Age Limit for Broodmares being sold

[K~2]

Just read this on the Racing Post's website

BROODMARES of 18 years and older will no longer be sold by the world's major bloodstock auction houses, following the adoption of new guidelines by the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA).

[K~2]

Seems there seems to be some confusion on this new policy being adopted by SITA

Article from The Bloodhorse

[walaa]

Seems they are trying to do a good thing, but it is easily just as bad as well. At least at the sales, someone with not a ton of money tries to get an older mare in their range, who MAY or may not be taken good care of while they try to get a start, now where will all those older mares go?? Equine now at a price well beyond what they will get at a sale? Further away than people can haul from a sale they go to buy at?? The local auction or newspaper? This will not help in any way old horses going to kill auctions, which I think, is the front they are trying to convey, hey we dont support horse slaughter, so no more older mares at auction. Which will have exactly the reverse effect, just in my opinion again, because now the people who go to those t-bred auctions specifically to buy older mares that they might can afford to get their start with, wont be there. Less money at the auction more older horses going to MUCH worse local auctions. If they think it will stop the "backyard" breeder from breeding they are very wrong. Its okay for the farms to breed 200+ babies a year, but now they draw the line at selling older broodmares at auction, when if a broodmare is halfway productive, that big farm will breed her till she drops. I think this is going about "supposedly" helping the too many horses going to auction issue in the the worst way.

[BargainBlueblood]

Walaa, I think you're 100% right. The rule may be well-intentioned, but ultimately, if someone wants to get rid of a 20-year-old mare, they're going to get rid of a 20-year-old mare one way or another. Removing said mare from the public auction process reduces her chances of winding up in a home with a small breeder, a place that may dote on and value her more than her previous owner. Now this mare, as you noted, will have to find her fate in a local livestock auction or a newspaper ad. How does this benefit the mare? The rule seems frivolous and poorly thought out, and again, borders on almost dismissive of the value of small mom-and-pop breeding operations. So it's okay if some of these large "commercial" operations churn out 200+ foals a year out of questionable mares? But it's not okay for a small backyard breeder to try to pick up an elderly gem of a broodmare, get one or two foals from her, then let her live out her life in peace? That's what this rule says to me, and it does not sit well.

[KBEquine]

This policy, added to their policy that if a mare's been barren for 3 or more years she can't go through auction, is like a game of hot potato with mares . . .

And older mares or those whose owners don't breed every year (so their produce record looks suspect through no fault of their own) are going to be the losers.

Hopefully it will make some mid-teenage mares more attractive to smaller breeders because of going without a reserve because their owners are afraid to have them around any longer, but I think it hurts more than it helps.

[Tiz]

It amounts to a death sentence for more. What are people supposed to do with older horses? Ideas anyone?

[madelyn]

I think you are supposed to feed your older mares until they die of old age or infirmity.

I thought, though, that the SITA rule was that mares 18 and older would not be cataloged for sale UNLESS THEY WERE IN FOAL. Ditto for mares barren for 3 years or more.

[clh]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think you are supposed to feed your older mares until they die of old age or infirmity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a novel idea Madelyn

[Toccet02]

yes...quite true guys . . .and aren't they supposed to make wonderful babysitters?

[clh]

McCaskill who is still producing (winners I might add ) is the best babysitter in the world. Vader is already in love with her. He'd rather spend time with her than with his momma. If they get fed outside he leaves Allou and goes to McCaskill's feed bucket - he stops beside her, looks at her with his big brown eyes, she lifts her head and in his goes. Then they take turns. Too stinking cute. You find nine times out of ten he is grazing beside her instead of him mom. Won't be hard to wean him from Allou - Damien will be another story. He is a momma's boy still

[majxmom]

This rule would have been bad for my Good Picker. She was put in the Barretts catalog at age 21 on the strength of her pedigree and produce record, even though I'm sure they knew they'd be lucky to get a bid. I was the only bidder, but she had a chance to get a home. Otherwise, for a barren 21yo, I'm sure it would have been out to a livestock auction or a horse dealer.

To me, this rule would have an eyewash of making all of the horses at TB auctions look viable, while having the actual effect of cancelling out any remaining value on a 19yo. Well intentioned, but misguided.

[IcouldbeU]

I think you are supposed to feed your older mares until they die of old age or infirmity.

It would be wonderful if everyone could feed their older mares forever but what about the small breeder who owns only 1 or 2 mares and doesnt have the income, farm, whatever to keep a nonproducer forever? I think the mares owned by the small breeders are going to fall thru the cracks because of their age and that is just sad but we all can't be rescuers some of us are in it for the money whether it is politically correct or not to admit it.

[Tiz]

Perfectly put, maxjmom.


As for Madelyn's "I think you are supposed to feed your older mares until they die of old age or infirmity." Yes, that is the ideal, but sometimes life changes. Sometimes people may find that, due to circumstances they cannot control, they can't take care of their horses anymore. To have your options for finding homes for them further narrowed, and by the industry itself is such a shame. It's just plain wrong.

[madelyn]

I probably forgot to put a grin emoticon in after I said that. It depends entirely on whether the breeder considers the mares pets or livestock. If the mares were cows, there would be NO issue - once they proved unable to earn their keep they would be slaughtered. I think a lot of breeding operations are of the "put out or get out" variety in that they will cull, cull, cull. For reasons like open years, for resorbing or aborting, or for age. The buyer at the sale has the option to buy, or not to buy.

I think trying to limit the age of mares in a catalog is beyond the sales companies' purview

[Rachel Alexandra]

I think the sales company has a right to protect the buyer. That is what they are doing. It should not be their responsibility to sell unwanted horses.
Any mare over the age of 18 is considered a gamble when it comes to breeding it or having a foal. The percentage of not getting in foal and/or losing the mare during birth is higher in old age.
It's also been proven that very rarely a mare in her 20's produce a stakes winning runner or even a winner.
I kind of agree with the idea of "taking care of them for the rest of their lives" notion. There are many farms that do that. As for the mom and pop operations that can't afford to do that, it is their responsibility to find a home for the horse if they no longer want it, not the auctions. I have often said that if the owner can't care for the horse after racing or breeding because they can't afford it, then they can't afford being in the business period.