Spring is here, and so will be the adorable long-limbed foals we all love to see frolicking in the paddocks. The new season can make you think about the possibility of breeding from your own mare, with the aim of having your own foal playing in the paddock next year. But breeding from any mare is not a choice that should be made lightly; there are lots of issues to consider and we will discuss some of the main ones here. Whether you should breed from your mare or not is a difficult decision to make. To help make your mind up you will need to think very carefully about many factors including:
- Your reasons for breeding and your expectations
- Your mare’s health and fitness
- Your mare’s conformation
- Your mare’s temperament
- The costs involved
- Your facilities and experience
Sound reasoning
Before you even start looking for a suitable stallion and researching costs, service fee, veterinary fees and so on, it is advisable to carefully think about why you are considering breeding from your mare. You should consider two things: why you think this particular mare is worth breeding from, and what your plans are for the foal in the future.
We will look at the important issues of age, health, reproductive fitness, conformation and temperament separately below, but just as a general overall picture you need to assess your mare and your current situation. Is she a superstar in the job that she does (whether that’s as a competition horse, a child’s pony, a reliable hunter or a station hack), with a great temperament who is having time off because of a minor paddock accident or the lack of a rider?
Or is she a mare that is very difficult to catch, has started rearing up when ridden and now needs time off due to an injury possible as a result of her poor conformation?
Obviously these are two extreme examples, and the first is a much better breeding candidate than the second. Do bear in mind that there are no guarantees in breeding and you always get exceptions, good and bad; however, it is worth trying to get the odds of producing a good foal in your favour.
It is important to remember that there are risks involved in being a broodmare; even scanning carries the risk of a life-threatening rectal tear, and there is the possibility of serious complications for the mare during the time around foaling.
Even if nothing goes wrong, your mare will need to have time off from being ridden and you have to take this into account (unless you are considering embryo transfer).
What do you plan for the foal? Is it for you or a family member to ride, or to sell? Have a look at the yearlings and youngsters that are advertised for sale to gauge the potential future value of the foal, and familiarise yourself with how many young horses other people are trying to sell (you may even find one you like!).
Mare’s health and reproductive fitness
A mare should be in good general health before breeding. Your veterinarian can advise you on this, and assess whether they find any potential problems from a physical examination. The mare needs to be in ideal body condition; neither overweight nor underweight, as both can lead to problems. Ensure she is up-to-date with worming, vaccinations, her teeth have been checked and her feet are well cared for, and it might also be worth checking her selenium levels.
Mares can breed into their late teens, and in some cases even into their 20s; however, there are often more problems when attempting to breed an older mare who has not had a foal (known as a maiden mare).
Older maiden mares can have changes in the reproductive tract which make it more challenging for them to get in foal; this is known as the ‘old maiden mare syndrome’. A mare in her teens who is being bred for her first time is likely to need a full reproductive examination, including a biopsy of her uterus, to assess how likely it is that she will successfully produce a foal. Talk to your veterinarian about this in advance, so there is plenty of time for these examinations to be performed.
There are quite a few diseases in horses that are thought to have a genetic cause, but at present there are not that many that can actually be tested for.
One that is available is a five-panel DNA test for quarter horses and related breeds. The test analyses if a horse has any of the genes involved in five different conditions and is highly recommended to prevent further cases of these genetic diseases.
Mother’s matters
Have a good look at your mare’s conformation. Is she a great example of her breed? Does she have any obvious conformational faults? Obviously there are always exceptions – sometimes you get a top competition horse with what we consider poor conformation – however, some faults are linked with a higher chance of injury or limited performance. In addition, if you aim to sell the foal, then conformation will likely affect the sale or price.
If there are only minor faults, then you should choose a stallion with good points where your mare has poorer conformation, and you are in with a chance of a foal that has great conformation all round – but there are no guarantees!
A foal whose mother has a good temperament is much more likely to have a good temperament of their own, compared to one born to a mare with a difficult nature.
This is partly through genetics, and partly through the foal watching and learning how his or her mother responds to humans. It is much easier to connect with the foal if the dam is easy to catch and enjoys human interaction rather than one that you have to chase around the paddock and can’t wait to get away from you. It will make the process of foal handling and weaning much easier and less stressful for all concerned.
Costs involved
Breeding a foal is not cheap. How much it will cost to get your mare in foal depends on a whole host of factors and costs will vary considerably; you will need to consider the stallion service fees, vet fees and agistment fees for this.
You must ensure your mare receives optimum nutrition and care while she is pregnant.
Next, you have to consider whether you will have your mare foal at a foaling facility (this is strongly recommended), and factor in the costs of this. Remember, if serious veterinary problems occur with either the mare or foal around the time of foaling then costs of successful treatment can be high.
Then you have the usual feed, farrier and possible veterinary fees for the next few years as well as breaking-in costs before you are eventually able to ride your mare’s prized offspring.
Facilities and experience
Finally, have a think about what facilities you have available.You may decide to send your mare to a stud to get in foal and then send back there or to a facility where there is 24-hour foaling watch and experienced staff for foaling, but once you have them back at home it is much easier to have some sort of facilities to be able to handle the youngster. Safe fences are very important, as young horses are more prone to injuring themselves as they learn about their environment.
If your foal does injure itself and needs bandaging or medication then you will need somewhere that it can be handled easily and/or contained while the wound heals. Yards are very helpful for handling for worming and feet trimming, and looking ahead you will need to think about handling at weaning too.
Finally, you need to be realistic about your ability and experience with young horses and consider who you would get help and advice from if needed.
Conclusion
Breeding from your own mare can be an extremely rewarding and highly enjoyable experience but there are lots of things that can go devastatingly wrong along the way. Get advice from your veterinarian and experienced breeders, take plenty of time to consider all the factors and be realistic about both the risks and your expectations. This will all help you make the decision of whether or not to breed from your mare.
