For a maiden mare, best practice is not to breed beyond 16 years old. What is this? For an experienced broodmare who's had many healthy foals, breeding over 20 gets tricky (and more difficult), but most can safely have foals until they are 23 or 25.
Generally, mares are past their reproductive prime when they reach 15 to 16 years old. There are mares that can carry and deliver healthy foals into their 20s, but the majority of them have had multiple successful pregnancies before.
The average gestation length (duration of pregnancy) of mares is 335 to 340 days, but can range from 320 to 370 days.
Management strategies that may increase the probability of getting an older mare in foal include a) breeding to a stallion of proven fertility, b) frequent ultrasound examinations to optimize time of breeding, confirm that ovulation occurred and monitor the uterus for fluid accumulation post-breeding, and c) ...
A: As a general guideline, broodmares are past their reproductive prime as they approach about 15 or 16 years old. That being said, of course there are mares out there successfully foaling past this age and well into their twenties.
Fortunately, unlike people, mares continue to cycle their whole lives. A mare is born with every immature egg she will ever have. That means that if you're trying to breed your 25-year-old mare, the egg she ovulates is also 25 years old. A 25-year-old egg has been sitting there, waiting to do its thing.
Also, older mares' external reproductive tract conformation may become tipped forward over time, especially in taller and thinner mares. This is more often associated with multiple foalings, but it may happen with age. Either way, this condition increases the risk of reproductive tract contamination and infections.
A mare's cycle can even stop if her diet is bad or if the mare is exposed to too much stress. Stress during the gestation period may also lead to early embryonic death.
A mare's affiliation with others in her group certainly changes after foaling, with her own foal, as well as her older foals if they are still in the group, generally becoming her closest frequent companions. Mares in a natural breeding group don't usually change their dominance status by virtue of having a foal.
From ages 4 to 15, mares are in their reproductive prime. But from 15 to 20, their fertility declines, says McCue. Reproductive problems only continue to intensify in mares older than 20. Of course, each mare is an individual with her own health history and genetic tendencies.
Gestation can be as long as 375 days and the record gestation length is over 400 days. Of course, in the last weeks of pregnancy, a mare should show signs of advancing pregnancy. Her udder should be filling and her abdomen should be pendulous as she nears her due date.
Mares will generally foal after an 11-month gestation, but this is highly variable. Studies have shown a range of gestation from 315 to 387 days, with an average of about 341 days.
Foaling days after 370 days of gestation are not uncommon and usually do not represent a problem. The longest live foal delivery on record is 445 days!
This is $255 per flush and $360 per transfer. These costs include all reproductive drugs, ultrasound examinations, insemination, and pregnancy tests. Recipient mares will need to be on Regumate after the transfer to help maintain pregnancy.
If a colt appears to be breeding, does that mean he is mature enough to impregnate the mare? A. Most yearlings and two-year-olds can and will breed under good circumstances. There's probably not a horse practice without a firsthand story of the pregnant filly that was only with a colt until a year of age.
If an abdominal testicle is identified it can be removed under general anaesthesia or understanding sedation by laparoscopy, using specialist “key-hole” surgical equipment. Rigs can get mares pregnant. Rigs can be unpredictable and dangerous to handle.
This finding suggests that horses form strong memories of conspecifics, able to recognise them even after a long period of separation. This finding also indicates that the mare-foal bond remains strong even when foals reach one year of age and when they have not seen their dam for a long time.
Foals that are affected with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS), also known as “dummy foals”, appear healthy when they are born, but shortly thereafter exhibit neurological abnormalities. They are often detached, disoriented, unresponsive, confused, and have trouble nursing.
A mare that experiences a straightforward birth should be ready to go back under saddle six to eight weeks after foaling. However, if your mare had a complicated birth, it might take far longer.
Holding the mare's head, using a twitch or hobbles while the foal nurses, or distracting the mare with grain are techniques that might work until the mare and foal become more familiar and comfortable with the nursing process.
A mare that has never had a foal before is called a “maiden mare”. Just like women, a mare is more fertile in her younger years. As a mare ages, the likelihood of her conceiving decreases.
Foaling Facilities and Weather
If viable options are not available, it's probably best to wait to breed until later in the spring when the weather is more forgiving and hospitable to mare and foal during the stressful period surrounding foaling the subsequent spring.
Generally, assuming a filly is healthy and on a good plan of nutrition, she can be bred as early as two years of age, although many breeders suggest waiting until three years of age. Mares can continue to produce foals well into their late teens or early to mid 20's.
Unlike humans, mares do not go into menopause from a certain age. They undergo a reduced fertility. They go into heat later and their heat may last longer.
A pregnant mare should not be turned out with a stallion or even geldings. Geldings, while they no longer have the sex drive of a stallion, can still get an erection. Should a gelding mount and then penetrate the cervix of your mare, the pregnancy will likely be aborted.