YOUR BREEDING CONTRACT IS EITHER PROTECTING YOUR PROGRAM ... OR IT'S GOING TO COST YOU
- Erikka Shockley
- May 30
- 4 min read
More stallions are getting gelded this season than we've seen in years. And mare owners are getting left holding the bag. Here's what needs to change.
Let's talk about something that's happening right now, this breeding season, that nobody wants to say out loud.
Stallions are being gelded. Programs are shutting down mid-season. And mare owners who paid good money for a breeding (sometimes months in advance) are finding out after the fact that there's nothing in writing to protect them.
No refund policy. No substitution clause. No plan B.
Just an awkward conversation & a lot of goodwill burned.
"A contract isn't a sign that you don't trust someone. It's a sign that you respect the business enough — and the people involved enough — to be clear from the start."
THE REALITY
MOST BREEDING CONTRACTS WERE WRITTEN ONCE & NEVER TOUCHED AGAIN
If your contract was drafted three breeding seasons ago and you haven't looked at it since, there's a real chance it doesn't cover half of what can (and does) go wrong.
The industry has changed. Breeding programs have gotten more complex. Frozen semen, multiple-location collections, mare owners booking a year out, incentive programs tied to specific stallions — none of that existed at the scale it does now when most of these contracts were first put together.
And the situations that expose the gaps? They always show up at the worst possible time. When emotions are running high. When money is already on the table. When the relationship between owner and mare owner is already under pressure.
That's not the moment to figure out what your contract says.
That's the moment when it's already too late.
WHAT'S MISSING
THE CLAUSES MOST CONTRACTS SKIP ... & SHOULDN'T
This isn't legal advice. Every program is different, every state has different requirements, and if you're building or overhauling a contract, get an attorney involved. What this is — is a reality check on the scenarios your contract probably isn't addressing.
 WHAT HAPPENS IF THE STALLION IS GELDED MID-SEASON AFTER BOOKINGS ARE SOLD? | ||
WHAT IS YOUR REFUND OR CREDIT POLICY IF A BREEDING DOESN'T RESULT IN A LIVE FOAL? | ||
WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING BOOKINGS IF THE STALLION IS SOLD OR OWNERSHIP CHANGES? | ||
IS FROZEN SEMEN AVAILABLE? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE TERMS FOR ITS USE AFTER THE STALLION IS NO LONGER STANDING? | ||
WHAT CONSTITUTES A CONFIRMED BREEDING? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BREEDING COSTS IF THE MARE DOESN'T SETTLE? | ||
IS THERE A SUBSTITUTION OPTION IF THE ORIGINAL STALLION BECOMES UNAVAILABLE? | ||
WHAT HAPPENS IF FERTILITY ISSUES AFFECT THE STALLION'S ABILITY TO SETTLE MARES? | ||
HOW ARE DISPUTES HANDLED? IS THERE A DEFINED PROCESS BEFORE IT BECOMES A PUBLIC PROBLEM? |
If you read through that list and felt a knot in your stomach ... that's your contract telling you it needs work.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
YOUR CONTRACT IS A REPUTATION DOCUMENT, NOT JUST A LEGAL ONE.
Here's what people miss. When a mare owner has a bad experience — whether it's a lack of communication, a missing refund, or a situation that wasn't addressed anywhere in writing ... they don't just walk away quietly.
They talk. To other mare owners. In breed groups. At horse shows. In text messages you'll never see.
The equine industry is not as large as it may seem. Word travels faster than a two-year-old in a futurity pen. One unresolved situation, one mare owner who felt blindsided, can do more damage to a booking season than bad conformation photos.
A strong contract doesn't just protect you legally. It protects your name. It tells the people investing in your program that you take this seriously, that you've thought through the hard scenarios, and that you're not going to leave them exposed when something doesn't go according to plan.
WHAT TO DO NOW
TREAT YOUR CONTRACT LIKE A LIVING DOCUMENT.
Every time something goes sideways, even a small thing, ask yourself one question: could this have been addressed more clearly in writing? If the answer is yes, update the contract before the next booking season opens.
This isn't about covering yourself against bad actors. Most mare owners are good people making a significant financial investment in your program. They deserve to know exactly what they're signing up for, what happens if plans change, and that you've built a program that respects them as much as it respects the horse.
Review your contract every season. Have an attorney look at it, especially if you're adding frozen semen programs, multi-state collections, or booking mares a year in advance. And when you update it, let your mare owners know. That kind of transparency builds the reputation that fills your breeding shed year after year.
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