First time breeder

Jenna1406

Jenna1406

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I am planning breeding for the first time ever this year EEK! I am using Freckleton Enchilida with my IDxTB. My mare gets her pre breeding check tomorrow to make sure everything is as it should be. She is getting it done AI due to the distance of the stallion.

Anything I need/should know for starting this??

Need to write as many questions down to confuse my vet tomorrow lol.

Very exciting times :D :D
 
Im a first timer too and we're expecting our first foal next month (see video post below) feel free to pm me with any questions ... until I looked into it didn't realise there was so much knowledge required ;)
 
Oh gosh where to start. I'll keep it short though and let others tap into giving their advice.

My first and biggest piece of advice is use a repro vet, not the local guy round the corner. Breeding is not for the faint-hearted nor for the light wallet.

Secondly, once you have a good repro vet doing everything, they will guide you and help you learn. Make sure he tells you everything; what size follicle the mare is at with each scan, remember what size follicle she ovulates at if you are planning to rebreed her (or if she doesn't take first time) as they often, but not always, ovulate at close to the same size each time. Have a fixed idea of how you want the breeding to progress; I don't give my mares prostaglandin to bring them into heat, I leave it to nature but you need to decide whether that is for you or not. Will you be taking her to the repro clinic for pre/post breeding scans or having them done at home.

Further down the line; Have you figured out your birthing plan, have you sorted out a weaning process and made adequate arrangements for how you will do it. Are you planning to foal down at home or send mare to stud.
 
Jenna1406 said:
I am planning breeding for the first time ever this year EEK! I am using Freckleton Enchilida with my IDxTB. My mare gets her pre breeding check tomorrow to make sure everything is as it should be. She is getting it done AI due to the distance of the stallion.

Anything I need/should know for starting this??

Need to write as many questions down to confuse my vet tomorrow lol.

Very exciting times :D :D
Click to expand...

I bred my first foal in 2010/11 and it was a mixture of worry and excitement. I learnt a lot and this is my advice for you.

Do not over feed the mare, she will catch/hold better if she is leaner.

Do not feed for 2 as soon as she is in foal. Even in the final 3 months be careful with food. He tummy will be able to take less and less as the foal takes up more space. There are specialist feeds that give all the vital nutrients without the bulk. I use suregrow as it suits my cob mare who is prone to do rather too well.

The 11 months will fly by, you will get to the foal watch stage, be exhausted and a nervous wreck and then this will happen and, with luck, you will burst into joyful tears ! Good luck and enjoy - I did.
456_zps093eeae9.jpg
 
Spring Feather said:
Oh gosh where to start. I'll keep it short though and let others tap into giving their advice.

My first and biggest piece of advice is use a repro vet, not the local guy round the corner. Breeding is not for the faint-hearted nor for the light wallet.

Secondly, once you have a good repro vet doing everything, they will guide you and help you learn. Make sure he tells you everything; what size follicle the mare is at with each scan, remember what size follicle she ovulates at if you are planning to rebreed her (or if she doesn't take first time) as they often, but not always, ovulate at close to the same size each time. Have a fixed idea of how you want the breeding to progress; I don't give my mares prostaglandin to bring them into heat, I leave it to nature but you need to decide whether that is for you or not. Will you be taking her to the repro clinic for pre/post breeding scans or having them done at home.

Further down the line; Have you figured out your birthing plan, have you sorted out a weaning process and made adequate arrangements for how you will do it. Are you planning to foal down at home or send mare to stud.
Click to expand...

Dont get me wrong im not minted but it will be worth it if it works lol.

Yes, our vets up here are good at doing it. She is getting her prebreeding check done at home tomorrow and then when she is in season she will have to go over and stay at the vets for daily scans and so that they can get me to order the semen at the right time.

Further down the line, birthing plan is hoping she would cope ok on her own but I will be there (tent caravan or something) and 2 hourly checks (not paranoid or anything lol), the weaning process is still in discussions as our yard isnt big enough to seperate them for it to work, so I would have to remove one or the other for a week (or however long I should, im very new to this)....
 
AdorableAlice said:
I bred my first foal in 2010/11 and it was a mixture of worry and excitement. I learnt a lot and this is my advice for you.

Do not over feed the mare, she will catch/hold better if she is leaner.

Do not feed for 2 as soon as she is in foal. Even in the final 3 months be careful with food. He tummy will be able to take less and less as the foal takes up more space. There are specialist feeds that give all the vital nutrients without the bulk. I use suregrow as it suits my cob mare who is prone to do rather too well.

The 11 months will fly by, you will get to the foal watch stage, be exhausted and a nervous wreck and then this will happen and, with luck, you will burst into joyful tears ! Good luck and enjoy - I did.
456_zps093eeae9.jpg
Click to expand...


WOW that picture is lovely.

Im all excited to get it going just now and nervous at the same time as if they say sae is in foal, it will be like OMG! lol.

Shes a good weight just now and her feed will be reduced as soon as the spring grass comes in as she just looks at it and gets fat. I was told by the stud owner to use D&H suregrow about 4 months from when she is due or something.
 
Jenna1406 said:
Dont get me wrong im not minted but it will be worth it if it works lol.

Yes, our vets up here are good at doing it. She is getting her prebreeding check done at home tomorrow and then when she is in season she will have to go over and stay at the vets for daily scans and so that they can get me to order the semen at the right time.

Further down the line, birthing plan is hoping she would cope ok on her own but I will be there (tent caravan or something) and 2 hourly checks (not paranoid or anything lol), the weaning process is still in discussions as our yard isnt big enough to seperate them for it to work, so I would have to remove one or the other for a week (or however long I should, im very new to this)....
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It's always worth it :) but what I really meant is, the breeding costs are the same whether you get the mare pregnant or not, hence using the best repro vets you can :) It would be worth it if you can get over to see the scanning and breeding of your mare. It's always very interesting and the more you chatter away to the vet the more information you'll suck in.

With weaning, the mare and foal will need to be separated for a few months so figuring out a weaning plan now saves on any stress for when it actually comes around, and as another poster says, those months will fly by! If it's any help, I wean over a fenceline. All our foals are weaned at the same time and they stay in the field they've lived in all their lives and the mares are all moved next door where they can still sniff and touch their foals but the foals can't suckle. This is stressfree for me and the animals but other people prefer to wean differently. You just have to figure out what works best for you.

How exciting for you! I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute of it - I still do and I've been at it a while now :)
 
Spring Feather said:
It's always worth it :) but what I really meant is, the breeding costs are the same whether you get the mare pregnant or not, hence using the best repro vets you can :) It would be worth it if you can get over to see the scanning and breeding of your mare. It's always very interesting and the more you chatter away to the vet the more information you'll suck in.

With weaning, the mare and foal will need to be separated for a few months so figuring out a weaning plan now saves on any stress for when it actually comes around, and as another poster says, those months will fly by! If it's any help, I wean over a fenceline. All our foals are weaned at the same time and they stay in the field they've lived in all their lives and the mares are all moved next door where they can still sniff and touch their foals but the foals can't suckle. This is stressfree for me and the animals but other people prefer to wean differently. You just have to figure out what works best for you.

How exciting for you! I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute of it - I still do and I've been at it a while now :)
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I think that is a good idea, I think I will try and get over some of the days just to see what is going on as the vets is only a 10 min drive from where I work which is quite good.

Hmm! Over the fence line is a good one, I will keep that in mind.

thank you :D

xx
 
SureGrow is useful, it is low calorie but nutrient dense and at 250g per 100kg bodyweight it is relatively cheap to use and doesn't present the horse with huge amounts of hard feed to consume.

Of course, there are many many different feeds available and I am only commenting on suregrow because it has suited my non TB mare and non TB youngstock, plus it has not broken the bank - always useful !
 
Oh and another thing, make sure you read your breeding contract thoroughly. If it comes with a LFG (live foal guarantee) then the stallion owner/agent may put regulations that you must follow in order to achieve a LFG should anything untoward happen. With some contracts you must give Pneumabort or Prodigy shots during the pregnancy (they may have a different name in the UK). Again I don't give those shots so I only go for stallions with contracts that do not have those rules. Most stallion contracts will state how many post breeding scans your mare needs to have in order to fulfill the LFG, some only ask for the 16 day scan and a 28 day scan, others ask for them right up to 45 and 60 days. There are so many decisions to make during the whole process and it's not one size fits all, so you as the mare owner have to go for what works best for you and your mare while also fulfilling your obligations to the breeding contract :)
 
AdorableAlice said:
SureGrow is useful, it is low calorie but nutrient dense and at 250g per 100kg bodyweight it is relatively cheap to use and doesn't present the horse with huge amounts of hard feed to consume.

Of course, there are many many different feeds available and I am only commenting on suregrow because it has suited my non TB mare and non TB youngstock, plus it has not broken the bank - always useful !
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Anything that is suitable and doesnt break the bank will be good but obviously if it doesnt work I will keep looking, thanks :D
 
Welcome to the headache that is breeding :D

Im a first timer too, my mares had her pre breeding checks and is due insemination on her next season....she was due this week but the ****** has sneakily ovulated :rolleyes:, so we are going to jab her to bring her back into season and try again. :)

This board wil be your idol! I recommend lots of ready/research, and ensure your mare is on a good feed with enough vitamin e & selenium in it to aid fertility. Once you have all her certificates, make sure everything is sorted with the stud/stallions owner, so that when you scan and she's ready, all you have to do is order the semen, taking into acount the time of day you order and how long it takes to get to you. :)

Best of luck and keep us updated! I think us first timers should start a sticking in this part off the forum where we can ask ideas of more experienced breeders. :)
 
Delicious_D said:
Welcome to the headache that is breeding :D

Im a first timer too, my mares had her pre breeding checks and is due insemination on her next season....she was due this week but the ****** has sneakily ovulated :rolleyes:, so we are going to jab her to bring her back into season and try again. :)

This board wil be your idol! I recommend lots of ready/research, and ensure your mare is on a good feed with enough vitamin e & selenium in it to aid fertility. Once you have all her certificates, make sure everything is sorted with the stud/stallions owner, so that when you scan and she's ready, all you have to do is order the semen, taking into acount the time of day you order and how long it takes to get to you. :)

Best of luck and keep us updated! I think us first timers should start a sticking in this part off the forum where we can ask ideas of more experienced breeders. :)
Click to expand...

I would wait for her to come back on naturally. A covering now will produce a February foal, assuming you are in the UK, February is a rotten month to have a new born foal around. Obviously TB's are bred early for the racing industry, but for hobby breeders a very early foal is not necessary.

For me, April is plenty early enough, warmer weather, grass coming through, longer daylight hours - which is the governing factor in a mares reproductive system and far easier for the foal.
 
Delicious_D said:
Welcome to the headache that is breeding :D

Im a first timer too, my mares had her pre breeding checks and is due insemination on her next season....she was due this week but the ****** has sneakily ovulated :rolleyes:, so we are going to jab her to bring her back into season and try again. :)

This board wil be your idol! I recommend lots of ready/research, and ensure your mare is on a good feed with enough vitamin e & selenium in it to aid fertility. Once you have all her certificates, make sure everything is sorted with the stud/stallions owner, so that when you scan and she's ready, all you have to do is order the semen, taking into acount the time of day you order and how long it takes to get to you. :)

Best of luck and keep us updated! I think us first timers should start a sticking in this part off the forum where we can ask ideas of more experienced breeders. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I better stock up on paracetamol and night nurse to help me sleep for the next x amount of months lol.

Thanksfully, my mare is a bit of a tart and has a very obvious season and normally can tell by her behaviour as well.

At the moment she is on Hi fi apple, comp mix and speedi beet and superflex as this year was originally meant for completing but decided against it lol.

Should I start her on anything else before hand or leave it as it is and wait until she is in foal??

The stud is getting paid on pay day which is next wednesday and then its just a phonecall away and darcy will have to go to the vets for daily checks.

AdorableAlice said:
I would wait for her to come back on naturally. A covering now will produce a February foal, assuming you are in the UK, February is a rotten month to have a new born foal around. Obviously TB's are bred early for the racing industry, but for hobby breeders a very early foal is not necessary.

For me, April is plenty early enough, warmer weather, grass coming through, longer daylight hours - which is the governing factor in a mares reproductive system and far easier for the foal.
Click to expand...


I am planning/wanting a March foal, just due to its quieter on the yard and ill get time of work etc :D
 
Spring Feather said:
Oh and another thing, make sure you read your breeding contract thoroughly. If it comes with a LFG (live foal guarantee) then the stallion owner/agent may put regulations that you must follow in order to achieve a LFG should anything untoward happen. With some contracts you must give Pneumabort or Prodigy shots during the pregnancy (they may have a different name in the UK). Again I don't give those shots so I only go for stallions with contracts that do not have those rules. Most stallion contracts will state how many post breeding scans your mare needs to have in order to fulfill the LFG, some only ask for the 16 day scan and a 28 day scan, others ask for them right up to 45 and 60 days. There are so many decisions to make during the whole process and it's not one size fits all, so you as the mare owner have to go for what works best for you and your mare while also fulfilling your obligations to the breeding contract :)
Click to expand...

Just noticed this post.

It is LFG as long as I still get her swab done, in case of any infections. :D

If it didnt work, not sure Id be able to go through it again lol. STRESS haha
 
I have to fit foaling in around works busy time too :)

I have dee on Saracens Mare Care, Dengie Alfa - A molasses free and micronised linseed as she was a little poor coming out of winter. Its a fab feed and shes looking fab!

With EHV-1 about, maybe speak to your vet regarding vacination? Swabs for CEM and EVH really are a must as you wouldnt want the heartbreak of an aborted foal.
 
Delicious_D said:
I have to fit foaling in around works busy time too :)

I have dee on Saracens Mare Care, Dengie Alfa - A molasses free and micronised linseed as she was a little poor coming out of winter. Its a fab feed and shes looking fab!

With EHV-1 about, maybe speak to your vet regarding vacination? Swabs for CEM and EVH really are a must as you wouldnt want the heartbreak of an aborted foal.
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I dont work on a yard but it is quieter for people coming and going as its still winter and no one hangs about lol. Plus - the foaling box is where everyone can see her, so be better for less people coming and going.

Never heard of EVH - I have written it down on my "things to ask vet" bit of paper.

Thanks
 
AdorableAlice said:
I would wait for her to come back on naturally. A covering now will produce a February foal, assuming you are in the UK, February is a rotten month to have a new born foal around. Obviously TB's are bred early for the racing industry, but for hobby breeders a very early foal is not necessary.
Click to expand...
And TB studs usually have to put their mares under lights in order to bring them into heat early in the year. I have tried early breedings (when I was younger, stupider and had more money! :D) and all failed lol! I'm not prepared to put my mares under lights and right now it's only light from around 6.30am - 7.30/8pm at the moment so not light enough to even bother trying as I know they are only transitional heats atm. Total waste of money in my opinion, for me I mean, others can do as they please with their money :)

For me, April is plenty early enough, warmer weather, grass coming through, longer daylight hours - which is the governing factor in a mares reproductive system and far easier for the foal.
Click to expand...
I breed in May/June in order to have late April/early May foals. I find that time of year works best and the mares have always got pregnant first time when doing it then. It's also a far more temperate climate when the foals are born. I've had early April foals before and it's a frickin nightmare tbh, as if it rains they have to stay in and I personally like to get my foals out as soon as possible and have the mares back with their herd.

Horses for courses though. I just don't like to see new breeders pouring good money after bad down the drain because they don't know the ins and outs of when is the most successful time to breed.
 
Spring Feather said:
And TB studs usually have to put their mares under lights in order to bring them into heat early in the year. I have tried early breedings (when I was younger, stupider and had more money! :D) and all failed lol! I'm not prepared to put my mares under lights and right now it's only light from around 6.30am - 7.30/8pm at the moment so not light enough to even bother trying as I know they are only transitional heats atm. Total waste of money in my opinion, for me I mean, others can do as they please with their money :)


I breed in May/June in order to have late April/early May foals. I find that time of year works best and the mares have always got pregnant first time when doing it then. It's also a far more temperate climate when the foals are born. I've had early April foals before and it's a frickin nightmare tbh, as if it rains they have to stay in and I personally like to get my foals out as soon as possible and have the mares back with their herd.

Horses for courses though. I just don't like to see new breeders pouring good money after bad down the drain because they don't know the ins and outs of when is the most successful time to breed.
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I am starting earlier because 1. easier for time of work and 2. if it doesnt work, ive got plenty of time to try again as our vets will only do 3 AIs as if she doesnt take, there must be a reason.
 
Toast said:
Stamps feet.. enough with all this planning and foal pictures and merriment! i want to have a foal!!!!! My first was 2010 and mare is now too old for any more :(
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Oh no! hugs.

this is another reason I am trying now as my mare is 14 and came "off the boat from ireland" when she was 7, so she might or might not have had a foal in the past.

x
 
Jenna1406 said:
I am starting earlier because 1. easier for time of work and 2. if it doesnt work, ive got plenty of time to try again as our vets will only do 3 AIs as if she doesnt take, there must be a reason.
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:) The sweetness of naivety. Mares are notorious for not reading the manual. They conceive and foal when THEY are ready, they like to keep us all on our toes and rarely work around what suits us :D Your vets aren't giving her much of a chance if I may say so. To only give her 3 tries will only bring her into May, which is when many mares just start having regular heat cycles. Transitional heats are a beggar to try to work around, hence I no longer try, as all it did in the past was put more coffers into the vets bank account. Breeding is all about trial and error though and what method works for one breeder may not work for another so although I wouldn't waste money trying (and likely unsuccessfully) to breed right now, I hope you are successful first time round with your mare :)
 
Spring Feather said:
:) The sweetness of naivety. Mares are notorious for not reading the manual. They conceive and foal when THEY are ready, they like to keep us all on our toes and rarely work around what suits us :D Your vets aren't giving her much of a chance if I may say so. To only give her 3 tries will only bring her into May, which is when many mares just start having regular heat cycles. Transitional heats are a beggar to try to work around, hence I no longer try, as all it did in the past was put more coffers into the vets bank account. Breeding is all about trial and error though and what method works for one breeder may not work for another so although I wouldn't waste money trying (and likely unsuccessfully) to breed right now, I hope you are successful first time round with your mare :)
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Thanks.

Like you said its all trial and error and thankfully my mare goes into season ALL year round, so i never get a break from her monthly lol
 
Jenna1406 said:
Thanks.

Like you said its all trial and error and thankfully my mare goes into season ALL year round, so i never get a break from her monthly lol
Click to expand...

Oh as do my unbred mares :) They all cycle throughout the year but they are transitionals, not regular heats that's what I'm saying. Usually most mares have *regular* breeding heat patterns from May to September as they need the light (16 hours min per day) to be able to cycle properly. Ask your vet about transitional heats. The usual method of having them start regular cycling is to put them under lights and/or jab them with domperidone :)
 
Jenna1406 said:
I am starting earlier because 1. easier for time of work and 2. if it doesnt work, ive got plenty of time to try again as our vets will only do 3 AIs as if she doesnt take, there must be a reason.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. We did 3 rounds of AI with no joy in 2011, no medical reason why she did not hold, and before anyone says anything about the vet, the mare is owned by a very experienced repo vet.

The mare had held to the first go at AI with a previous foal. The only difference was a different stallion. We gave up as we did not want a very late foal. Started again in 2012, 3 more goes no joy, send the mare to the stallion, confirmed in foal second service, due end of May and will be called Costa Fortune if it is a filly and Broke the Bank if a colt.

No one will ever know if the mare was at fault or the stallion, if either.

OP, I hope you get your wish, but be open minded, the fact she is always in season does not mean she is fertile yet, she will need light and warmth for nature to do it's magic. Good luck.
 
Spring Feather said:
Oh as do my unbred mares :) They all cycle throughout the year but they are transitionals, not regular heats that's what I'm saying. Usually most mares have *regular* breeding heat patterns from May to September as they need the light (16 hours min per day) to be able to cycle properly. Ask your vet about transitional heats. The usual method of having them start regular cycling is to put them under lights and/or jab them with domperidone :)
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The vet is out this afternoon to scan her to make sure everything is OK and as it should be. I am slightly getting a head of myself but its pure excitment lol.

the vet did discuss about the injection to try and plan a date in case she needs the semen when I cant get it, so we were planning to try bringing her into season for the start of the week so I have all week to make the phone call to the stud.

AdorableAlice said:
Not necessarily. We did 3 rounds of AI with no joy in 2011, no medical reason why she did not hold, and before anyone says anything about the vet, the mare is owned by a very experienced repo vet.

The mare had held to the first go at AI with a previous foal. The only difference was a different stallion. We gave up as we did not want a very late foal. Started again in 2012, 3 more goes no joy, send the mare to the stallion, confirmed in foal second service, due end of May and will be called Costa Fortune if it is a filly and Broke the Bank if a colt.

No one will ever know if the mare was at fault or the stallion, if either.

OP, I hope you get your wish, but be open minded, the fact she is always in season does not mean she is fertile yet, she will need light and warmth for nature to do it's magic. Good luck.
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I was wanting to do it naturally but distance and costs were going to be a problem, so I am trying AI, if it really doesnt work then I will rethink the whole thing.

those names are brill

x
 
Jenna1406 said:
The vet is out this afternoon to scan her to make sure everything is OK and as it should be. I am slightly getting a head of myself but its pure excitment lol.

the vet did discuss about the injection to try and plan a date in case she needs the semen when I cant get it, so we were planning to try bringing her into season for the start of the week so I have all week to make the phone call to the stud.



I was wanting to do it naturally but distance and costs were going to be a problem, so I am trying AI, if it really doesnt work then I will rethink the whole thing.

those names are brill

x
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Jenna, just put of curiosity why would you choose natural over ai?
 
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