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Expert
Posts: 2685
   
| That she would be a jam up momma and raise hell a babies but she only 5 and you want to run her lol
When do you decide to breed her? After her career? What if she's "too old" During her career? What if she doesn't come back right or as good as she was before? Ect...
I don't 15 babies out of her. Like 1-2, 3 at the MOST.
I'll have this mare her whole life so no big rush but I just have this feeling in my guy that she'd make a great momma and raise awesome babies but her career just started! Maybe it's baby fever cause I work at the vet and we have 20 babies in the barn right now lol. But for real, I have felt this way about her for a while now. Not that I want to breed her soon but idk hen would be good. |
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | I have friends that have given their good competition mares about a year off to have a foal and then bring them back and they have come back just as good as before if not better. Usually it isn't even a full year off but just a few months during actual competition season since most of the gestation is during the winter which is a pretty slow time up here for barrel races. They bred the mares around May, continued to run them until around September then they had time off to be mommies until about a month after the foal is born. Then mommas went back to conditioning and hauling. My one friend ran pro rodeo on her mare with the foal still on her side. Someone would hold the foal at the gate while she made her run until she was big enough to be left at the trailer. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I thought maybe once I haul her a few years she'll probably want, or deserve a year off and tht could be used as baby time. I don't think I could run a mare with a baby on her side lol. I'm not that brave lol. I have heard of riding them until they are 4 months along though. We have a 4 month old fetus here from a mare that didn't make it (at the vet where I work) and I don't think I could run her with that inside her lol. It's basically the size of a human baby when we are born- maybe bigger. We also have a 60 day baby that is the size of a large sonic cup. That might be ok for me mentally lol. |
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 Peecans
| There's always the E.T. route if shes that good.
Ive had mares go either way, some come back the same, some better, and some unfortanitly come back worse. I want to breed a couple of my mares im just not yet will in to give up that ride lol, they are too fun!!! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If possible I would get her proven first, then breed her around 7-9 yrs old |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I've had a couple of those. One of them was a 5YO mare at the time, that we bought pretty much sight unseen to be used as a broodie. She was totally sound to ride and I got curious and got on her. My story is kind of opposite, because I felt like she should have been put into training and been made a barrel horse but I went ahead and used her as a broodmare. She has some really nice babies and I am going to prove her through her foals…although a part of me wishes I would have given her a shot in the arena herself.
Then there's Lucy. I got her as a 10 YO and knew she needed to have some babies- she filled my WPRA permit and won a couple of pro rodeos so she was more than proven. I ended up breeding her when she was "sound" after an injury but she and I just needed a rest from each other. I was getting frustrated with our lack of progress back in the arena and a year off was best for us both.
And then there's Flit. she's a 19 YO daughter of Jet of Honor, she had one baby with her previous owner, and we have been running her since she was 17. We are breeding her next year and I hope we can get a few babies out of her. She's a super nice mare, and it's very hard to stay off her.
I would give your mare a chance to run and prove herself before you breed her, unless you have something else to run and you really want a baby.
One of mine now I am considering running through the fall and early spring and breeding her when I am back on Lucy… just throwing ideas around. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| Thanks everyone for the input. I'm definitely not willing to give up this ride just yet. I want to prove her first for sure. She is so much fun to ride. She is clocking in the 2D with rider error and just honest lack of hauling. I haven't been able to be consistent due to moving and divorcing. I want to get some good rodeos on her record for sure. I don't want to be a WPRA member or anything like that, I honestly just want to raise good, solid minded barrel horses. Maybe sell one two but mostly keep. I understand it's hard, hard to make money in the barrel world or horse world for that matter, that's why I have a day job LOL.
I know it's weird and to some of y'all wouldn't make a difference but I got to haul an embryo out of dash for perks yesterday. I couldn't help but smile. Lol. Is like to breed her to something like that! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | Your mare is still young...........if she is still competing when she is 10 but you still want foals from her, then you can decide to breed her.
With that said, one of my nice mares came up open from last year. I started legging her up and I think she is better than she was 6 years ago when I was competing her. We bred her live cover on her last heat and so far, she seems to have settled. I will keep competing her until the fall. This is what I did with her first foal.
If you really like your mare, enjoy her while you can because an injury can come anytime.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| I am Preggo with my fourth baby. I would never run a pregnant mare. I feel so crappy those first few months, I can't imagine horses feel great.
Since it sounds like you work at a breeding facility, you might get a discount on embryo transfer. Sounds fun! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | HorseMommyFiveO - 2014-05-10 6:37 PM
I am Preggo with my fourth baby. I would never run a pregnant mare. I feel so crappy those first few months, I can't imagine horses feel great.
Since it sounds like you work at a breeding facility, you might get a discount on embryo transfer. Sounds fun!
I am with you on this one. Everyone has their choice and opinion which is cool but I have no desire to run a pregnant mare nor one that is bagged up for nursing. I ran mine until she was 10, bred her, gave her time to be a mommy, then brought her back. Worked just fine. |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | ampratt - 2014-05-11 9:33 PM
HorseMommyFiveO - 2014-05-10 6:37 PM
I am Preggo with my fourth baby. I would never run a pregnant mare. I feel so crappy those first few months, I can't imagine horses feel great.
Since it sounds like you work at a breeding facility, you might get a discount on embryo transfer. Sounds fun!
I am with you on this one. Everyone has their choice and opinion which is cool but I have no desire to run a pregnant mare nor one that is bagged up for nursing. I ran mine until she was 10, bred her, gave her time to be a mommy, then brought her back. Worked just fine.
I don't ride bred mares either! Too much money invested to risk losing the pregnancy. |
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