COSTS OF BREEDING HORSES

Costs may include:

>> The stud and booking fee
>> Fees for collecting, handling, and transporting semen (if AI is used and semen is shipped)
>> Mare exams: to determine if she is healthy enough to breed, to determine when she ovulates, and (if AI is used) to inseminate her
>> Mare transport, care, and board if the mare is bred live cover at the stallion's residence
>> Veterinary bills to keep the pregnant mare healthy while in foal
>> Possible veterinary bills during pregnancy or foaling should something go wrong
>> Veterinary bills for the foal for its first exam a few days following foaling

Stud fees are determined by the quality of the stallion, his performance record, the performance record of his get (offspring), as well as the sport and general market that the animal is standing for.

Back to Norfolk Horse Riding

EQUINE HEALTH

There are three main health-related issues for horses in the UK.  They are all applicable in Norwich and Norfolk

Horse colic
Colic is most often caused by a change in diet, either a planned change that takes place too quickly, or an accidental change, such as a horse getting out of its stable or paddock and ingesting unfamiliar plants. But colic has many other possible triggers including insufficient water, an irregular feeding schedule and stress. Because the horse cannot vomit and has a limited capacity to detoxify harmful substances, anything upsetting to the horse must travel all the way through the digestive system to be expelled.

Choke
Choke is not as common as colic, but is nonetheless commonly considered a veterinary emergency. The most common cause of choke is horses not chewing their food thoroughly, usually because of eating their food too quickly, especially if they do not have sufficient access to water, but also sometimes due to dental problems that make chewing painful.

Laminitis
Horses are also susceptible to laminitis, a disease of the lamina of the hoof.  Laminitis has many causes, but the most common is related to a sugar and starch overload from a horse overeating certain types of food, particularly too much pasture grass high in fructan in early spring and late autumn, or by getting into excessive quantities of grain.

BUYING A HORSE - USEFUL LINKS

>> Top 10 mistakes when buying a horse or pony
>> Tips for buying a horse
>> Advice on buying your first horse
>> Cost of buying a horse
>> How to buy a horse
>> Horses for sale in Norfolk and East Anglia