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| I have a coming 21 year old broodmare that I bought for breeding purposes 2 years ago. I got a nice colt out of her the first year. It took two breedings and some maintenance with progesterone, but she stayed in foal. I tried rebreeding her last year and she must have aborted between 14 and 60 days. It was too late to rebreed, so she is now open.
My dilemma is that I do not want to spend a lot trying to rebreed her this year, although she has an awesome pedigree. I have never thrown a leg over her, but I researched her before the sale and found out that she was a pretty decent barrel horse. I have thought about legging her up and running her a little, but the blind eye is what I'm not sure about. Has anyone ran a horse with a bad eye?
Any advice? If she's not producing or contributing to her upkeep, I just can't justify keeping her. But with her bad eye and repro issues, I can't just take her to my local sale and say "SEE YA!?
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
 
Location: Where I am happiest | At her age I wouldnt try to leg her up to ride again. Try to breed her this year. Doesnt sound like she was really all to difficult. Any mare can lose a foal early gestation.g her then please do the right thing by her and put her down. Give her a good honest try and if she's a no go, and you cant justify keeping her, then please do the right thing by her and put her down. Please dont just toss her out to the local sale like last weeks garbage. She WILL go to slaughter and that is a horrific end for a good horse. She deserves better. |
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| ThreeCorners - 2014-12-30 1:39 PM At her age I wouldnt try to leg her up to ride again. Try to breed her this year. Doesnt sound like she was really all to difficult. Any mare can lose a foal early gestation.g her then please do the right thing by her and put her down. Give her a good honest try and if she's a no go, and you cant justify keeping her, then please do the right thing by her and put her down. Please dont just toss her out to the local sale like last weeks garbage. She WILL go to slaughter and that is a horrific end for a good horse. She deserves better.
Just to clarify: Selling at sale is not even an option!
Also, she has several urterine cysts that are likely the cause of her infertility. I often wonder if she was even in foal at 14 days this last year, or if the vet misdiagnosed a cyst for an embryo?
The stallion owner told me that I should probably use a different mare this year, or consider ET (but that is out of the question.) |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I would try breeding her again if she was mine. Those older well bred broodie's won't be around forever so to me it's worth a little extra work to get them in foal. Otherwise if she's sound start riding her & see what she is. Then keep her or find a suitable home for her at that point.
I have an old broodie who is coming 24, she's not sound, hard to keep in foal and it pulls her down to much to nurse one anymore. So she's retired & will simply live an easy life until it's time to let her go. But I'm lucky and have the land to allow her that life, I realize most are not.
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | One of our mares has a cyst in her uterus and the vet said she could laser it off.. maybe thats an option for your mare? |
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | The problem is not you selling her but if she's sold again after you sell her. Not everyone is as responsible and people take on more than they counted for and will dump a mare like this because they can't get rid her either.
I rode a mare that was fully blind and you'd never would have known it. Just had to remember she couldn't see. I would give her a chance at riding.
Also, if she's calm enough she might make a 4H or kids project, maybe even a Therapy or abuse counseling horse. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I would not ride the horse, I personally would retire her and let her live out her days in my pasture.
If you are dead set on breeding her, then I would find the best repro vet and be willing to pay a little fortune.
I have a different philosophy when it comes to my horses, if I buy them then I have been taxed with the responsibility of caring for these animals god has given to me. I have sold a few and I do have first chance to buy back option and I also offer a retirement home for them
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | If she can't have another foal and you absolutely cannot keep her do you know of any or have a family member who has a little girl or boy to do lead line on her with? Maybe make a contract with them that if they don't want her you get her back or something? I know I did this with my old gelding and he was in heaven with the little boy who took him, grooming on him and giving him treats for his last few years. No hard riding of course. Just a thought.
I hate the thought of putting one down but I hate the thought of a kill buyer ending up woth a good mare even more. Good Luck.  |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I don't know what your feed program is but I would double dose vitamin c/ k and vitamin E with a multi vitamin. Some times nutrition takes care of any symptoms they may have.put her on electrolytes so she'll drink more water to flush her system out.when the body is healthy it'll fight the cysts it self leaving room to produce a healthy foal. At least in theory but worth a try. |
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