Too late to breed?

[brontepearson]

I have a 13hh shp type mare who's 15 years old but fit as a fiddle and was planning on putting her into foal. She didn't come into season for a while so I had her jabbed by the vet to no avail. Is it too late to keep trying? Heard late foals don't do as well as they're born towards the end of the summer but with the weather we've been having not sure if it would make much difference if it's the same next year! Also as a first foal what do you think would be the safest option for stallion, something small like a b to produce another hunter pony type? Her sister had her first foal age 16 and both did fine and she's being put to stud again soon

[FF]

We've just had a maiden mare foal this year at the age of 18. All went well and she is an amazing mum with no problems at all. She didn't take the 1st year she went so went back the next early and took 1st time. He was born on 10th April and the weather has been pretty horrid for most of it.

She's 15.2 and went to a 16hh stallion. Also the year before my sec D went to the same stallion but didn't take with 2 covering, then went with another stallion at the stud (hussy) and took 1st time so sometimes I think there just not compatible.

[brontepearson]

Lovely to hear of an 18 year old mare doing so well! gives me hope! Debating whether to try early next year or keep trying now?!

[Tywood]

A June foal shouldn't be too late, I'v had a July born foal go out to a breed show at the end of August at 6wks old and win her foal class against foals almost ready to be weaned. As far as this recent weather is concerned, i don't think weather-wise a foal would be at a disadvantage either!!

[brontepearson]

thanks! lovely to hear a young foal doing so well

[turtlespooch]

I always have June foals they are so much better than earlier ones

[gilbertgrape]

I had a mare who we couldn't get into foal and she was usually fine. So we covered her finally in August and she had a July foal. She thrived and I left her on the mare through the winter.
I've just covered 3 Section As cos only got the stallion late on. I prefer May/June foals.
I do show but that is such a short season its not really worth bothering about as you primarily want your mare to breed.If you leave it its a long wait!!!

[flo1]

Jul 18, 2012 12:30:33 GMT turtlespooch said:

I always have June foals they are so much better than earlier ones

Why are they?

[sarahp]

I prefer mine born May, then the mares get the early grass in late pregnancy and for milking and it's not too cold to foal outside. That's what nature intended! I would happily cover now if I wanted that foal, and for a first foal use a stallion no bigger than the mare - think of bulk as well as just height.

[EJM]

my filly was born in October!! ok that was at a stud with a broodmare that was in her early twenties but had been a broody all her life, what alot of breeders will do is if the mare can they will just keep the foal on the mare thru the winter that helps them allot.

[brontepearson]

a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/313234_2286811564262_809857871_n.jpg
Here's a picture of her, thinking maybe a section b stallion. I'm not bothered about foaling outside or anything, she's my only one so would be watched like a hawk and probably foal inside.

[pattendown]

ive had one born on 23rd dec 2011 and he is brill

[stormyskies]

I have just re covered my mare yesterday in a last minute moment of madness! Her first filly was born in June and I kept her at foot until she was 10 months. Kept mares weight down and she is now a big strapping 2 yr old

[snapdragons]

We have covered a mare today, she was covered in june but has come back in if she returns again i will leave it until next year.Wouldnt really choose to have a july foal but we used our own colt who we have just had licenced to really want to see if he can get the job done lol

[gillwales]

would advise against jabbing into season unless the mare is scanned first

I had one mare who was sent to me at stud and due to cold weather and the owner insisting that she lived outside was jabbed into season at the owners bequest, we covered her twice on the third and fifth day and she caught in foal. She was scanned in foal and the Vet advised the owner to have the mare scanned later in the year.
The following year the mare had twins but they were not at the same developmental, the first scan did not show twins as one foal was behind the other, only one foal survived birth.

The same person bought down another much older mare who was a maiden and with a lot of work on my part we managed to get her to show to the stallion and we covered her. When this mare was scanned the Vet was amazed that we had managed to get her in season as her womb was merely a tube and totally incapable of carrying a foal.