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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
  
| I have contemplated breeding my mare for years. I haven't done it up until this point for one reason or another. Didn't want to "retire" her for that long, didn't have the setup I desired for a baby, etc.
Each year rolls around and I think about it, and always put it off again. Anyway, I have heard people say that it's best for a mare to have her first foal ideally before she's about 10 years old. I think I've heard that the mare is younger and just has a better chance of carrying better, and having a healthy, easy pregnancy/labor baring any unplanned circumstances.
Is this just an old wives tale, or has anyone found this to be a pretty good rule of thumb?
Thanks!! |
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  That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| It depends on the mare and her condition. I've seen older mares carry just fine, but I would bet that statisticly it is more successful and easier on the younger ones. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| Not to steal the thread OP, but I'm interested too, so I hope you don't mind. I have a 10 year old mare we want to breed, but we still have 2 years of racing planned for her, so is 13 getting old for a maiden mare? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I had more difficulty getting older maiden mares in foal, wouldn't tease, wouldn't live cover, wouldn't let the stallion within 20 feet of.
It is possible to breed older maiden mares, I would ultrasound first and culture to ensure there are no road blocks |
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That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| cheryl makofka - 2015-05-19 3:26 PM I had more difficulty getting older maiden mares in foal, wouldn't tease, wouldn't live cover, wouldn't let the stallion within 20 feet of. It is possible to breed older maiden mares, I would ultrasound first and culture to ensure there are no road blocks Young mares can be the same way, we are dealing with one right now. But every day older they are (after a certain point) the more likely they are to develope some issue that could impact their reproductive health.
Edited by Whiteboy 2015-05-19 3:39 PM
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 Night Chat Leader
Posts: 13150
Location: Home....Smiling M Farms | It's easier on them having them younger, think about a woman in her 20s vs a woman in her 40s. The older they get, the harder it can be to get them in foal. The 'rule of thumb' I think is 12. You want them to have their first baby by age 12, typically if you want them to have more babies later in life.
However, this is just more in the way of statistics and not the way things absolutely have to happen. I FINALLY bred my maiden 19 yo mare 3 years ago. She had an awesome stud colt and bounced right back like it was nothing. She was in great shape, always taken care of, and everything fell into place.
You can get an older mare infoal, it just may be a little harder, more expensive, etc. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| Thanks everyone! Mine turned 9 this year and I don't intend to breed this year. Maybe I'll get my stuff together and decide to do it next year,
That way she's 11 when she foals. I feel my (for her) biological clock is running out of sand!
PS- You're not stealing the thread! ?? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| We have an awesome repro vet for when we do finally give in and breed this mare, which we planned to breed her this spring, but now I decided to run my final youth year on her (since IBRA considers youth to be 18 and under), so that pushes us back to 2017 breeding for a 2018 baby. She would be 13 when she foals at this rate. (Man, where does time go?! Feels like just the other day she was a 4yo, haha). I believe Nonstop Firewater is going to be her date when we do decide to breed her.
ETA: The one night stand (I.E. Nonstop Firewater) is such a level headed boy that has looks to die for. He is my favorite at SIE, where he stands.
Edited by FlyingHigh1454 2015-05-19 8:53 PM
 (Nonstop Firewater Sleep.jpg)
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 Nonstop Firewater Sleep.jpg (36KB - 158 downloads)
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| Please go read - http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/academics/bms/equine-reproduction-laboratory/Pages/Learn-Breeding-Mares.aspx
Its a great spot to start educating yourself on the basics.
Also - it is not statistically "harder" on older mares to carry a foal to term. Each mare is born with a certain number of follicles. As she ages, she ovulates those follicles. Thus, it can be more difficult to breed her as the age of the follicles that are being released goes up, the viability of the follicles reduces, and the overall health of the uterus changes as she ages. Uterine health changes can include pH changes, infections, or any number of things that will reduce her ability to stay preggo. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
| My mare was 17 the first time we bred her and she caught on the first try.  |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | Really depends on the mare, I have had people bring me maiden 15 year old mares that had already shut down but I have a mare of ours that was a 20 year old maiden and caught first try. I will say this though, her first two foals were TINY---I am talking weee little, then her third one was bigger. |
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia |
Every mare and her ovaries are different but it has been proven that the average mare's fertility declines after the age of 16. I bred my personal barrel horse at the age of 15, she took after two attempts and delivered a very health filly. She was maiden and everything about her pregnancy /birth was textbook. Good luck to those of you trying to breed your mares! |
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