Small-Scale Horse Breeding on Your Own Acreage

Recreational riders, competitive riders, hobby farms and families looking for a young horse with known breeding.

Sale price per foal or young horse. Pregnancy takes about 11 months, so income is lumpy: a few sales a year, with feed, vet and farrier costs all year round.

• Handling and caring for horses day to day
• Knowing bloodlines, conformation and your chosen breed
• Patience, since results take years
• Marketing and talking to buyers

• Zoning and bylaws: check with your municipality whether you can keep and breed horses on your property and how many
• Check your province for farm business registration, premises identification or horse movement rules
• Commercial liability insurance, plus mortality and breeding-related cover to ask your insurer about
• Breeding is costly and sales are not guaranteed, so costs can exceed income, especially in the early years
• Winter feed, shelter and vet bills; foaling problems can be serious and expensive
• Check breed registry rules for registering foals, and GST/HST on horse sales

Startup costs are typically around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on the mares you buy, stallion fees or insemination, fencing, shelter and insurance. These are estimates. Breeding is costly and sales aren't guaranteed, so costs can exceed income early on.

Monthly revenue is typically around $400 to $2,000, depending on how many foals you sell and at what age. These are estimates, not guarantees. Costs can exceed income, especially in the early years, and results take years to build.

Check with your municipality whether you can keep and breed horses on your property and how many. Also check provincial farm business registration, premises identification or horse movement rules, insurance, breed registry rules for foals, and GST/HST on horse sales.