Prospective Foal Policies
hoW do you insure an embryo? truLa churchiLL exPLains the Process of insuring your
investments before they even hit the ground.
With the rising popularity of buying
and selling equine embryos, you've likely noticed
advertisements for "in utero" foals by top industry sires
and broodmares. They're often accompanied by a hefty
price tag and rightly so.
Although the process of embryo transfer is complex and
expensive, purchasing an embryo with high end bloodlines
is appealing for many buyers. One can skip the lengthy
breeding process, but still enjoy raising a foal from birth.
If you've considered this route for your next prospect,
you probably have some questions about insuring your
investment. I sat down with Trula Churchill, an agent for
Plains Horizon Equine Insurance, to discuss Prospective
Foal policies and how they can help you protect your
future superstar.
Essentially, the policy guarantees a live foal through the
policy period. Depending on your needs, policy term limits
vary from seven days to 365 days after the birth of your
foal. If the insured mare has not given birth to a live foal
during the policy period and is not in foal at the expiration
of the policy, the costs of breeding are covered. The mare
must be at least 45 days in foal from the last breeding date
or embryo transfer date. The foal is then covered until the
age set in the policy you choose.
The first step in obtaining any equine insurance policy is
to give your agent the information the underwriters need
to build your quote.
For a prospective foal policy, you would need the sire's
registered name, dam's registered name and age, the
foaling history and age of the mare carrying (how many
foals she has had, if she has a foal at her side, etc.), cost
of stud fee, vet expenses, breeding type (AI, ET, ICSI, live
cover, etc.), whether the embryo is being carried by a
recipient mare or the donor mare, the last breeding date or
embryo transfer date, and the insured value of the embryo,
By Teal Stoll
Trula Churchhill at Rodeo Salinas in 2016. Photo Credit: Sam Sin Photography
P rotecting Your Investment from the P rotecting Your Investment from the
Beginning Beginning