As implemented it does, but this seems way too strong. Even buying two horses on the last round (not even a terrible action on its own) and using Traveling Merchant to flip them gains you 10 points in animal breeding phase (6 per new horse, minus 2 that you would've gotten for making one pregnant) with minimal setup. If you'd had more animals earlier, you can get around 30-40 points for playing a single card. This feels wrong.
Sample game:
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=614808160
Sample game:
https://boardgamearena.com/table?table=614808160