How Recipient Mares Are Selected

Solo Select grades mares as Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3 during selection and buys only Grade 1 mares. Lower-grade mares can be less expensive to acquire, but purchase price is not the standard Solo Select uses for a mare that may carry and raise a client's foal.

The grading decision combines physical, behavioral, reproductive, and veterinary evaluation. Passing one category does not make up for a concern in another. Solo Select is intentionally critical before a mare enters the recipient herd.

A supplier will usually bring Solo Select 25 to 30 prospective mares at a time. Typically, only about 60% pass every evaluation required to remain in the program. The others are declined rather than lowering the Grade 1 purchasing standard.

Most mares selected for the program are riding mares. A riding background often gives the team useful evidence that a mare can be caught, haltered, led, transported, examined, and handled safely through pregnancy, foaling, and return.

Solo Select looks for a mare that is sound, strong, and large enough for the intended recipient role. The team also prefers mares that have already carried and raised a foal because prior reproductive and maternal history provides information that an unproven mare cannot.

A mare must offer more than a good outward appearance. Solo Select wants exceptional reproductive conformation. The attending veterinarian palpates and examines the mare to evaluate whether her reproductive tract and current findings are appropriate for recipient use.

The examination considers the uterus, cervix, ovaries, reproductive anatomy, and any finding that could affect the mare's ability to receive an embryo, maintain a pregnancy, foal, or recover normally. The veterinarian interprets those findings for the individual mare; the website does not replace that clinical judgment.

A mare can be pleasant, sound, and attractive and still fail Solo Select's recipient standard based on reproductive history, conformation, or examination findings.

Solo Select buys new recipient mares under 10 years old. When possible, the team attempts to use mares under 12 when insurance considerations apply.

That does not mean a proven mare ages out of the program automatically. Some of Solo Select's best recipient mares are 15 or older and have been exceptional mothers. For a mare with an excellent reproductive and maternal history, carrying and raising another foal may be familiar work.

Solo Select will keep a mare into her teens when her track record, current health, reproductive evaluation, and maternal performance continue to meet the program's standard. Age is considered together with evidence, not used as the only measure of quality.

Selection does not end when a Grade 1 mare is purchased. The program continues identification, health protocols, reproductive examinations, cycle tracking, recordkeeping, nutrition, and daily observation before she is considered for a particular embryo.

A mare that belongs in the herd may not be the correct reproductive match for a specific embryo on a specific day. The veterinary team still evaluates the mare's current findings and timing before transfer.

A larger managed herd gives the veterinary team more potential recipients to evaluate for a given embryo. Scale does not replace medical judgment or guarantee an outcome. It expands the pool from which the team can identify an appropriate candidate at the needed time.

Solo Select manages more than 2,500 recipient mares across its North Texas program. That first-party scale is the operational foundation of the leasing service.