Mare Management
Mare & Foaling Services
After years of running Hilltop Farm’s successful mare and foal programs, Christa Baxter and Natalie DiBerardinis have launched their own: Sonder Hill Raising & Mare Management, based in Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Same hands-on care and experience, in a new home.
Our Mare Management Program covers every step of the breeding process, from insemination to weaning. Mares live out in large pastures with spacious run-in sheds, and they’re checked every day and groomed regularly. We’re fortunate to have Dr. Tamara Dobbie managing our breedings. Depending on each mare’s needs, breeding takes place either on-farm or at the Hofmann Center at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.
As mares near the end of their pregnancy, they come in overnight to roomy foaling stalls. Once the foal arrives and both mare and foal are ready, they start turnout in individual grass paddocks. Within a few weeks they join group turnout, and eventually move back to 24/7 turnout.
Our Mare Management Program works hand in hand with our Raising Program. It’s a smart choice for owners who want a safe, well-staffed place to handle breeding, foaling, or both.
Priority for space is given to mares being bred to, or currently in foal to, stallions offered through Sonder Hill.
We are already fully booked for 2026.
Priority for space in Hilltop’s Mare Management program is given to mares being bred to, or currently in-foal to, stallions offered through Hilltop Farm.
Long-Term Management
Long-Term Management is for owners who’d like their mares in our care year-round. Some mares stay with us through several pregnancies, while others stay for a single foaling and weaning cycle before heading home. Either way, they’re treated like our own and watched closely throughout their pregnancy.
Foaling Services
Foaling Services are offered on a limited basis each year, primarily for mares in Long-Term Management. Foals from these mares can join our Raising Program or head home after weaning. Short-term options depend on available space. Mares coming in for foaling must arrive at least one month before their due date.
