How a Recipient Mare Lease Works
A practical overview of reservation, embryo transfer, pregnancy confirmation, pickup or managed care, foaling, weaning, and mare return.
Written by Solo Select Horses Reviewed July 15, 2026
The short answer
A recipient mare lease gives the breeder temporary use of a managed mare to carry an embryo and raise the resulting foal. The breeder reserves a mare through the recipient program, the embryo is transferred, the pregnancy is monitored, and the mare is either picked up in foal or remains in managed care before returning after weaning under the contract's terms.
01
Before the embryo arrives
Read the current contract, confirm the applicable embryo category, reserve capacity, and connect the sending veterinarian or laboratory with the recipient facility. Ask when deposits, transfer charges, lease fees, board, health paperwork, transportation, and any additional services become due.
02
From transfer to pregnancy confirmation
The veterinary team selects a suitable recipient and performs the transfer. Pregnancy is then evaluated on the veterinarian's schedule. The contract should state which milestone triggers the lease fee and what happens if the pregnancy does not continue.
03
Choose where the mare will stay
Some breeders pick up the recipient mare after the required pregnancy confirmation and manage the remainder of gestation at home. Others leave the mare with the recipient program for continued care and foaling. The contract, guarantees, board, transportation, and required examinations may differ between those paths.
Solo Select's current commercial terms, dates, pricing, and guarantee language live on the Recipient Mare Leasing page. That page, not this educational guide, is the controlling public summary and should be checked against the signed contract.
04
After foaling
The recipient normally nurses and raises the foal until weaning. The owner must plan weaning, transportation, required health paperwork, and the mare's timely return. Return condition and deadline requirements belong in the lease contract.
Common Questions
Direct answers
- Do I own a leased recipient mare?
- No. A lease provides use of the mare under a contract. Ownership remains with the recipient program unless a separate purchase is completed.
- Can the recipient mare remain at Solo Select through foaling?
- Yes, subject to program availability and the current contract. Board and the scope of any guarantee depend on the chosen care path and contract terms.