Breeding a foal off;

[B_31]

My mare is now retired due to her basically stressing when ridden. Shes been scoped/diagnosed with ulcers/cleared/scoped/cleared etc etc. (horsepital - imagine the bills....)

I got sick to death of her colicing and me constantly spending the days in tears (Especially the day befor emy exam!) i rested her utterly from work for weeks (stable kept) ulcers cleared up... and stay clear until i try to ride her and the cycle starts again...so just gave up on the idea of riding her (i know she didnt honestly like being ridden except being bribed with carrots ....)

So she now is out24/7 and will stay that way. I wanted to breed a foal off her before i knew about her issues....providing i get 12 months clear from her and she chills right out - would it be a bad idea breeding from her?

Withou being awful....shes 6. She needs a job to do, she does get grouchy without something to do/someone to annoy...but at the same time i really cant work her atm!. A foal and a couple of years off may be the making of her? or it may turn her the opposite (a risk im willing to take - call me heartless but what else can i do?).

Foal will be to keep and be bred for height/temprament. I know my mares breeding and want something lighter. I had bought ayoungster for this reason but the youngster has turned out to be rather a short a*se....!! (but my mares BFF who adore each other so im rather stuck.. ;D )

Am i thinking along the wrong lines? i want a foal off her and on paper she should be the same as any mare? I will be having her scoped if im confident shes ok to breed...!


thoughts please?

[watchbank]

Is she any kind of breed or will it just be a random foal?

[B_31]

whoops sorry no - shes tb x cob and i would breed her to something like adagio II or full tb type


wouldnt be a tb x cob crossed with another cross -


I have two tbxcobs now and both seem like nice crosses but something lighter?

[Guestless]

I wouldn't breed from her personally. If she is too stressed to be ridden, then she could pass that trait to her progeny. There are too many unwanted horses on the market just now and IMO people should only be breeding if they are absolutely certain there is a job/market for the progeny.

[B_31]

hiya - with all due respect i know the market and how bad it is and well aware of the unwanted frankly rubbish people are breeding and ttrying to sell.

foals for me and wouldnt be sold (neither would the mare - she would never leave my care

if i had to sell anything then i would sell the youngster i currently have (being realistic!)

[brindlerainbow]

I would just say that the foal would be obviously 50% sire & 50% dam and would inherit their good points as well as bad points your mare may well pass her stress behaviour on to her foal. I could understand an older competition mare that was competing and travelling on a very regular basis to be stressy and have ulcers but not a 6 year old. The point im trying to make is that although you want to breed the foal to keep you may just end up with another horse that has stress issues. Obviously it may turn out perfect and have no problems at all!!! That is a risk that you have to take.

[B_31]

Thanks BR - good points

She may be back in work after christmas... which would be ideal (im going to try even though i have her down as retired in my mind)! even if she can happy hack then thats fine

and then re-assess the foal plan better knowing shes 100% sound

[Deleted]

Aug 3, 2012 20:08:09 GMT Guestless said:

I wouldn't breed from her personally. If she is too stressed to be ridden, then she could pass that trait to her progeny. There are too many unwanted horses on the market just now and IMO people should only be breeding if they are absolutely certain there is a job/market for the progeny.

I would be worried her offspring would inherit her stressy / nerves, you may end up with the same as you have now, doubled - mother and daughter/ son.

Have you tried her on a good calmer in her feed? it may chill things out.

[B_31]

Hiya

To look at her she's not stressy at all - she's the most chilled out horse ever - nothing phases her

Its just asking her to work, she just dosent want to and that makes her anxious and stressed (dosent show until she colics)

Hope that makes sense

[GinaGeo]

Could there some pain somewhere that could make being ridden unpleasant and thus stressful?

[watchbank]

I dont know then, but to be honest and without upsetting you just breeding a foal because the mare cant do much else is not a reason to breed. I have 1 foal a year if i am lucky ive just had 1 this year and didnt have one last but they are pure breed ponies that i am lucky enough to have pre-booked! I would just retire her to the field and let her live out her days in retirement?

[B_31]

sholud have also said i bought the mare to breed from if i retired her from riding (before i knew about the ulcers/colic)


i suppose its my personal decision and hard for people to have a view on when they dont know my mare as well as i do

thanks for the views, this can be locked now

[georgie0]

With all due respect, what is the point of starting a thread to ask for opinions if you lock it because you don't like the answer?! May not be the case, but it is certainly how it comes across.

Re your mare - be very careful. Temperamental issues like this can be easily passed on. There are plenty of cracking youngsters around who have been planned for all the right reasons.

What sort of work are you asking her to do? Some i have come across stress in 'work' situations and we have got round this by a season or two doing nothing but hunting and fast work.

[mf]

I think i would be worried that the stress of pregnancy would cause issues to the mare or her unborn foal. If she colics during pregnancy you could have huge bills and a dilemma regarding giving drugs to a pregnant mare. You could also end up with a dead mare and foal, a big bill and a lost stud fee.

[Guestless]

Aug 5, 2012 18:54:02 GMT mf said:

I think i would be worried that the stress of pregnancy would cause issues to the mare or her unborn foal. If she colics during pregnancy you could have huge bills and a dilemma regarding giving drugs to a pregnant mare. You could also end up with a dead mare and foal, a big bill and a lost stud fee.

I think that is an appropriate final word except to add that an experienced breeder once told me never to breed from a mare unless I was prepared to take the risk of losing her.