1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 January Voice RS | Page 76

What prompted this discussion was a series of com­ plaints to various breeders that mares were not being cared for while maintained for service. Many mare owners stated that their stock was being returned in a run-down condition and was not properly fed. This prompted many stallion owners to ask themselves, "What should we charge to assure a mare owner that his fine stock will receive the best attention while in our care?*' The answer was not too hard to find when they got right down to the dollars and cents of caring for mares and colts during breeding season. With this in mind, several Middle Tennessee breeders, and, I might add, a lot of out-of-state breeders also, have arrived at what they feel is a reasonable amount for such care. Their suggested figures are as follows: Mare on pasture - SI.00 per day; Mare and colt on pasture - S1.50 per day; Mare on feed in stall or in pasture - S50.00 per month; and Mare and colt on feed in stall or in pasture - $60.00 per month. They also felt that breeders should follow a policy that has proven popular in other breeds with regard to pay­ ment of stud fees. The suggestion was to collect one- half of the stud fee when the mare is serviced and the balance when she is declared in foal. This proposal has been widely accepted by many breeders, large and small, as can be seen by their promotion in this issue. Breeding is a Fifty-Fifty Proposition “Talk Abut GRASS DON’T COST MUCH . . . BUT Some interesting observations have been brought to our attention recently regarding the cost for main­ taining broodmares and mares with colts during breed­ ing season. The specific situation under discussion was "'exactly hove much does it cost, for a stud farm to maintain mares and colts while they are on the prem­ ises for service?'*' Your editor was amazed at the prob­ lems of the stud barns with regard to this subject. It had always been our impression that maintaining a mare on a pasture was relatively easy and cost the stud farm little or nothing to keep up. We also feit that if a. Little grain and hay was thrown out occasion­ ally it would be sufficient to keep a mare in good shape and wouldn't cost much. Neither of these as­ sump