Brood mare age

One of my mares is 19 now and in foal for 2008. I spoke to my vet about her and he said that while she's still coping well with pregnancy and labour - and with feeding the foal then there is no reasonto stop. She will tell me when she has had a enough - if she starts dropping condition either during pregnancy or while lactating then I will know that perhaps she has had enough - as it is at the moment though - she copes better than some of my younger mares!
I do make sure she is rugged especially well though and obviously has plenty of adlib haylage throughout winter and stud feed up to and after the birth
 
The advice given to me was along the lines of: when they've had enough they probably won't get pregnant, or at least, not easily. My native pony loves being a mum, she's fit , healthy, and would like a foal every year. I mention her only because HER mum, now 26, is still happily having foals. My dear old thoroughbred, now dead, had her last foal at 20. I think, if they're fit, get pregnant easily, and appear to enjoy their foals, then it's fine at any age.
 
Depends on mare and how many foals she has had also how well she has been looked after. I have had one go on and have last foal at 28 and lived for a further 8 years after and one that at 20 will have one more foal before retiring.

If they are healthy and not overused they can go on, you will always know if they can't do it anymore especially if they do not bounce back after foaling the way they used to or not to your satisfaction then you know its time to say thanks for all the babies now go and eat grass and enjoy your retirement!
 
It depends on the individual mare, though ponies tend to breed later than horses, ive heard of a sheltland in its late 20's having a foal and all being fine.
I have quite alot of Golden Oldies in my mare collection, my 22yo Grade A has a foal at foot (took first time) and took first time and is expecting next year as well, though we couldn't get her infoal in 2004 so we competed her upto trying to put her in foal in 2006 to get her fit toned and muscled and give her uterus a rest. I got given a 18yo Welsh Cob and I think the people thought its breeding days were over and gave her away at the end of the season, she took first time at 19yo, then took again 1st time at 20yo and is infoal again this year at 21yo on second attempt, although the first time I missed her second covering because of being flooded so she was unlikely to take that time anyway so I blame the weather to blotting her breeding record!
 
My mare is 19 and got in foal 1st time this year, however didn't take last year. We have found as she's got older she can easily drop weight if we're not careful. however she looks better than a lot of the younger mares. As the others have said as long as the mare remains healthy, maintains condition and the vet is happy with her carry on.
 
I agree it depends on the mare - even within the same breed they can vary widely. I'm no expert, but I've been taught that when it starts getting difficult to get her in foal, it's probably time to stop. Although of course some mares are always difficult, even when young!
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We had a 20yo mare to Tobago this year, who had never taken by AI before - and yet this time at the first attempt she had twins! (One pinched out, the other still hanging in there...)
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My mare was 11 when I started to try and get her infoal, she went away to stud and came back with a massive infection, the vet took a bucket of puss out of her uterus and from then on it was a battle but she doesn't seem bothered by arms up her backside and jabs so we kept trying til we struck gold last year her story is on a thread in this breeding section.
 
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