I don't get some people. If you don't want a foal, why would you buy a breeding and send your mare to the stallion? Why wouldn't you follow instructions? Why would you argue about every little thing?
Over the years I've seen a lot of stuff. But the mare owner who says they want a foal but will not do the simplest things just really blows my mind.
Here's an example:
Woman contacts me about breeding to Skippy but cringes at the stud fee, so I send her to a stallion service auction site where I've donated a breeding to Skippy that she can buy for 1/2 price. She dilly dallies along about it until she finally buys the breeding in MID MAY. She's well aware that Skippy's book closes on June 15 and after that doesn't open up again until next breeding season. To help her know when to get the mare to me, I send her a tease sheet and ask her to track the mare daily. When she's finally bringing the mare to me in the middle of May, I ask if she can send me the tease sheet so I know where the mare is in her cycle. She says, and mind you this lady has 9 kids, "I didn't want to bring her in too early so I didn't do it.". Wait, you have 9 kids and don't get that either you're cycling and ovulating or you're not, but it has nothing to do with teasing the mare? HUMMMMMMMMMMMM
The mare is here for 11 days to be bred, live cover. She's here for at least 4 of those days, maybe 5, so I can tease her and see her responses to the stallion. So 5 X $15 = $75 SHE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO PAY IF SHE'D FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS. Total bill, $265, includes the chute fee. She tries to negotiate the bill down....... Mind you, I'm not seeing a penny of the stud fee, it's from a donated breeding. HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
The contract says right in it, "If the mare leaves the premises before checked in foal, mare MUST be pregnancy checked at 15 & 30 days. She doesn't want to have her checked, just wants to wait until the mare comes back in season or not. NO, you signed a contract and agreed to certain responsibilities. Has the mare checked at 15 days, vet says she's open. I tell the mare owner, get her checked again at 30 days, I don't believe she didn't catch & settle. So she goes back to the same vet (one I have never though much of and now think even less) and vet says, "She's open. She didn't take.". By now we're past the June 15 book closure date and the temps are over 100 F and HUMID as all get out. She wants to bring the mare back to be rebred. I told her no, #1 Book is closed. #2 I'm telling you that mare is pregnant, take her to OSU and have someone who knows what they're doing recheck her. She refuses. I remind her that I told her several times before she bought the breeding that the mare would only be able to be covered for 1 cycle that late in the year. She says, "I thought you'd make an exception for me.". WTH? Why? I've never met the lady or her horse until she brought her here to be bred. And I reminded her that I thought the mare was in foal. If she was not, she'd be the first mare EVER to not catch and settle when live covered by Skippy.
Fast forward to yesterday when she asks about bred mare vaccine protocols. The mare never came back into heat and her belly is getting big.
"I kept thinking it was just wishful thinking, but she was soooo off in her hips and with her belly getting big it just made me all the more hopeful. I’ve been telling my family I don’t want to know for certain because at least this way I have the hope of a baby and by the time I would know for sure she wasn’t pregnant it would be almost time to breed her."
OK, so the mare is doing without prenatal care because you don't want to know for sure because she MIGHT not be pregnant? If she's pregnant, then her first Rhino was due back in OCTOBER and 2nd one is due now. There went the Live Foal Guarantee. AND even though she could only be covered for one cycle due to bringing her late, then that's exactly what you were going to do AGAIN? And probably would try to get me to keep Skippy breeding in the heat and keep his book open for her, again. "However now that the chiropractor said that (He told her to have the mare checked again, she looks in foal to him) I figured we better find out so I can be a good steward over her pregnancy.". UMMMM that ship has sailed.
The mare is pregnant, as I've been saying all along. "Just goes to show technology has its limits and I praise the Lord for this most wonderful gift! I’m so thankful." Yeah, it's not technology, it's the hand holding the technology that missed a perfectly viable foal TWICE.
AND btw, this is why I no longer live cover. It's just not worth the hassle. I'll still happily take Skippy to the vet and have him collected and if you choose you can send your mare to the same vet and he'll inseminate right then and there or we'll ship to your vet and they can AI your mare, but I'm not going to do it. Oh and this lady wanted me to "practice veterinary medicine without a license". She wanted me to give her mare the hormone shots to bring her in and make her ovulate, as well as do an oxytocin regimen post breeding. UMMMMMMMMM NO? I told her I don't keep those drugs on hand and even if I had them, I would not administer them to HER mare without a supervising vet's OK and instructions. No way was I going down THAT road.
So for the record, I'm thrilled the mare is pregnant. I'll never have to deal with her owner again. Thank you, Lord.
Over the years I've seen a lot of stuff. But the mare owner who says they want a foal but will not do the simplest things just really blows my mind.
Here's an example:
Woman contacts me about breeding to Skippy but cringes at the stud fee, so I send her to a stallion service auction site where I've donated a breeding to Skippy that she can buy for 1/2 price. She dilly dallies along about it until she finally buys the breeding in MID MAY. She's well aware that Skippy's book closes on June 15 and after that doesn't open up again until next breeding season. To help her know when to get the mare to me, I send her a tease sheet and ask her to track the mare daily. When she's finally bringing the mare to me in the middle of May, I ask if she can send me the tease sheet so I know where the mare is in her cycle. She says, and mind you this lady has 9 kids, "I didn't want to bring her in too early so I didn't do it.". Wait, you have 9 kids and don't get that either you're cycling and ovulating or you're not, but it has nothing to do with teasing the mare? HUMMMMMMMMMMMM
The mare is here for 11 days to be bred, live cover. She's here for at least 4 of those days, maybe 5, so I can tease her and see her responses to the stallion. So 5 X $15 = $75 SHE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO PAY IF SHE'D FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS. Total bill, $265, includes the chute fee. She tries to negotiate the bill down....... Mind you, I'm not seeing a penny of the stud fee, it's from a donated breeding. HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
The contract says right in it, "If the mare leaves the premises before checked in foal, mare MUST be pregnancy checked at 15 & 30 days. She doesn't want to have her checked, just wants to wait until the mare comes back in season or not. NO, you signed a contract and agreed to certain responsibilities. Has the mare checked at 15 days, vet says she's open. I tell the mare owner, get her checked again at 30 days, I don't believe she didn't catch & settle. So she goes back to the same vet (one I have never though much of and now think even less) and vet says, "She's open. She didn't take.". By now we're past the June 15 book closure date and the temps are over 100 F and HUMID as all get out. She wants to bring the mare back to be rebred. I told her no, #1 Book is closed. #2 I'm telling you that mare is pregnant, take her to OSU and have someone who knows what they're doing recheck her. She refuses. I remind her that I told her several times before she bought the breeding that the mare would only be able to be covered for 1 cycle that late in the year. She says, "I thought you'd make an exception for me.". WTH? Why? I've never met the lady or her horse until she brought her here to be bred. And I reminded her that I thought the mare was in foal. If she was not, she'd be the first mare EVER to not catch and settle when live covered by Skippy.
Fast forward to yesterday when she asks about bred mare vaccine protocols. The mare never came back into heat and her belly is getting big.
"I kept thinking it was just wishful thinking, but she was soooo off in her hips and with her belly getting big it just made me all the more hopeful. I’ve been telling my family I don’t want to know for certain because at least this way I have the hope of a baby and by the time I would know for sure she wasn’t pregnant it would be almost time to breed her."
OK, so the mare is doing without prenatal care because you don't want to know for sure because she MIGHT not be pregnant? If she's pregnant, then her first Rhino was due back in OCTOBER and 2nd one is due now. There went the Live Foal Guarantee. AND even though she could only be covered for one cycle due to bringing her late, then that's exactly what you were going to do AGAIN? And probably would try to get me to keep Skippy breeding in the heat and keep his book open for her, again. "However now that the chiropractor said that (He told her to have the mare checked again, she looks in foal to him) I figured we better find out so I can be a good steward over her pregnancy.". UMMMM that ship has sailed.
The mare is pregnant, as I've been saying all along. "Just goes to show technology has its limits and I praise the Lord for this most wonderful gift! I’m so thankful." Yeah, it's not technology, it's the hand holding the technology that missed a perfectly viable foal TWICE.
AND btw, this is why I no longer live cover. It's just not worth the hassle. I'll still happily take Skippy to the vet and have him collected and if you choose you can send your mare to the same vet and he'll inseminate right then and there or we'll ship to your vet and they can AI your mare, but I'm not going to do it. Oh and this lady wanted me to "practice veterinary medicine without a license". She wanted me to give her mare the hormone shots to bring her in and make her ovulate, as well as do an oxytocin regimen post breeding. UMMMMMMMMM NO? I told her I don't keep those drugs on hand and even if I had them, I would not administer them to HER mare without a supervising vet's OK and instructions. No way was I going down THAT road.
So for the record, I'm thrilled the mare is pregnant. I'll never have to deal with her owner again. Thank you, Lord.