I want to breed from my mare, what should I do to make sure she’ll be ok?
If this is her first foal, make sure she’s old enough (Generally 3 years or older) and in good physical condition – a checkup by your vet would be a good idea.
Other than that, it’s mainly a case of finding a suitable stallion and letting nature take its course.
My horse is 14 And has never been breed before. Is it safe to breed her?
Think long and hard about this, there are so many unwanted horses and ponies in the country so please make sure you are doing this for the right reasons.
If you are then it is quite late for a first foal but not too late, get her checked out thoroughly by a vet first, also make sure you choose the stallion well, don’t use a larger stallion or the foal may be too big and she could have problems foaling, also check out the stallion’ s history, see some of his previous foals if possible.
Generally, it’s preferable for the mare to have her first foal before she’s fifteen. If a horse has had a problem before with birthing, it may be inadvisable to allow her to become pregnant again, as the risk of a similar problem is increased.
Will related horses breed?
Yes.
A colt or stallion will attempt to mount any mare in season, even his own sister or mother. In the wild colts are driven away from the herd to prevent inbreeding with close relatives.
Never allow a colt or stallion to mix with his own female relatives once he’s reached sexual maturity (from about one year old onwards).
Inbreeding between close family members vastly increases the chance of a birth deformity and congenital illness.
What is a “season” and how long does it last?
This is simply a period where the mare is fertile and becomes sexually receptive, also sometimes known as “Being in heat”. A filly will have her first season usually somewhere between one and two years of age.
Mares usually come into season every 3 to 4 weeks from between April to August, but there are many variations, we’ve had early and late foals from off Dartmoor.
Feeding plays a big part in this, no animal will come into season if it is starved or it will have irregular seasons if it is poorly fed or otherwise stressed.
Mare sometimes display marked behavioural differences when in season, which can lead to aggression and difficulty in control. Feed supplements can sometimes help mares with strong changes.
Climate changes may also affect oestrous and we do see some of these changes in the UK. Also where mares need to be bred early, heated stables and warm clothing can bring mares into season during the Winter.
How long the season lasts can be from a few days onwards really, if you have a stallion in the yard where you keep her, then the chances are her season will last longer. Again it is variable from mare to mare.
If you want to breed, then the fitter the mare the better. She needs to be in the best of health and overweight mares are also less likely to conceive.
