Just because you can breed a foal doesn’t mean you should!
For generations, the availability of a mare and access to a stallion have been considered sufficient justification for breeding. If the practical barriers were low, the moral question was rarely asked.
However, in an increasingly crowded market, with poor lifetime security guarantees for those that are already bred, the availability of a mare and stallion is no longer a justifiable reason for breeding.
Intention matters more than opportunity
Breeding without a clearly articulated purpose is a decision made by default rather than design.
Before committing to breed, pause and ask:
- Why do you want to breed this foal?
- What is your specific goal when breeding this foal?
The mare and stallion must justify themselves
A mare’s likeability, convenience, or familiarity is not the same as justification. The same is true of stallion choice driven by fashion, proximity, or aspiration rather than outcomes. If the rationale for the selection of the mare and stallion does not stand up to objective scrutiny, breeding becomes an act of hope rather than intent. Pause and ask:
- What does the mare objectively offer (health, conformation, temperament, performance) that justifies breeding this foal from this mare?
- What does the stallion objectively offer (health, conformation, temperament, performance) that justifies breeding this foal from this stallion?
- Are you prepared to proactively prevent this foal’s death via implementing pre-breeding screening for infectious diseases?
A foal does not exist in a vacuum
Every healthy foal born will, on average, live for two decades, but there are a finite number of
homes, resources and opportunities. Pause and ask:
- Why will this foal be meaningfully different to what is already available?
Benefit and burden are not evenly shared
While the perceived benefits of breeding are often personal, the consequences are not always carried by the breeder alone. Pause and ask:
- Who is benefitting from breeding this foal and why?
- Who is not benefiting from breeding this foal and why?
- What impact/burden will there be, if this foal is not any different to what is already available?
Responsibility lasts longer than novelty
Breeding creates responsibilities that extend beyond conception and foaling. Consider honestly the following:
- What responsibility are you taking on with this foal before birth and after?
- Are you prepared for the real costs of breeding this foal?
Roughly one in every 5–10 attempted breedings results in a foal that is aborted, stillborn, or dies shortly after birth due to conditions that were at least partly preventable
- Are you prepared to proactively prevent this foal’s death?
- Do you know what actions you need to take prior to breeding to proactively prevent this foal death? Do you have the funds to undertake these actions?
- Do you know what actions you need to take during pregnancy to proactively prevent this foal’s death? Do you have the funds to undertake these actions?
- Do you know what actions you need to take during foaling and post-foaling to proactively prevent this foal’s death? Do you have the funds to undertake these actions?
- Have you experienced support and the right facilities for foaling this foal?
- Do you have experienced support and the right facilities to ethically wean this foal?
- Do you have experienced support and the right facilities to accommodate this foal as it matures?
- Do you have the funds available to castrate this foal (if required)?
Uncomfortable comparison
Finally, ask the question many people avoid.
- Could you achieve your goal by buying rather than breeding?
In today’s horse world, responsibility requires more than the ability to breed; it requires the willingness to question whether breeding is justified at all.
