Breaking broodmare with foal

[emcorrie]

Does anyone have any experience breaking in a broodmare with a foal at side?
I am buying a new horse - a Lusitano to be used for dressage and working equitation, etc, as well as some breeding. I am deciding between two mares at the moment and one of them is in foal. She's due in March. She'll be 7 years in the spring and she's had no training previously except for what's necessary for breeding (float loading, tying, etc) otherwise she's friendly but a bit wild and doesn't much like to be touched.
I am impatient to start riding and I wonder if anyone has had any experience breaking in a mare with a foal at side? I know if she was already rideable it wouldn't be a problem riding with the foal following along behind. However since she has to be started I wonder if it'll be too distracting for the mare to undergo the breaking in, etc, if she's also paying attention to her foal? I don't really want to wait until the foal is weaned!! (Otherwise I'd probably decide to buy the other mare, which is younger and not pregnant).

Just to note, I am experienced breaking in horses so have no questions about that. But I've never started a horse with a foal at side!

 

[TheMule]

Far too many things to potentially go wrong and not really fair on the mare or foal IMO. I would think that you could start a little bit of desensitization when the foal is a bit older- 4months plus, but I wouldn’t want to ask the mare to do any lungin/ long reining etc until the foal is weaned.
Buy the one that isn’t pregnant

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Not a good idea to start backing with a foal at foot.
If a mare that's been worked till tack doesnt fit before foaling, then light work (a few laps quietly of a field) is fime imho.
Please, if you bought the unbacked one, don't start backing till weaning but go and a share horse or blag rides off others.

 

[emcorrie]

I don't know how to edit the initial post so want to add:

I'm not looking for opinions but experiences, please

 

[J&S]

I bought a 3 yr old filly (coloured on the left) and put her in foal immediately. I broke her in and hacked about the farm and a few rides out till about September then she was left for the rest of her pregnancy and till the foal was fully weaned. I did try a quick ride up the drive way with the foal at foot but foal had other ideas....! So we are talking about a 12 month wait to be riding really.

 

[Littlewills]

I don't know how to edit the initial post so want to add:

I'm not looking for opinions but experiences, please

I doubt you will find any as its just not a good idea.

Muscles slacken off during pregnancy so even with everything else out of the equation, the mare will be weak for some time after foaling. Then you have the issues of a young foal at foot and trying to break a young, not really handled, sensitive mare.

I wouldn't have even considered it, as its not feasible.

 

[ihatework]

Bad idea.
Not unheard of to be riding horses with foal at foot, it’s done a bit on the continent, but it’s not something I’d want to do even with an experienced mare, let alone a breaker.

 

[DabDab]

Yes I have, mare/foal weren't mine, for various reasons my boss just needed it done in that particular timeframe. We started 2 months after foal was on the ground.

Tbh it was an utter pita. Even though I had a groom to lead the foal while I was on the mare and another handler to help with the mare I couldn't properly concentrate on backing the mare because I was constantly looking at what the foal was doing and worrying that it might upset the mare. We got the job done but it's not how I would choose to back a horse of mine, and not something I would do with any horse if I didn't have a fair amount of help on the ground.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I don't know how to edit the initial post so want to add:

I'm not looking for opinions but experiences, please

Sorry. I have experience, and its enough experience to not advocate doing this.
If that's not what you want me (and others) to say, then I'm puzzled you asked the question.

 

[sport horse]

I have no experience of doing this because it is plainly not a good idea. An unbroken 7 year old is trouble enough let alone a Lustitano with a foal at foot.

 

[windand rain]

Not the best idea I wouldnt ride an experienced mare much less break one in with a foal less than 4 months old at foot, It might be possible to get her ready to ride with a ton of groundwork and carrying tack but unless it is a very sensible mare and the foal is looked after it would be very difficult to even get that far. Mind you the mare would definitely benefit from the handling for groundwork I would be aiming to back and ride away at about 6 months post foaling

 

[ycbm]

I don't know how to edit the initial post so want to add:

I'm not looking for opinions but experiences, please

As a new user there are two things you aren't yet aware of.

The first is that this is a public forum and once you have released your post into the wild you have no control over how people choose to respond to it and just have to suck it up, I'm afraid.

The second is that the use of bold, like you have, and even more so capitals, is easily perceived as aggressive, smiley or no smiley.

Now, to comment on your request for experiences you will hardly find any because people don't do it because it's not a good idea.

 

[Chinchilla]

no, no, no, and no.

Although my unbroken 6yo was no trouble at all, but her foal had been weaned a good while (about 6 weeks) before we started doing anything serious towards getting her under saddle. It wouldn't be a good experience for the foal for starters if the mare was nervous.

 

[Xmasha]

I’ve had young unbroken mares in foal . I’ve always waited until the foal is weaned . As long as the mare is in good condition after having the foal , doing some work with them can be good for them, helps to dry them up .
but I’d always take it slowly as they can lose muscle etc .
I don’t understand why anyone would consider rushing it for the sake of and extra few months

 

[Cortez]

Yes, I have both broken a mare with a foal at foot, and one which had lost her foal a week previously. They were respectively 6 years old and 9 years old. Obviously you have to think of the foal as well as the mare, and be prepared for the mare being distracted and focusing on her foal, but I found with both mares that it didn't take very long for everyone to settle down and training to proceed smoothly.

The mare with foal at foot was worked on very short sessions, in an enclosed paddock; pretty soon the foal just laid down for a nap whenever mummy was doing her schooling. I never worked her for longer than 30 minutes at a time, and never worked her hard enough to sweat. She got a little extra feed also.

The mare without a foal was worked about the same but didn't have any extra feed as we were drying off her milk, she benefitted from being in work as it speeded up the drying off, and gave her something to focus on other than losing her foal. Both mares went on to have successful ridden and competition careers (dressage). The mare that lost her foal was put back in foal the next year, and competed when pregnant also.

 

[doodle]

Friend tried to ride her mare when her foal was about 4 or 5 months. Foal was left in stable looking out to the school so could see mum at all times. Mum had been backed and ridden for a few years successfully. She tried twice and gave up and waited until foal was weaned. Foal screamed, mare didn’t concentrate.

 

[Cortez]

Friend tried to ride her mare when her foal was about 4 or 5 months. Foal was left in stable looking out to the school so could see mum at all times. Mum had been backed and ridden for a few years successfully. She tried twice and gave up and waited until foal was weaned. Foal screamed, mare didn’t concentrate.

Perhaps she should have persevered; twice isn't enough to allow everybody to settle. When I was schooling the mare with her foal at foot, I had the foal loose in the paddock while we worked. She trotted along beside mum for a little bit, then went off for a mosey in the grass, then just lay down for a kip. I'd say it was the third or fourth session before the foal just got on with it's day while mum had her lessons.

 

[emcorrie]

Perhaps she should have persevered; twice isn't enough to allow everybody to settle. When I was schooling the mare with her foal at foot, I had the foal loose in the paddock while we worked. She trotted along beside mum for a little bit, then went off for a mosey in the grass, then just lay down for a kip. I'd say it was the third or fourth session before the foal just got on with it's day while mum had her lessons.

Thanks for your experiences. My husband used to breed Barb horses and he said the same thing about separating mare and foal for short periods.. they'd just get used to it after a few sessions. My veterinarian friend also said it's possible to separate the mare and foal for an hour or so after about 4 months.
When you started your mare with the foal at foot did you venture outside of the yard and proceed as normal with the breaking in? Or did you take things particularly slow and limit yourself to the yard due to the foal?

Thanks also to the other people who have provided their own experiences.

 

[Mrsfarmer]

Does anyone have any experience breaking in a broodmare with a foal at side?
I am buying a new horse - a Lusitano to be used for dressage and working equitation, etc, as well as some breeding. I am deciding between two mares at the moment and one of them is in foal. She's due in March. She'll be 7 years in the spring and she's had no training previously except for what's necessary for breeding (float loading, tying, etc) otherwise she's friendly but a bit wild and doesn't much like to be touched.
I am impatient to start riding and I wonder if anyone has had any experience breaking in a mare with a foal at side? I know if she was already rideable it wouldn't be a problem riding with the foal following along behind. However since she has to be started I wonder if it'll be too distracting for the mare to undergo the breaking in, etc, if she's also paying attention to her foal? I don't really want to wait until the foal is weaned!! (Otherwise I'd probably decide to buy the other mare, which is younger and not pregnant).

Just to note, I am experienced breaking in horses so have no questions about that. But I've never started a horse with a foal at side!

I worked at a stud where we backed a couple of mares with foals at foot. We had them well handled enough that you could seperate the mare and foal within reason and still in view of one another. One mare was great, one was very very difficult. You would want to have the mare very well handled and the foal handled enough to be sensible. If it were me, I would get started with the absolute basics, make that foundation as strong as possible while she’s in foal and take your time getting on post foaling. I’d wait until atleast 6 months post foaling personally before making any riding goals. But this is when we tend to wean anyway. In the meantime lots of foundation work can be done.

 

[Cortez]

Thanks for your experiences. My husband used to breed Barb horses and he said the same thing about separating mare and foal for short periods.. they'd just get used to it after a few sessions. My veterinarian friend also said it's possible to separate the mare and foal for an hour or so after about 4 months.
When you started your mare with the foal at foot did you venture outside of the yard and proceed as normal with the breaking in? Or did you take things particularly slow and limit yourself to the yard due to the foal?

Thanks also to the other people who have provided their own experiences.

Oooh: Barbs, how interesting! I have ridden a few in Morocco and loved them, where were yours?

The breaking proceeded as per normal, but we don't ever hack on the roads, and probably stayed in the paddock/arena for longer than normal, I suppose. I left the foal loose in the paddock while we rode the mare up until he was about 4 months, then popped him in a stable and ventured further afield with the mare after that. I think we weaned him at about 5 - 6 months and went competing after that. He was always a pretty chilled little guy, as was his dam, don't know if that was as a result of nature or the way we trained him and her.

 

[emcorrie]

Oooh: Barbs, how interesting! I have ridden a few in Morocco and loved them, where were yours?

The breaking proceeded as per normal, but we don't ever hack on the roads, and probably stayed in the paddock/arena for longer than normal, I suppose. I left the foal loose in the paddock while we rode the mare up until he was about 4 months, then popped him in a stable and ventured further afield with the mare after that. I think we weaned him at about 5 - 6 months and went competing after that. He was always a pretty chilled little guy, as was his dam, don't know if that was as a result of nature or the way we trained him and her.

Thanks for the information and for sharing your experience! I ended up buying the 7 yo broodmare (and also a 3 yo) so I'll get to see for myself how it is starting her with the foal at side. I'm interested to see how it goes. I've realised it's not a big deal if it takes longer than normal, especially because I have the 3 yo to start as well.
My husband had Barbs in France. But actually he spent a decade in Morocco and travelled there a lot so that's how he became familiar with Barbs. This was before we were together so I have no experience with Barbs except for a couple that I rode in Morocco!

 

[ycbm]

I'm a very immediate, impatient person but I don't understand why you are pushing to ride the mare before the foal is weaned, especially as you will now have a 4 year old to do. I'm genuinely puzzled, can you explain?

If you do go ahead I'm sure we'd all love to follow the process if you can update us over the summer.