5 year old competition mare having bred a foal....

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The mare is 5 years old, the foal is last years and so the mare has done nothing but is just about to be backed and broken. She is to be a competition horse, not a brood mare.
Would the fact that she has bred a foal put you off?
If so is it because she has had a foal or because she is five and not started work?
Would you value a competition horse at less because it has had a foal once it has caught up education wise?

Thanks!!!
 
It would not put me off one bit... at least you know she has bred a good foal in case you ever fancy breeding from her once she has got a bit more of a career under her belt.

As for the fact she is 5 and not done anything, that would also not put me off one bit... Grace was 5 when I took her on and had been backed and that was it. I had to reback her and have done all the work to get her where she is now in just 4 1/2 months, so it can be done
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a lot of horses breed a foal when they are young and before they are broken . our old YO used to break mares all the time that would come in at 4 to 5 yo after having foals. they all had immpeccable breeding, it was a good way of the owner always having a good string of competition horses.
 
I realise that no work will make her less valuable at the moment than a five year old in work (assuming same quality / potential etc).
But you are saying that, if there were two identical 5 year old mares and both had done nothing but one had bred a foal, you wouldn't value the mare that has bred one at less??
Just checking because the general consensus so far is that it wouldn't put you off, but would you expect to get it for less?
 
I would worry slightly that it had been put in foal early because of some other problem eg an extended period of lameness or recovering from an injury. Don't know if that does happen but I am Miss Cynical when it comes to buying horses, probably far too suspicious.
 
I've got one the same and she's now 6 - I would say the foaling has allowed her to mature mentally and physically

she is also worth more in the future as a broodmare as she has already had a foal - i.e. similar to a woman NOT waiting till 39 to have a baby - it's dangerous - a mare waiting to 17 or 18 to have first foal is also dangerous

this mare is ideal to go onto competition now and then having proven herself she can go back to the paddocks in safety

wouldn't put me off at all
 
Hmmm, that's a tricky one.

For me, if the breeding was right and the ability right I would not value one much over the other as I quite like doing the work myself. However, if the one that has done some work already has already started competing and winning, then obviously that mare would be valued higher than the one who has done nothing. But when they are both in work (say at 6) then I would put them at a similar value if at a similar stage.
 
Would'nt put me off, infact i'd rather they were untouched, unspoilt youngster, ready to break, at least its more mature. The fact that she's had a foal is a plus for me..
 
It wouldn't put me off at all; in fact it might be an advantage in the long run as
a) you know she can breed already;
b) she hasn't been pushed too hard as a young horse so in theory should last longer and be stronger for it;
c) if she goes on to do well then her youngster increases in value; d) if her youngster goes on to do well, then the mare's value increases too so you gain both ways!
Value wise, I haven't a clue, sorry!
 
Thanks all
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Seems like not a problem at all for most people!!
That is good news for me!!
 
I did this.
I had a mare who had a foal as a four year old. She was backed and ridden on from 5 years.
She went on to be a fantastic, reliable competition horse and has since bred more foals. She is now 16 and has had to slow down due to injury but if she had her way she would still be Eventing.
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A maiden mare at 17 or 18 is not in the slightest dangerous and is quite normal for a competition mare once retired, terrible wrong and misleading quote!
 
Maybe it is not outright dangerous to breed from a 17+ maiden mare but it is proven to be more risky and threfore it can be more dangerous - that is probably what airdale meant.
I'm guessing that you have done or are breeding from a 17+ years old maiden mare?

Also, thanks for the rest of the replies!
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Think i'll keep said mare and sell as 6 year old once working and competing as it seems she can still make top competition price (assuming she has a good 12 months!)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Did you know that a woman is the only species that goes through the menapause. all other species can have babies untill they die..
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[/ QUOTE ]

Can in theory, but are not so likely to conceive when older...
 
QR -

No it would not put me off in the slightest....in fact it would actually be a plus in my opinion.

The risk factor in breeding a maiden 17 or 18 year old mare is far greater than breeding a mare who has already foaled earlier in life.

Horses can, and often do, go through a form of menopause. Seasons stop or become sporadic as they get older. I have a 21 year old who became infertile and has never returned to having seasons in the 2 years I have owned her.....she had bred 4 foals prior to this.
 
Breeding a mare early is VERY common on the Continent, and almost the norm in many of the stud books for a couple of reasons:

The mare is going to stand around anyway before she's old enough to do hard work so she might as well stand around and gestate.

In order to get higher status at mare inspections/tests the mare must produce a foal for inspection either at her testing or within a relatively narrow space of time afterwards. It makes sense to have the foal on the ground before the test so that everything can be expedited.

Breeders want to know what they've got. They keep some fillies back for breeding stock and they want to know what a mare produces early in the game so they can make an informed decision. They may also want a particular bloodline or combination and choose to get that done early, just in case.

Some people feel that breeding a mare young settles and regulates her cycles. It certainly isn't going to hurt and it might make a positive difference to some mares.

There is absolutely no reason to assume a mare from a successful breeder has been bred because there's something wrong with her - it might be more likely that it happened because there is something right with her!

As to breeding being the same with an older mare, I think science is pretty clear that age does increase risk and decrease fertility. The fertility issue is because a mare is born with all the eggs she'll ever have, which age along with her. This may or may not be a problem but that won't be obvious until you try.

And the risks associated with older mothers are not related to menopause, they are related to aging. Tissues are less elastic, systems are less reslilient (that's also why the ground gets harder the older one gets
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) and stuff just ages. The philosphy behind breeding at least once early is that everything is then "primed" for later if necessary.

I'm not sure it would make much of a difference to me - I wouldn't buy a mare because she's had a foal UNLESS I wanted her as a broodmare - but it sure wouldn't put me off if all else was equal. In fact I would consider it a plus in a horse I planned to sell on because it would prove her fertility and give some idea of her potential as a broodmare should that job be her eventual niche.
 
It is the norm on the continent. They ususally are put in foal at 2 and have it at 3. Ratina Z did this and she won gold at the Olympics
 
It would put me off at all, there is loads of pluses to it.

1) She is a proven brood mare if her competition life doesn't work out
2) She has had time to mature
3) She hasn't had any wear and tear on her joints etc
4) And as they others have said she will increase in value as her foals do etc.

If you had to identical mares, ubroken, same age etc but the only difference was that one has had a foal then i would expect it to be valued more than the other as it has already been proven in something if that makes sense.
 
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