Breeding advice

[howengold]

My mare is 15 years old, well bred and well put together NF with Howen and Weirs blood lines. She is 13.1hh. We Have been offered a free covering from well bred Arab stallion who again has excellent bloodlines (can't remember them at the mo) and is a perfect example of his breed. Both have wonderful temperaments.

First of all before anyone says too many foals bred etc etc, this has always been my plan and the foal would have a home for life with us, I wont be breeding another just this one from my mare. There is no question of it being sold on as I keep all my ponies till the bitter end . Also it's not set in stone as I am still pondering and am not about to rush in to it (although I have been thinking and discussing breeding for her for years lol so definitely not a rush job).

Anyway my question is, is 15 too late to bred from for the first time? And would the Arab be too big? He's 15.2hh and lightweight but I am wondering if thats still too much. I do have another stallion on offer but won't be using him as he is really poorly put together in my opinion and I don't want to breed a poor pony.

[howengold]

I should also say I worked in a stud for two years and have experience in breeding, so I know what I am getting into if I do take the last step xx

[misssmith6]

Hi

I don't think the stallion is too big as the mare usually dictates the size of the foal at birth, I guess the question is, is 15'2 too big at full height for you? A first time mare will often have a smaller foal.

Some studs and Vet practices offer repro packages and charge more for mares over 15 due to the increased chance of issues. Fertility does reduce with age so it may be that you might need more than 1 attempt to get her infoal. A lot of vets offer a package with 2 cycles for the price of 1 so look for that.

I would say if her reproductive conformation is good and she is a clean mare you shouldn't have too many problems.
Good luck, we are awaiting our second home bred due in April, our mare is 16, it has been a brilliant experience, its wonderful to plan and breed a foal for yourself.

My sister is a vet specialising in repro work, feel free to PM us if you would like advice from her.