A Breeding Business

I ran across an interesting article on breeding horses. The article tells the story of a woman who was a successful realator and one day decided to own a horse. She did ride horses before she started to own them. The breed she chose to purchase and later breed were Sweddish Warmbloods. He first stallion was named Brando and managed to begin her farm and business until he died at the ripe old age of 24. There is no telling why Debora Borra chose to go into the business of breeding horses, but she did so with incredible energy a quality that seems to be necessary for a beginner to run such an enterprise successfully. Two veterinarians named in the article, claim that they did not think she would last a year. She has, however, more than tripled her business and now owns two stallions as well. Her farm is located in New York state. The location of a ranch or farm is an important consideration in management because of all the different considerations like buildings, feed availability etc. If you are in an area that gets a lot of snow, NY state for example, your barns will need to be insulated enough to keep the horses protected. Barns like this will cost more than wooden barns that can be constructed in a more moderate climate.

Ms. Borra lists some of the more important considerations required for running an equine breeding facility. They include; a realistic business plan, consistent organization, good help that stays around, regular follow-up, and honesty. Some of the overall ideas behind theses elements are keeping things very consistent on the farm and treating both employees and clients alike with respect and consideration. I think that these things can help any business to succeed but the article emphasizes that reputation in the horse industry is worth a lot. Since clients are spending a lot of money, no matter what kind of service they have done, it is mandatory that they feel like their money and horses are safe and well cared for.

The last thing that struck me about this horse breeder, is that she has taken the time to take courses and gain experience from the veterinary college at Cornell University. Ms. Borra says that without this experience, she would not be prepared to handle problems in foaling and also would not be familiar with the care involved with stallion collecting and semen processing and shipping. The article lists the lab equipment that this novice breeder has. She has a microscope, a tool for counting sperm cells, centerfuge, refrigerator and incubator. I think that these items are a very good starting point for a lab because they are just the basics but still enough to accomplish enough to run a successful business.

The tale told by this article interested me because the farm and breeding practice were started and maintained by someone without a veterinary background and mostly just an interest in horses. The article makes it sound like anyone with a little dedication and some good business practices can run an equine breeding facility. I would wonder how often she has mares checked by a licensed veterinarian and how much of an interest other parties play in her operation.