One of my mares just slipped twins (yes, we had her ultra sounded and checked, etc) at 9 months. She's got milk, and would be suitable for a nurse mare role. Located in Central Indiana.
Whoever said when it rains, it pours said a mouthful. Without a doubt this has been the most disastrous and expensive year ever for breeding for me! One of my other mares was shipped to KY (NEVER EVER again will I be that big a fool) where she languished for 2 months while their vets toyed and prodded only to ship her home in foal with... you, you guessed it... TWINS. That was an earlier thread, but we terminated the pregnancy.
From now on, IF ever I decide to breed to a KY stallion, we'll do it the old fashioned way - watch her, check her, take her in the trailer, breed her, and bring her home. That way has always worked before and I can tell you, didn't cost me nearly the $5000 in bills the KY folks charged me. Seriously, what a racket! Amazing how a horse can live in Indiana for $12 a day but .... I'm ranting. I should stop.
I know... stop yer whining and suck it up. I just felt the need for a venting. Thanks... and let me know if anyone could use a nurse mare.
Mare slipped twins; does anyone need a nurse mare?
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Strategic Maneuver
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Laurierace
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I am so sorry for your loss. I went from expecting two foals within 24 hours of each other, to expecting none. Wouldn't you know it was my first time ever buying no guarantee seasons on top of it. I got such good deals that I figured even if I only ended up with one foal I would be ahead of the game, I never calculated getting no foals. Oh well, better luck this year with healthy births next year.
A friend of mine once bought some NG seasons and ended up with nothing.
Subsequently, he learned that he could have insured the seasons to make them live foal guaranteed. The seasons would still have cost substantially less than the full price LFG from the stud farm, and he would have had a chance to get SOMETHING for his money.
Subsequently, he learned that he could have insured the seasons to make them live foal guaranteed. The seasons would still have cost substantially less than the full price LFG from the stud farm, and he would have had a chance to get SOMETHING for his money.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....
That way has always worked before and I can tell you, didn't cost me nearly the $5000 in bills the KY folks charged me. Seriously, what a racket! Amazing how a horse can live in Indiana for $12 a day but ....
Gotta love those KY vets, they sure know how to make their money. Ours last year were palped every other day for over a week (sometimes the day after getting lutalysed). When we asked why the mares were not teased and checked when they started coming into heat we were told "we do things the right way here in Kentucky", then we heard cha ching go off in the background. It's a good thing we know how to tease and chart our mares because we would have no clients left if all of ours we scanned or palped 6 or 7 times a cycle. Both of ours had cycled once at the end of January before we sent them down, we gave them the days of the last cycle, despite palping numerous times one mare ovulated before they were able to get her covered...aw shucks was the response they gave us.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
too weird to live...too rare to die
www.ascotstudfarm.com
www.ascotstudfarm.com
AscotStud, I am here in KY and I have very many wonderful tales. Of vets who refuse to work for me unless I pay them to come and palpate mares EVERY DAY during their cycle. Of mare boarding farms with no stallion or teaser at all where the client has No Option but to pay enormous vet bills. Of mare boarding farms whose records stated a mare was never covered because "her cervix wasn't open" and yet came up in foal (the Immaculate Conception, I presume). It has seemed, from samples, that the higher board rate the farm charges, the more likely they will Royally Screw Something Up.
In 2007, with no veterinary "supervision," I bred 28 mares and got 28 in foal. The only vet services I required were for the cultures, rhino vaccs and health certs for mares going to outside stallions. Total vet bill for the year was somewhere around $900, for 28 mares. I DID use Chorulon. I DID tease mares with Rocky just prior to trailering them to Lexington for their breeding appointments. I DID cover mares at somewhat odd times here on my farm because That Was When The Mare Was Ready to Breed. In 2008, I was laid up from March until June with a very broken leg so I was unable to repeat my success. BTW every vet I have ever had has missed at least a half dozen pregnant mares on ultrasound - which is why I DON'T ultrasound until AFTER I have run blood. Waste of money, not to mention if they miss the embryo at 14 days, many owners will opt to short cycle the mare. That's just nasty.
This is business is like every other business. The more you invest in learning about it yourself, the less things are likely to cost you.
In 2007, with no veterinary "supervision," I bred 28 mares and got 28 in foal. The only vet services I required were for the cultures, rhino vaccs and health certs for mares going to outside stallions. Total vet bill for the year was somewhere around $900, for 28 mares. I DID use Chorulon. I DID tease mares with Rocky just prior to trailering them to Lexington for their breeding appointments. I DID cover mares at somewhat odd times here on my farm because That Was When The Mare Was Ready to Breed. In 2008, I was laid up from March until June with a very broken leg so I was unable to repeat my success. BTW every vet I have ever had has missed at least a half dozen pregnant mares on ultrasound - which is why I DON'T ultrasound until AFTER I have run blood. Waste of money, not to mention if they miss the embryo at 14 days, many owners will opt to short cycle the mare. That's just nasty.
This is business is like every other business. The more you invest in learning about it yourself, the less things are likely to cost you.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....
Madelyn,
I'm sure you could write quite a few textbooks on how not to be a vet or what not to do once you get your license to practice, from all the things you have seen or heard down there. I was lucky that Dr. Norman Umphenour was at Ashford when I was there, even though I didn't work with him, I took in a lot from the few conversations we had, he is a great guy.
These mares were checked even when they were days away from coming in. The best was the cushings tests they gave one of our mares, as soon as she got to the farm. We tease ours properly and chart their progression, most of ours are scanned once pre breeding and ovulation check 48 hours post breeding. We wait until 16 days so you don't have to check 2 days later if the embryo has not developed enough. We also will breed ours later in the evening if it is better for the mare.
It's funny how much better a job you can do with a little organization.
I'm sure you could write quite a few textbooks on how not to be a vet or what not to do once you get your license to practice, from all the things you have seen or heard down there. I was lucky that Dr. Norman Umphenour was at Ashford when I was there, even though I didn't work with him, I took in a lot from the few conversations we had, he is a great guy.
These mares were checked even when they were days away from coming in. The best was the cushings tests they gave one of our mares, as soon as she got to the farm. We tease ours properly and chart their progression, most of ours are scanned once pre breeding and ovulation check 48 hours post breeding. We wait until 16 days so you don't have to check 2 days later if the embryo has not developed enough. We also will breed ours later in the evening if it is better for the mare.
It's funny how much better a job you can do with a little organization.
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Laurierace
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My guess is you weren't getting most of those services that you paid for, that is why the missed things anyway. Its like sending a horse to Ocala to get broke. They invariably get new shoes once every three weeks and get wormed once a month and vaccinated every few months on your bill. Then they show up with long toes and a worm belly....
Laurierace wrote:My guess is you weren't getting most of those services that you paid for, that is why the missed things anyway. Its like sending a horse to Ocala to get broke. They invariably get new shoes once every three weeks and get wormed once a month and vaccinated every few months on your bill. Then they show up with long toes and a worm belly....
Or you get billed for 120 days in training and the day he gets shipped he shatters something. Oddly how they can lose 120 days conditioning overnight and come home looking like they have no muscle tone anywhere. Thieves.
I have had some bills in KY that were ridiculous including being billed for a lawyer consult in case I didn't pay the rest of the bill when I picked up the horse! Same person charged to trim the foal every 2 weeks, and it came home looking like it hadn't seen a farrier in 3 months. Grrrr. This makes the live cover rule BS, but with AI the vets still generally get more than the stud fee. I want to quit breeding. Every one makes money except the breeder.