Once you've answered "Why," then you need to sit back and take a serious look at the situation. Look at your mare through a stranger's eyes instead of your own. What is her conformation like? If she has poor conformation, even breeding her to a perfect stallion won't correct it all. What is her temperament like? Yep, there's definitely a good degree of inheritance there also. If she's got a less than desirable personality, not only could her foal follow suit, but she could actually get worse after foaling. What is her health like? Does she colic with every change of weather? Do her feet fall apart without constant attention? Has she had reactions to medicines, wormers, vaccines, or feed? Does she have allergies? All these things also have some potential genetic factors that need to be considered.

Next look at her bloodlines, if you know them. We're not saying that grade mares have no place being bred; as was said before, if she does her job well, she has potential as a broodmare. But if you do have a mare with traceable bloodlines, look at what's in there - those are ingredients that will be part of your foal. Are there desirable ingredients there? If she has a show record, is it a good one?

The next consideration is your finances. You'd be surprised what all you will have to pay for when you make the big plunge into the breeding world. The obvious is your stud fee - and that can range from a couple hundred to several thousand. You have medical care, even in a healthy pregnancy. The standard of care today includes ultrasounding to detect pregnancy and help prevent twinning. Vaccinations should be kept up to date, as well as regular dewormings. Feed will increase towards the last 3 months of her pregnancy, and about double once she foals and needs the extra calories for lactation. Water consumption will also increase. If you are boarding, you might see a board increase, if not when she foals then definitely at weaning. Of course, then you have vet bills if something goes wrong....we don't even won't to go there!

Speaking of things going wrong, pregnancy does have its risks, and there's a lot of them. You could lose the foal, the mare or both. Problems at delivery in mares aren't very common, but most of the problems that do occur are serious ones!

So, you've looked at the facts, considered the situation and you're still going for it, great! What next? Now you look at the stallion, and the farm he's standing at. First, give him the same thorough going over you gave your mare. Look at his conformation, his temperament, his records, his bloodlines. Then, look at the contract, and yes, there needs to be a breeding contract before any money changes hands or mares put foot on the farm. Check the contract out thoroughly, and if you aren't sure about something, ask. In fact, if you feel the least bit over your head, find a third person who's been on the breeding scene for a while to help you. Some of the things to check for are a live foal guarantee, and exactly what that particular breeder considers a "live foal" to be. Do they just have to be born alive? Do they have to stand and nurse? Check when their breeding season begins and ends, how many times they will cover your mare in case she does not take, or loses the foal, who's responsible for what vet fees, what happens if the stallion dies before the mare is bred, what tests and paperwork is required from you, and what other fees are going to be charged to you. Then check the place out where your mare will be staying - unless of course you are doing artificial insemination via shipped semen, in which case you need to get a vet to help you, as that's not something for a beginner to be trying! You want a safe, clean place to leave your mare. We're not talking a fancy high-priced barn either, just safe and clean. And lastly, get references of people who have already bred to that stallion, or had their mares at that farm, and find out what kind of experiences they had.

Finally, you need to have your mare ready. Make sure she's all up to date on her vaccinations, Coggins and deworming. Have your vet do a breeding soundness exam and if there's reason to suspect a problem, have him go ahead and do a culture and cytology. After that, it's all up to the birds and the bees!