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BREEDING FAQs
Breeding contracts, ahh, now we get to the fine print. Our breeding contract is one of the most client-friendly in the business, or at least we believe it is. I'll go over the most often asked questions and concerns a point at a time here to answer the most common ones.
Do you only breed to purebred mares or will you allow breedings to other breed mares?
Thor is approved to breed purebred but we will allow breedings to other breed mares for crossbred performance horses. His Partbred get are eligible for registry with the FOA and many other registries.
What is the stud fee and what are the payment options?
Thor's stud fee is $1750.00, Biense's is $1500.00. These all include a booking fee that is non refundable of $250.00. We do allow payments, but ask that the breeding be paid in full prior to shipping semen.
How much of my fee will I get back if I cancel the breeding?
If no shipment has been made, you will receive all but the booking fee returned. If we have shipped on the contract we will deduct an additional $250 for each shipment done. If your mare was bred at our facility, we will deduct all veterinary and board expenses and fees from the stud fee. This will be in addition to the nonrefundable booking fee.
Can I transfer the breeding to another mare if my original contracted mare is unavailable or not breedable?
Yes, but only after written agreement, we reserve the right to refund your fee, less the booking fee if we feel the replacement mare is not suitable.
How many times can I ask for shipments before it costs additional.
We will ship up to three times on your original contract, the third time only after your mare is examined and deemed breeding sound by your vet. Any additional shipments beyond the three allowed will be billed at $250.00 each.
What if I bring my mare to your facility to breed?
Then we will attempt to settle her for up to three breeding cycles, your expense during this time will be board at the rate of $12.00 per day. Palpations, ultrasounds and inseminations are billed at our cost to you as well as any veterinary care necessary during your mares stay at our farm.
What is the breeding success rate of your program?
We average well over 90% conception rate on our on farm breedings, not always on the first attempt, but certainly within the three breeding cycles allowed on your contract.
Do we have a live foal guarantee?
Emphatically, yes! Our live foal guarantee goes all the way to weaning, we guarantee a live healthy foal, free of congenital defects, to 120 days of age.
What if my foal dies after it's weaned?
If your foal dies for any reason not attributed to negligence we will rebreed your mare for just the cost of collection and shipping.
Do I have to have my mare examined and certified breeding sound?
No, although this is definitely in your best interest, and we would advise that you do so, it is not a requirement. As we will do no live cover, and probably never see your mare, whether or not she is breeding sound and "clean" is not our responsibility, we will ship you viable semen up to three times, if you just then discover that your mare has a uterine infection and need to treat her, all shipments after the original three will be billed.
Do I have to have my mare "qualified" in order to breed to your stallions?
No, not in that sense. We will ask that you send us a good photo of her and that you describe her to us. And we will ask what you expect our stallion to contribute to the foal, this way if your expectations are unrealistic we can advise you of that.
What shots or tests do I have to do before I ship my mare to you to be bred?
We will not allow your mare on the property without a current coggins test and a valid "veterinary certificate of health" for transport. We will examine your mare upon arrival, and any health conditions we are uncomfortable with will be brought to your attention, and if not suitable your mare will not be accepted.
Is there anything else that would prevent my mare from being acceptable to be bred at your facility.
Well, yes, actually there is. Any mare not deemed manageable or unsafe will not be allowed to stay and be bred. We will have a questionaire for you to fill out, with some questions about her behavior traits and what we should watch out for.
Will my mare receive her suppliments or medications while at your facility?
Yes, we will use what ever suppliments you provide, and will administer any medications not specifically to be administered by a veterinarian, but only on your written instruction as to dosage and means of application.
What if my mare is injured or dies at your facility?
Upon arrival you will be asked to read and sign a release of liability and waiver of damages before we will accept your mare. This will prevent you from receiving any damages from Jokar's Hilltop Farm, or Joe or Karen Myers, in the event of injury or death of your mare. This will also hold you responsible for any expenses resulting from your mare becoming injured or dying while at our facility. The threshold for requesting veterinary care for your mare will be outlined on your board agreement for breeding, you will be asked to specifically state when, under what conditions and who to call for veterinary care.
If my mare is at your facility for an extended stay, will her normal care include farrier visits, worming and vaccinations?
Farrier visits, wormings and vaccinations will only be done on your written request, you will be billed at cost for these services. Any time we feel the care of your mare is in jeopardy, i.e. when we feel your guidelines are not in keeping with our normally acceptable conditions, we will perform these services and you will be billed. We will not allow your mare to be neglected in care or health so that it would be deemed abuse in the view of a government agency regulating animal care.
How long after breeding should I pick her up?
We normally wait 14 days post ovulation to ultrasound to confirm pregnancy. It is not necessary for your mare to stay for that ultrasound, it can be done by your vet at home, and she can leave at any time you wish her to leave. We will answer your questions as best as we can with the information relevant to her condition respective to her breeding, but the decision will be yours.
My mare concieved, ultrasounded in foal, but slipped, what happens now?
At the point your mare was ultrasounded in foal we completed our responsibilities under the breeding contract for what was included in the original contract. However, as we have a live foal guarantee, we will continue to breed your mare, or ship semen at the collection and shipping cost of $250.00 for as long as you wish us to, within the confines of the breeding season.
When a shipment is necessary, do I call you, or does my vet call you?
That's up to you, we will gladly work with your vet to coordinate shipments, or will wait for your call.
How long before semen is needed do I have to call?
We need to be notified at least the day (or evening) before we are to ship so we can schedule the collection and shipment. So, if you need semen on Thursday, we need to ship Wednesday morning, so we need a call by Tuesday night.
When do you ship, are there any blackout dates?
We ship Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for deliverys Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Blackout dates will vary, we will list them on the website and with your contract for any given season. They normally include Holidays that FedEx does not ship, or show dates for exhibitions or competitions we have scheduled. There are sometimes areas not serviced by FedEx for Saturday deliverys, or areas that do not have express overnight delivery available, so be sure your vet will be available to inseminate if the shipment arrives later in the day than anticipated.
What if I need a shipment on "short" notice?
We will do everything we can to accommodate you, but we are 2 hours from the closest airport, if a counter to counter shipment is necessary and possible it will be billed accordingly, for a special collection, $100.00, and for time and expense to get it to the airport. In the past this has cost up to 7 hours driver and vehicle, at $25.00 per hour and 35 cents per mile (we use a hired driver and vehicle), airport parking, short term of $15.00, highway tolls of $12.50 plus the actual cost of the shipment. You will then need to be able to get it picked up at your airport destination.
Why can't I just call in the morning after my vet has been out to examine my mare?
FedEx must be called here by 10:00 am to schedule a pick-up. That pick-up is usually before 10:30 am. It takes three persons to collect our stallions, a stallion handler, a tease mare handler and the tech to do the collection. These three persons are scheduled available on our three collection days each week, other days they must be called in to do the collection, you will be billed for those other days. It takes about two hours to prepare and collect our stallions, the stallion must be washed, the AV prepared, the collection done, the semen analyzed, tested, prepared for shipment and storage, the shipping container and airbill filled out, FedEx called, and the shipment taken to the pick up location. This is all assuming everything goes as planned, we begin at 6:00 am to make sure if there are any glitches, we can complete in time to ship. If you call me at 9:am on Monday, I don't have enough time to phone the persons I need to get the collection done in time for a pick-up that morning. This means a counter to counter shipment at additional cost to you.
Why is semen available only every other day?
Stallions are best managed and collected every other day, more often collections result in a decrease in semen viability and quality and affects the reproductive abilities of the stallion. We do store additional semen not shipped in Equitainers so a shipment on the off day may be possible, but it will already be 24 hours old at the time of shipment. Don't hesitate to call to check if this can be done, in the best case we will have additional semen to ship to you, in the worst case it will cost a phone call.
How long will the semen keep if I call for a shipment and my mare doesn't ovulate on schedule?
Our semen evaluations for Thor show that his semen will remain viable chilled for up to 96 hours, at which point his motility and morphology assessment will be below 40%. So, if the shipment is kept chilled it should still be viable for insemination of your mare for up to 96 hours from collection. This translates into the following conditions; shipped in “Equitainer II” viability due to storage limitations of up to 36 hours, shipped in “Equitainer” viability due to storage limitations of up to 60 hours, if insemination is to take place after that point be sure to remove the semen and store it in a location that will maintain the “chilled” condition for an additional 36 hours.
How many insemination doses will be shipped with each container?
We try to always ship two insemination doses in each container. That will be 1 billion progressively motile cells at collection in each dose. There will occasionally be instances of only one dose being shipped, if the shipments scheduled for that day are more than we can adequately split into multiples to ship two in each container.
How accurate do we need to be in predicting my mares ovulation?
Good question, semen should ideally be placed in the mare about 12 hours pre ovulation to 4 hours post ovulation, so you have a window of less than 24 hours. As the semen we ship is viable for up to two days after you receive it, your window is a bit larger than you might think. Here is where the proficiency and familiarity of your vet with your mare is important. They must be able to reasonably predict ovulation, and the only way to do this accurately is through experience in tracking and examining your mare. Our responsibility in a chilled shipment is to provide you with viable semen on the day you request, within our shipment guidelines, this means the balance of the responsibility for the breeding is on your vet. After three shipments it begins to cost you additional collection and shipment fees.
Do I need to buy my own shipping container, or need to place a deposit on yours?
We list a deposit of $300 for use of our Equitainers, but have very seldom required it. We are very adamant that they be returned promptly, the same day you remove the last semen packet, and if this is adhered to we will not charge a deposit. All components must be returned, failure to do so, or failure to return the container will require that you reimburse us for those components, and pay a deposit on the container for any future shipments, or may cancel your contract without refund. As you will be billed the $300 deposit if it is not returned, we suggest you insure it for that amount when shipping it back, in case of loss or damage.
How do I register the get of this breeding?
The FOA will register foals sired by their approved breeding stallions, Thor is one of those. He is also able to have his get documented with many crossbred and warmblood registries operating in the US and around the world. We will include one registration for the foal in the North American Friesian Sporthorse Club with your paid studfee.
OK, I'm shopping around, what are your important contract points and why should I consider Jokar's Hilltop Farm and Thor as a stallion to breed to.
I'll try my hard sell now;
- One price breeding, no separated expenses within the terms of the contract,
- Up to three shipments or breeding cycles per contracted breeding,
- A live foal guarantee that goes all the way to weaning, we guarantee a live healthy foal free of congenital defects to 120 days of age,
- If your foal dies during it's first year for any reason other than negligence we will allow you to rebreed your mare for just the cost of collection and shipping,
- We are a full service equine reproduction facility, with a conception rate of over 90% for on farm AI and over 80% for shipped semen AI,
- Our stallion Thor is an approved breeding stallion with the FOA, has been performance tested, is approved to breed in many other registries around the world,
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- Our extensive exhibition and competition schedule will make your foal more salable by our reputation,
- Multiple mare discounts,
- Re-breedings at the original contracted amount,
- Free marketing of your foal for sale, with no sales comission,
- One free registration for your foal in the North American Friesian Sporthorse Club.
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