06/05/2026
HOW MUCH FOR A FOAL?
Let me say a few words to you, yes you, the person who sends a text to just ask for the price. The person who calls and hears the price and says “I can buy a cheaper foal somewhere else”. I'll talk to you too; the person who doesn't care about papers because I want “just a pet and trail horse to raise”. No foal is “just a pet and trail horse”.
Behind every purebred foal is a BREEDER. I use capital letters to distinguish a breeder from an animal factory for lack of a better word. A serious breeder does not breed foals without documents that protect the integrity of the breed. Registration papers are records of ancestry documenting the bloodline and enabling you to investigate possible health problems in your lineage.
When you tell a breeder you don't care about the papers, just tell them you don't care about the foal’s health, you just want the cheapest thing you can find!
If you choose to buy a foal from a reputable and quality breeder, this breeder is responsible for every foal’s health. This breeder will skip vacations, miss sleep, and most of their personal time is dedicated to their horses and their well being. The truly passionate breeder, who loves what they breed, puts all of their time into it. Not only for foals that are sold, but also for every customer who owns a piece of their heart and is now a member of their large family. Breeders worry about their babies after leaving and will take them back without question.
A breeder will get his hands dirty, often covered in everything that comes with birth. Because that's what life is all about... in the midst of birth and death is life. The wheel that keeps spinning. A breeder conducts ultrasounds, analytics, emergency vet calls, vaccinations, registrations, researches pedigrees, deworming, hoof trims and provides the base start for the future of the foal in handling, trailering and bathing.
Last but not least, a breeder CHOOSES the family who is lucky enough to have one of their foals. Yes, you read correctly.
A real breeder chooses who they sell to.
There really is no compensation that can offset the investment a breeder has made.
A good breeder has other criteria for those who want to continue their bloodline, why? Because breeding isn't a responsibility to take lightly, it's a lifestyle choice reserved ONLY for the few devoted people willing to sacrifice.
Since a foal is never “just a pet” he/she is the legacy of the breeder, a little boy's best friend, a caretaker of a little girl, therapy for the elderly, a member of the family, someone's whole world!
A foal is also preserving it's bloodlines for future generations to love and cherish. Without dedicated breeders studying pedigrees and studying the individual horses themselves and planning matings very carefully.....some lines would be lost forever and that would be a terrible thing! The blood from the great horses of the past needs to be preserved to carry on that greatness in our future horses! There is SO much that goes into being a dedicated breeder!
Stonewall Luna's devoted breeders: Michael Muir & Elizabeth Jenner
Photo credit: Erick Labbé
Partially written by: Sr. Eduardo Loredo Muller
Translated into English by: Angel Sophia Nogga
Modified for foals by: Stacey Mugrage
Added to by: Melody Crist
