FAQ | RUBIS STUD

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you are thinking of purchasing a pony or a foal from us, here are some answers to queries that we often receive.

Can I come and visit the stud?

Visitors are welcome but it must be with a pre arranged appointment only.

If it is not a visit for a purchase (either of a horse, pony or to view one of our stallions for a prospective covering), but simply to meet our horses and to take the opportunity to chat with us, we prefer to give you a date outside of our busiest times. The breeding season and show season can be particularly busy for us , so we will advise you of our availability.

How to I make a purchase (general)?

When you contact us we will first ascertain what your specific requirements are. If you are enquiring about a specific pony, we can supply you with all of the information you need.

You can either make a visit in person to see a pony or, as many of our buyers come from outside of France, you can buy "unseen".

If you decide to make a purchase and wish to secure a pony, we supply a sales contract and ask for a deposit. *** Please note: a visit does not constitute a reservation - a pony is only reserved for a buyer once the deposit has been received. A planned visit does not take priority over a deposit.***

To reserve a foal before weaning, the procedure is similar. A sales contract is provided and a deposit secures your reservation. The balance is payable when the foal reaches 6 months of age. We do not offer pre-reservation or reservation "in-utero" for our foals but if you are interested in a foal for the future, we can put you onto a waiting list so that you can be contacted as a priority once a foal is born that corresponds with your requirements.

We reserve the right to choose the home that we feel will correspond the most with the pony/foal.

How much do your foals cost?

This is a very good question and we would like to think that the prices that we ask for our foals reflect the financial and time investment that we have made. To give a breakdown of areas where we incur costs, for your consideration :

Our foals are the result of a union between our own mares and stallions, who have usually been imported from Wales or the UK. Many of our imports have been post Brexit, so transport/importation costs are now triple/quadruple what they were previously and are extremely more complicated. We prefer to buy imports direct from their country of origin, to have access to the best origins and to the established and best breeders.
Generally, we import our ponies as weanlings because we like to handle and raise them from scratch. This way we can ensure that we have fed, wormed, vaccinated and been responsible for their wellbeing right from the beginning. This means that we have years of waiting and of cost, before they can begin their reproductive careers.
We like to present our ponies in competition - for model, type and movement, as well as valorising them in other disciplines if we feel that is appropriate - thus there are the costs for show entries, fuel, stabling etc. There are very few shows here that are specific to the welsh pony so we often have to travel for several hours to present our ponies, ensuring that they are well prepared and correctly turned out with the necessary equipement. As well as the ponies, we like to import their equipment which can include handmade, artisan crafted bridles, show wear for the handler, as well as general daily equipment such as rugs specifically made for ponies.
Paperwork - all horses and ponies must be registered with the IFCE. If we buy a pony born here in France, it costs 15€ to change the ownership. If we import a pony from Wales/the UK, it costs 205€ to register it with the same database. Stallions must be licenced from the age of 2 years - at a cost of between 130€ - 180€ for the initial licence, plus the vet fees for the aptitude certificate. To obtain permission to produce foals with full breed papers there are then the sanitary tests to be done (every year) - so vet fees, laboratory fees and then the fee to obtain the covering cards from the IFCE - general yearly cost for this is 220€ approximately. Foal registrations must be done - vet fees for microchipping and identification, plus the payment to the database and breed association in order to receive the passports, a rough estimate would be 150€ per foal.
There are the general associated costs with keeping the ponies - the feed , hay and straw - throughout the year, this is on top of the healthcare (vaccines etc) , mentioned above. Broodmares require extra, and in addition to the usual vaccines, the foals all receive serums at birth too, as well as more frequent worming, plus different diets to the other ponies.
We do not factor in alot of the following: our time, veterinary costs "if things go wrong" - colics, injuries etc, advertising costs, taxes, water/electricity costs, general equipment to replace - from wheelbarrows to water buckets, headcollars to haynets... the list is long!
We are a family run stud - we only produce a few foals each year. We do it because we are passionate about our ponies and horses, not to make money. We accept that it is a way of life , not a "job", we don't have family holidays, we don't have days off - this is a 24hr, 7 days a week - but we 100% "LOVE" what we do - we hope that you do too!

What about transportation and vet checks?

We can help to organise transport worldwide for your pony, including the preparation of all of the paperwork. Vet checks are usually necessary for travel and exportation. If you require additional veterinary examinations we can recommend a vet who will do this for you.

Do we offer coverings from our stallions?

We do offer coverings from our stallions, we only offer live coverings in hand. If you are interested, please contact us for more information.

Do we offer boarding facilities and training?

If you purchase one of our ponies or foals, you can keep them here with us if you wish, until you are ready for them to come to you. Some people prefer to leave a foal with us so that they will be able to socialise with others of a similar age. These places are very limited so it is best to let us know early if this is your intention. We can offer age appropriate groundwork and training whilst the pony/foal is with us.

What are our Terms and Conditions for the purchase of one of our ponies/foals?

- When a deposit on a pony/foal is made, we agree to reserve the pony/foal for the buyer and pause/remove all advertising for it.

- Our ponies are sold with up to date paperwork, vaccines, wormers and full health history disclosure.

- In consideration of a sale, and pending delivery to Buyer, we agree to use all reasonable means to ensure the pony is healthy and safe up to the time of shipment to Buyer

- All ponies/foals must be paid for in full (and any supplementary fees such as livery) before departure.

- The costs associated with transportation from our premises in France shall be the responsibility of the Buyer - we will help to organise the transport, we take responsibility of the costs for the pre-transportation paperwork and any blood tests/veterinary health visits required for export (this excludes any pre-purchase veterinary health checks requested by the buyer)

- If the Buyer defaults (does not pay the total by the stipulated date) or cancels, then we shall have the option to terminate the contract upon written notice to the Buyer via Hand Deliver, Email or registered mail and the deposit will not be refunded. We consider a reservation to be binding on both parties, we love our clients to feel 100% satisfied and a lot of work goes into the sales process. We are always open to discuss and work with our clients because we realise life can change and it is our wish to unite you with your dream companion.

All of our contracts are tailored to the buyer and the seller's needs - we are very flexible and understanding for our clients personal circumstances. Every sales contract is individual to the specific sale.