Breeding Contract

Advice to breeders in relation to the contract of breeding Stallions and Mares.

In relation to the process of having a mare covered; the following pieces of advice are useful items to consider and it is best that these items are covered in a written contract between the mare owner and the stallion owner.

  1. Once a suitable stallion for has been chosen, the mare owner should agree the covering fee for the service and any additional costs likely to be incurred (i.e. keep, veterinary fees) should also be agreed in advance with the stallion owner in a written contract.
  2. Important dates should be included in the contract. Of particular importance are the covering dates and the payment dates for covering and keep fees.
  3. Payment should be documented and recorded. The mare owner should ensure that they use a payment option which provides a receipt, and the receipt should include the total payment and identify the breakdown of the items that make up the total amount.
  4. Mare owners should ensure that they receive the mare owners yellow copy ‘Record of Service’ of the covering from the stallion owner.
  5. The contract may also specify what should happen if the mare does not go in foal (i.e. free return, return of fees, etc.,).

A sample contract is given here and we recommend that both Mare owners and Stallion owners adopt a practice of completing a written contract for each stud service of their horse.  SAMPLE CONTRACT.