started doing our own repro work on our mares. Over the last two years, I cannot tell you how much money it has saved us in the long run![/QUOTE]
Just wondering, how common is it for breeders to do their own ultrasounds and repro work?
[QUOTE=hntrjmprpro45;7698202]
Just wondering, how common is it for breeders to do their own ultrasounds and repro work?[/QUOTE]
I have quite a few friends, both in Canada and the US who do their own repro work, i.e. ultrasounding, breeding with frozen semen, etc. All of us have taken repro courses at some point along the way. For many of us, we are often just in remoter areas were we don’t have access to any repro vets…or any good ones. 
So it was easier just to learn how to do it ourselves. It should be noted though, I only palpate and ultrasound my own mares. Most Provincial and State laws prohibit anyone (other than a veterinarian) from ultrasounding or palpating mares that do not belong to you, as it is an invasive procedure and considered practising veterinary medicine.
My mare took on her first try and my vet bill for that, plus the ultrasounds etc was $980. This did not include her 14 or 30 day ultrasounds. This was fresh
$600 on average for shipped fresh semen per cycle.
I think I came in about $650 for a cycle, that’s with fresh.
$600-700 is typical for fresh (includes preg check ultrasounds at 15 and 30 days). $800-900 for frozen (In both cases the fees are more if need lavages, etc., but the per cycle fee covers the basics)
[QUOTE=Daventry;7698139]
Nothing other than a few dollars for oxytocin or lutalyse.
I went down to www.equine-reproduction.com and took their one-on-one with Kathy St. Martin & Jos Mottershead and learned how to ultrasound, palpate and flush mares myself (was already inseminating on own own previously). Kathy helped us find the right ultrasound machine and we started doing our own repro work on our mares. Over the last two years, I cannot tell you how much money it has saved us in the long run![/QUOTE]
Just curious- how much did you invest in the coursework and equipment up front?
[QUOTE=Texarkana;7702499]
Just curious- how much did you invest in the coursework and equipment up front?[/QUOTE]
Kathy & Jos charge $600 per day for their one-on-one tutoring. http://www.equine-reproduction.com/services/one-on-one.shtml I honestly recommend taking 2-3 days of ultrasounding. It gives you a nice start in order to be able to go home and start practising on your own mares.
Really, the only other piece of equipment I needed was an ultrasound machine. We purchased a refurbished ultrasound from Universal for $3,000. As we have started freezing our own stallion semen and needed a few mares to use as guinea pigs to make sure the frozen semen worked, it has saved us an unimaginable amount of money, as we can do all of the ultrasounds, timing and inseminations by ourselves.
I think the last time I bred it was $650 or $700 (just tried one cycle). I had a half dose sitting in the tank and decided to give it a shot. That was frozen (one insemination, no flushing needed). That was last year. They waived the cost on a bunch of the ultrasounds, because they forgot to give her the hormone shot to cause timed ovulation.
Doesn’t include foal check.
No foal. Of course all the hauling and stuff added quite a bit to that figure. I think fresh was quite close to the same cost for me–not a big savings.
I would LOVE to take an equine reproduction course sometime.
Cheers.
