“ I try to always choose the best stallion for my mares, and that may not always be the popular stallion—but those are the foals people want to see on the ground first.”
Maggie agrees that in utero advertising helps build name
recognition for her farm. “It promotes our name and our mares in the industry. We are very selective about the mares we take into our program and I think advertising in utero draws a little more attention to the mares than when you are advertising a foal already on the ground.” The decisions for in utero purchases are made almost en-
Furst Class Riesling (Furst Impression x Feiner Stern) sold in utero by Maggie Neider / North Hill Farm.
to select the new foal’s name. “I would buy in utero again, and I know others who have done it and liked the results also,” she says. Like Jordan, Jan was also looking for a filly with specific
bloodlines. Her search led her to purchase a foal in utero in Germany, with a filly-only contract. “I wanted bloodlines not easily available in the U.S.,” she recounts. “I already knew the breeder but it was still a hard decision to buy a foal based 100 percent on the pedigree.”
The Seller’s Perspective Maggie Neider has been breeding Warm-
bloods at her North Hill Farm in New York since 2008. She sold her first in utero foals in 2011. A self-described smaller breeder, Maggie admits, “One of the biggest advantages to selling in utero is knowing that we will not have to worry about keeping that foal through the winter since our space is somewhat limited. An additional benefit is the guaranteed cash flow at the time of year when we have the most expenses—foaling and breeding season.” Many breeders share this perspective. Foaling and
breeding season can be very expensive and there is al- ways the risk that a foal won’t sell, no matter how fancy his or her bloodlines. For this reason many breeders find it reassuring to have in utero purchase contracts on their foals before they are born, and many offer reduced prices on in utero foals to encourage these purchases. Advertising foals for sale in utero can also give breed- ers an additional opportunity for valuable exposure for their farms and their breeding programs. “I see in utero advertising as an expansion of marketing,” remarks Cheryl Johnson. “It lets people know what type of horses I’m breeding and what I‘m anticipating each year. Even if a person doesn’t end up buying one of my foals, seeing them advertised in utero can let a buyer know what a breeder is expecting. A buyer may end up buying a newborn after she’s tracked its in utero advertisements for months.”
tirely based on pedigree, since there is no foal for the buyer to see or interact with. “I’ve noticed that what generates the most interest is the name recognition of the stallion,” Maggie adds. “Buyers recognize the name of a stallion who is either out there showing successfully himself, or has offspring out there showing successfully, or is well marketed and has generated name recognition that way. I’ve found that for the most part the foals we sell in utero are the ones that have a ‘popular’ sire with name recognition. I try to always choose the best stallion for my mares, and that may not always be the popular stallion—but those are the foals people want to see on the ground first.” Selling foals in utero can have drawbacks for sellers. “There is always the chance that you will sell something truly phenomenal that you might not have otherwise sold, or at a lower price than you might have gotten otherwise,” says Maggie. Cheryl has had this experience firsthand. “I sold one filly I loved,” she ad- mits. “From the moment she was born and I saw she was a filly, I wished I’d kept her. I have to remind myself I’m a small farm and I want to stay that way, so I can’t keep them all…” She’s already sold one of her anticipated 2014 foals in utero, and she jokes that if it’s a filly she will probably shed a few tears.
Custom Foals Another buying practice
Hidden Acres Farm’s Royal Duchess (Rotspon x His Highness), whose full sibling is due May 2014 and is sold in utero. She is also pictured with her dam Heiress (His Highness).
which is similar to in utero and is gaining pop- ularity is the purchase of “custom foals.” Custom foal sales are similar in many ways to in utero sales. The biggest differ-
ence is that the buyer is able to choose which stallion a mare will be bred to beforehand. Jessica Lauzon owns and runs Autumn’s Stables in Que- bec. She prices her custom foals similar to her in utero foals
Warmbloods Today 77
Courtesy Maggie Neider
Courtesy Cheryl Johnson
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