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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
  
| What is the oldest that you would breed a mare? This mare has already had 3 babies when she was younger, but I competed on her for a while and now her legs will not hold up to making anymore runs. (Not from any type of competition, but from being a DETERMINED fence kicker.) I love this mare and she excelled at many things as well as being an excellent mother. However, she is now 16 and has been open since she was 7. I don't want to see her sit (we don't have pastures here) and won't sell her for fear of where she might end up. I am not against putting her down if necessary. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | RodeoCowgirl4u - 2017-06-08 4:46 PM What is the oldest that you would breed a mare? This mare has already had 3 babies when she was younger, but I competed on her for a while and now her legs will not hold up to making anymore runs. (Not from any type of competition, but from being a DETERMINED fence kicker.) I love this mare and she excelled at many things as well as being an excellent mother. However, she is now 16 and has been open since she was 7. I don't want to see her sit (we don't have pastures here) and won't sell her for fear of where she might end up. I am not against putting her down if necessary.
Wow 16 is really young, breed her..  |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | we try and sell ours by 16 just so they still have value. But that is because our rough pastures can be hard on the older gals and many have lameness from their days on the race track. We bred Ransoms dam I believe at 22 and she foaled a beautiful healthy filly for her new owners. I think it depends on the mares overall soundness and how well they keep weight.one that struggles to travel and stays thin would make me hesitant to breed. By 10 months even the young healthy mares often look miserable. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | Southtxponygirl - 2017-06-08 5:19 PM RodeoCowgirl4u - 2017-06-08 4:46 PM What is the oldest that you would breed a mare? This mare has already had 3 babies when she was younger, but I competed on her for a while and now her legs will not hold up to making anymore runs. (Not from any type of competition, but from being a DETERMINED fence kicker.) I love this mare and she excelled at many things as well as being an excellent mother. However, she is now 16 and has been open since she was 7. I don't want to see her sit (we don't have pastures here) and won't sell her for fear of where she might end up. I am not against putting her down if necessary. Wow 16 is really young, breed her..
I agree. She's a youngster. |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | 16 is fine as long as she is breeding sound. We have some of our old gals in their 20's that are still producing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 670
Location: Running my kids somewhere. | That is not old. I would not think twice about breeding her. The oldest I have bred one is 24 or 25.
She was in great shape and had a healthly baby without a problem.
If they are healthly and breeding sound I have seen them go easily into the mid-20s. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | I just bred my 21 year old. She hasn't had a foal in 16 years. |
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Location: NE Texas | Bred our maiden 17 year old mare last year and she had first foal at 18 years old in April. She didn't take the first time (she had some fluid in her uterus) so the second time I gave her a series of oxytocin shots and she took - no problems.
Go for it! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| Thanks, ladies. Everyone around here tells me not to breed her because she is "old." but she is in great shape other than her legs (self inflicted.) I hate to see her just sit. I will be looking for a new boyfriend for her next year here shortly.  |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| I'll be breeding my elder broodie again next year at 22. She foaled this spring with no issues and looks great inside and out. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | It just depends on the individual mare. 16 by no means is too old. Some mares are less fortunate than others and will have more age related changes to their uterus at a younger age, but it doesn't mean you can't try.
The three mares we bred this year are 14, 18, and 22. All three got in foal, and the 14 year old was the only one who needed two shipments of semen.
What is probably more concerning is her soundness... If mares are retired with injuries that make them broodmare sound, I would be more worried about that causing a shortened lifespan than her actual age depending on how bad the injury is. Some are turned out because they can't stay sound running but are perfectly happy and look sound when out in pasture. Others are pretty crippled and truly can't do anything other than make a baby. It also depends on what you can handle looking at. Some people are OK with watching a mare get around slowly with a bad knee or bad ankle, etc.. Some just can't stand to watch that. One of mine blew her knee to bits recovering from anesthesia back in November. She is 16 years old this year, and unless she does something crazy like colics on me her knee is what's going to do her in before anything else. I'm trying to decide what I'm OK with in regards to her comfort level. |
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