Kaycee - 2013-11-30 1:47 PM

CA, the mare that I am having hormone issue with was bred in 2007 to our stallion and in 2008 she gave us a really nice colt.  In 2011 I bred her again but this time I AI'd her to PC Frosty BID and she again gave me a really nice colt in 2012.  
I usually breed them in very early spring and sometimes in Feb to get an early baby.  I continue to ride my mares until about 5-6 months in and then I turn them out.  Of course, this is just what I do and I have known others to ride their mares well into their 8 month or so.

wishes4kissez - 2013-11-30 1:54 PM

For a futurity colt I would think the earlier in the year you can get the on the ground the better because a colt thats born in Jan is going to be generally more physically and mentally mature that a colt that was born in late july of the same year and thus have an advantage.

I looked into an embroyo transfer for my friend that has an amazing super well bred mare with old lines that are hard to find that just cant seem to carry a foal. From what I was able to find if the foal isnt going to be worth at least 10k they said the cost wouldn't be worth it. I know that there are people who do it all the time so I dont know if they just have tons of money or what.

I have known people who continued to run the mare for most of the pregnancy. If they have been doing it all along I think its safe to continue for some time. I think staying active actually helps them but I wouldn't try to run them late in the pregnancy.

BARRELHORSE USA - 2013-11-30 2:17 PM

On barrel futurity colts a few months does not matter ... born in Feb or May .. futurities do not happen until they are 4 years old .... if you were racing a 2yo then a few months is an advantage. I will never breed a mare to have a hot summer month baby .. too much stress on baby. ... they cannot regulate their body temperature during the hot months.

IMO if you breed the mare turn her out to be a broodmare from her breeding date to weaning the 6 month old baby and be committed to the baby ....... if you need something to ride .. then don't breed her.

Barrel racing is tuff on horses and one slip, wrong jiggle and you could lose the baby and be out $$$$'s all over again the next year .... the first 90 days the embryo is trying to attach to the walls of the uterus and any extra digging around in there just to check on baby can cause an abortion ... so the less activity by vet or running is a plus to having the mare carry the baby full term. If I check a mare infoal at 20 days .... I then leave her alone and wait on her to have her baby 11 months later...

crashlyashley - 2013-11-30 2:04 PM Thanks Kaycee! I always like to see what everyone else does. It's been so long since we have had any colts there is so much I am going to have to refresh my memory on :). How long after your mare had your colt did you start riding and running her again?

Kaycee - 2013-11-30 2:29 PM


For me I wait until I pull the baby off of her which would be 5 to 6 months at weaning time.

OregonBR - 2013-11-30 7:15 PM

IMO if you are near a facility that does ET, do that. 

Also IMO 2-4 months doesn't matter in the long run.  But we don't run them until they are 5 yo here. 4 if they are really on schedule.  Where the early foals matter is the weanling halter futurities and 2 year old racing futurities.  Even then there are horses born in April and May even June that do well in the 2 year old races.  

casualdust07 - 2013-12-01 2:00 PM

I gave my mare the whole time off. She is not being ridden at all while pregnant. It's just my opinion but I don't want to risk anything so once I decide to breed them, the most they might get is a bareback ride around the arena once or twice at a walk.

I would do an ET if I could afford it, but it is too expensive for me. When you don't ET, you can still bet round $500-1000 plus on vet bills not including the stud fee. The ET usually ends up around $4000+ under most circumstances. I think the $4000-5000 includes the vet costs on the AI end and the ET end, plus the cost of the recip mare.