Most breeders will start breeding a mare as young as five. Any mare who will be a broodmare should have her first foal between 5 and 10, during her optimum fertility years. Mares who have had foals their whole lives can continue to have foals into their early 20s.
Despite early breeding (between two and five years) having yielded some good results anecdotally, most horse owners, breeders and equine veterinarians hold that the best age to breed a mare is in the 5 to 10 years of age range, with the caveat that the mare should have her first foal well before the age of 10 if she is ...
The average gestation of mares is 340 days. However, like people, mares can go into labour earlier than expected. It is very important to know when your mare is due, so you can be ready for the foaling. Foals born more than 10 days early are more vulnerable to disease and infection.
Abstract. One year old fillies are able to conceive but, usually, not to give birth to a living foal. Although embryo transfer allows the production of foals from mature mares with repeated pregnancy losses, no reports are available on the use of one year old fillies as embryo donors.
In general, however, a foal born at or before 320 days of gestation is considered premature. In general, the closer the birth is to 342 or more days, the better the chance is that the foal will live. Foals born after 300 or fewer days of pregnancy have a lower chance of survival, possibly as low as 10%.
Stress in the mare may be due to severe infection, pneumonia, colic, etc. The fetus itself may also trigger onset of labor. This may be due to genetic problems causing organ malfunction, or other problems. Twins can be another reason for foals to be born prematurely,” says Barr.
The length of pregnancy in mares is highly variable (330 to 370 days), a rule of thumb is that the due date is 11 months plus 1 week from the last covering date. Mares can be foaled out in a paddock, particularly if the weather is likely to be good at the time of foaling.
Foals are cute and majestic, but foals will cost you $15,000-20,000 before you even know if they're an athlete.
When a mare is in estrus, her uterus should have good tone, the cervix should be open, and the follicle should be evident on palpation of the ovaries. Palpation and/or ultrasound during estrus can provide valuable information on possible causes of infertility.
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.
Your mare will need a clean, safe, quiet place to foal. If the weather is good, a clean pasture is great. If not, she will need a stall large enough to freely lay down with room on both ends. Avoid a situation where at delivery the mare or her foal are forced into a corner or up against a wall.
Most mares will foal between the hours of 10pm and 2am, but parturition (aka birthing) can occur at any time of day. Watching them on cameras or from a distance to ensure they are not in labor and struggling is the least invasive way you can monitor them.
Weaning is usually done somewhere between 4 and 7 months of age, although some ranches leave their foals on the mares a bit longer. After 4 months of age, the foal's nutritional requirements exceed that provided by the mare's milk, and most foals are eating grain and forage on their own.
A mare who's had no foals, or only one or two, shouldn't be bred past 16. Mares who have been regularly bred, and are able to manage pregnancies well, can be bred as old as 25, though most breeders will stop at 23.
The Morgan horse nearly always tops the list of recommended breeds for newer riders. Considered America's first breed in the 18th century, the Morgan is known for being kind and courageous. They are particularly eager to please and will work hard to try to figure out what their rider is asking of them.
Optimal breeding is every other day while she is in estrus and before she ovulates. A mare will normally ovulate about 24 to 48 hours before the end of estrus.
It is better to start earlier rather than later as mares do not always get in foal on the first attempt. May is usually a good time as the weather is good, the day length is increasing and mares should be approaching their peak fertility period.
Q: How many times should a stallion cover a mare? Breeders recommend covering a mare every 48 hours while in heat, so two to three times per cycle. Some mares may need two or even three cycles to become pregnant.
Regular heat cycles and supplemental lighting. Increasing your mare's exposure to daylight 2 to 2.5 months prior to breeding can ensure regular heat cycles and ovulation. To breed in February, start supplemental lighting in late November or early December.
Most of these sick foals now survive—about 80 percent.” Difficult births, called dystocias, are not common but are true emergencies when they do occur, says Wilkins. About 10 percent of all births are dystocias, although the incidence rate is higher among Thorough-bred mares.
Broodmares averaged $83,297 while racing or broodmare prospects averaged $136,594.
Mares: Can have 0 to 20, with an average broodmare producing around 15 to 20 foals in her life. Stallions: Most stallions are bred 30 to 50 times a year. If 40 of those attempts result in a live foal, a stallion could have 600 foals in his life.
Core vaccinations for pregnant mares
Pregnant mares should also be up to date on their core vaccinations. This includes Eastern Encephalomyelitis, Western Encephalomyelitis, West Nile Virus, Tetanus and Rabies. Rabies can be given prior to breeding or 4-6 weeks prior to the anticipated birth of the foal.
The most likely reason that mares lie down after mating is because they are overwhelmed and need to rest to bring their heart rate back down to normal levels. Stallions can be aggressive and hyperactive when courting and mating, and horses are socially sensitive creatures.
The average gestation length of a mare (period between breeding and foaling) is 340 days. It can vary within 20 days either side.