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Breeding 101
By Jessica Hein
Mare meets stallion, and 11 months later you have a foal. Before that meeting—whether face to face or through artificial insemination—you’ll make a series of decisions.

Breeding for your own Paint foal starts with a dream and requires serious planning. The process begins with matching the right mare with the ideal sire, working through the logistics of time and place, and synchronizing your mare with the stallion.

You’ll purchase services from businesses: one or more equine practitioners, the owner of the stallion and the breeding manager at the stallion’s farm. For shipped semen, add the express delivery company. For breeding your mare at a farm or clinic, add that facility’s manager and staff.

To guide you through the process, expert breeders and equine practitioners offer advice and their real-life experiences to help you avoid the stress of unexpected problems and surprise expenses. Check out the “words to the wise” below from several veteran Paint Horse breeders—including Cindy Harris of Harris Paint Horses in Federalsburg, Maryland; Russ Miller of Auburn, California; and Jean Simmons of Rockin J Bar S Ranch in Desert Hills, Arizona—Elizabeth Callahan, DVM, of Veterinary Medical Center in Easton, Maryland, and Associate Professor Gary Magdesian, DVM, of the University of California–Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
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