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Member
Posts: 16
| I have an 11 year old mare that I LOVE and I really want a baby out of her! However she is my ONLY competition horse and I know I can't take a year off barrel racing or I would go crazy!! :) I'm sure flushing her eggs and using a recip mare and going that route would be way too costly for me. So I was wondering how many people still run their pregnant mares???? A few years back I bought a 24 year old horse for my daughter. She was my daughters playday horse so once a month she went to a show and ran 5 events!! She kept getting fatter and fatter so I finally took her to the vet thinking it was a tumor and she was pregnant! My daughter rode and ran her up until the last month and this mare was 24 and had no problems delivering that baby, and had no problems at all!! Had I of known she was pregnant we probably woudln't of run her that much but it didn't affect her in a bad way at all. And she was old! ha ha So anyway now I'm thinking I could probably still ride and run my horse some if she was pregnant.
Anyway, thoughts?????
Thanks!!! |
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 Midget Lover
    
Location: Kentucky | I'm the odd man out. I won't run a pregnant mare. Breeding costs are too expensive to risk that. |
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Good Ole Boys just Fine with Me
Posts: 2869
Location: SE Missouri | I depends on the mare and how competitive your expectations are... They are carrying the extra weight of the foal and you! Also I think condition has to be key.
When I was little we (1 of 4girls) did compete on our pregnant mares... They were bred in April and we would keep them in VERY good shape (they were exercised every day) and run twice a month, rarely three times a month.. If we didn't keep ride, we didn't get to haul them at ALL.
The show season was from May to October and one arena was DEEP Sand the other more normal footing. So we ran them for 6months then still exercised them a 2-3 times a week until November then they were off until they foaled in March..
The costs vrs risk also needs considered. I have a couple mares I wouldn't run bc they are carrying cargo to precious to warrant the risk.
Edited by abrooks 2015-01-05 7:18 AM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I think keeping them in shape as long as they are comfortable is a good thing.
I'm not sure about competing though, especially if they are the type to stress at all while traveling.
Maybe compare cost of recip mare with cost of picking up about horse to compete on? At least on a local level to get your fix. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | Murphy - 2015-01-05 7:13 AM I'm the odd man out. I won't run a pregnant mare. Breeding costs are too expensive to risk that.
I wont either |
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 Ima Non Controversial Girl
Posts: 4168
Location: where the wind blows | I know of quite a few nares that were run or shown while bred. At least into the 5-6th month. I'm seriously contemplating breeding my reining/ranch pleasure mare this year as she is 11 and I'm wanting a baby off her. The stud I would breed her to for her first baby is owned by my trainers. I'm seriously contemplating a run for the AQHA world show in Nov. My trainers are saying I'd be fine breeding her in June and going to Worlds in Nov. However with that said if she did slip this year a rebreed next year would be easy and not costly (stud is only 2 miles away). However I'm on the fence at this point whether I will breed this year or wait till next.
With that being said if I bred to a stud using shipped semen I probably wouldn't ride as doing the shipped semen and using vets to AI gets way to costly to take the risk. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | im with murphy and hoofs.....once my mares are in foal..that is enough of a job....and i wont risk it...........
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Member
Posts: 16
| well, i was thinking it would be healthy for her to stay in shape. She doesn't stress at all at the races and she doesn't get hot before or after a run. She is a real laid back 3D mare that I compete on for fun. I was thinking if that 24 year old mare made it perfect with the amount of riding and competing that my daughter did on her (cuz we had NO IDEA she was pregnant), then it would be fine for my horse for a few months. But just checking to see what others do or did. I know for pregnant women it's good to keep exercising or running if that's your normal routine. I also had a cousin that was pregnant and barrel raced until she was like 7 or 8 months pregnant! Her doctor told her it was fine if that was what her body was already used to
So hmmmm....still deciding. Maybe I will ask my vet too :) |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I wouldn't, being pregnant has to be tough enough as it is, let alone adding the added stress of competing. just because your old mare turned out fine doesn't mean it will be the same way for all. And I feel like you like this mare enough that you'd be sad if something ended up happening to her.
Too many nice babies already on the ground and ready to go anyway. even after baby is born, moms gotta be with baby for awhile and let her be a mom, so you'd lose plenty of time competing then too.
You should consider buying a nice baby so you can still race and have a baby on the ground. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I would not compete on her at all. If I like a mare enough to justify the expense of breeding her I would take no risks with her or the foal. Light riding to keep her fit is one thing. But there are a lot of risks competing on them. I wouldn't compete on her again until after the foal is weaned & able to be left home without mom. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | The most I will do with a pregnant mare is an easy bareback walk around the arena or field. And I rarely do that.
It costs too much to get a mare in foal just to lose it down the road. And even if riding or competing was not the reason why they lost the pregnancy, it will always be in my mind- what if I stayed off her?- not to mention some stallion owners will VOID a live foal guarantee if you ride or compete on the mare while pregnant.
Honestly, the best thing I did for my mare at the time was give her a year off and let her have a baby. It never hurts them to have a year of rest. She came back in the 1D her first run back. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 684
Location: Oklahoma | About five years ago I breed my fare that I was competing on. It was a last miniute decision, when I got the opportunity to breed her to a really nice son of Dash for Perks. We litterly bred her right after the last run of a series. It was hard to not be able to compete on her, but I agree with everyone else. If you are going through the expense and everything else to breed her, why risk it? She was confirmed in foal at thirteen days, and my vet recomended we wait until two months in to ride her (she was kind of high-strung and maiden). After the two month mark I did some easy trail riding with her here and there, and the ocasional bareback jaunt around the hay field, but that was it. She was miserable towards the end of her pregnancy, and I wouldn't have even thought of riding her then. However, as soon as she foaled, she got legged back up and was back at it within a few months.
If it were me, I'd let her have some down time. Try and find another horse to work with that needs hauled and seasoned. Or maybe borrow a friends that needs to see some sights. It'll help keep you occupied |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Murphy - 2015-01-05 7:13 AM I'm the odd man out. I won't run a pregnant mare. Breeding costs are too expensive to risk that.
I'm the same way. I only have 1 mare I currently breed but that's her only job, it does cost a small fortune to go through AI and stud fees. With that being said my brother had a mare that was bred and he didn't know it. He worked her hard on the ranch until the last couple months of her pregnancy when he realized she was preggo. Of course he didn't have the expense into the breeding either. |
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Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | CYA Ranch - 2015-01-05 12:23 PM Murphy - 2015-01-05 7:13 AM I'm the odd man out. I won't run a pregnant mare. Breeding costs are too expensive to risk that. I'm the same way. I only have 1 mare I currently breed but that's her only job, it does cost a small fortune to go through AI and stud fees. With that being said my brother had a mare that was bred and he didn't know it. He worked her hard on the ranch until the last couple months of her pregnancy when he realized she was preggo. Of course he didn't have the expense into the breeding either.
Reality is most mares will probably be fine being used while bred.....I just won't take the chance though. But fall of 2013 I rode a mare for a friend, and worked her pretty dang hard every day as she had some issues to get through......Come April they walk out in the pasture & there's a foal standing beside her. They had no clue she was bred. |
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 Peacemaker
Posts: 11220
Location: Nebraska | I would not compete on a pregnant mare.
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | I bred my mare in March/April and competed on her until July. I would have probably stayed on her longer, but she was getting to the time frame that she needed to be injected again, so I got off of her. I know that isn't a long period of time, but I would have stayed on her until she told me it was time. She always gives me subtle cues, and I have learned how to listen.
My mare is a big mare and you can just now tell there is a baby in there, not just fattness. I questioned her being bred till I felt it move a couple weeks ago.
We always rode ours when in foal when I was younger, but I know that is not the norm now. |
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| When I was a teenager I had a stallion get in with my mare, resulting in her getting bred. I didn't have the heart then to abort the foal (today, I would probably would have done so). My mare was bred in January, so she foaled the end of December. I competed on her that year until sometime in September. Since I had nothing into the breeding, I competed on her anyway. That year was the best year she ran - literally on fire until the time I put her away to be a momma.
However, I am with the other posters. I would not encourage competing on her while bred. Do you have access to a project horse to keep you occupied while your mare is bred? Also, breeding/foaling is risky - can you accept the fact that you may lose your mare in the process? |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Just my personal opinion.....
If a mare is valuable enough to even be considered to reproduce......
Then she should be valuable enough to give her the time off to do as much.
Not saying it hurts to ride a pregnant mare.....but if the mare is that nice that she is worthy of being bred, why add any extra risks?
I have a mare I love to death. I have owned her for her entire life, bought her at 2 days old. She's now 14 or 15 (have to check papers)......it kills me every single time I walk in that barn not to get on her and ride.......and I am so very very anxious for the day when I can again. But right now keeping her and her unborn foal healthy is way more important. |
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Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | I will say...there was a gal I knew who ran her mare while she was pregnant...it was the only finished horse she had and she wanted to win. You could tell the mare was pregnant, and this gal ran her multiple times a week, that mare ended up aborting the colt in the trailer one evening on her ride home. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| You actually have the year she carries the foal and next year after she has the foal. Even if she foals in feb. You will have to,get her back in shape and wean the foal so,you would have to add that onto the process. So, not only you have 11 months to carrynthe foal at least 2/3 months before you 14 monty process.
Edited by daisycake123 2015-01-05 9:35 PM
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I ran mine up to the last 2 months. Everyone kept saying she was' t in foal.when they saw her sides moving they changed there mind. I even bet horse for horse she was in foal.She was a rather large mare so she carried well.was in real good running shape. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4625
Location: Desert Land | casualdust07 - 2015-01-05 10:45 AM The most I will do with a pregnant mare is an easy bareback walk around the arena or field. And I rarely do that. It costs too much to get a mare in foal just to lose it down the road. And even if riding or competing was not the reason why they lost the pregnancy, it will always be in my mind- what if I stayed off her?- not to mention some stallion owners will VOID a live foal guarantee if you ride or compete on the mare while pregnant. Honestly, the best thing I did for my mare at the time was give her a year off and let her have a baby. It never hurts them to have a year of rest. She came back in the 1D her first run back.
This ^^^^ |
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Breeding competition mare--how long can you still enter?