how many foals should a mare have in its lifetime

[nicola1972]

my mare is on its 3rd foal. does anyone know how many more she can have in her lifetime without being cruel to her.

 

[maestro]

I have a German mare who is 14 and has had 10 foals. You wouldnt know to look at her she is very fit and healthy and is at her happiest with a foal in a herd.

 

[S_N]

I know of a few TB's that are/were in their 20's and still having foals..... Mares that had been having foals since they retired from racing at the age of 2/3/4, so first foals at 3/4/5........

 

[seabiscuit]

I think that some of these racehorses have about 12 foals!

 

[arwenplusone]

Think it depends on the mare and whether she carries the foal easily or not and/or how much strain it puts on her. Not unusual to have 10 -12 in a lifetime

IMHO they have a way of telling us when they've had enough - by not taking in the first place.

 

[nicola1972]

thanks i have 1 of her foals that i will always keep and shes in foal again would like to breed her in a few years and get a nice coloured

 

[volatis]

My oldest mare is 17 and had her 10th foal this year and looks really well in herself. She'll be put back in foal next year and will only retire when she starts to 'age' or is difficult to get in foal.

 

[catza]

my mare's dam has had 13 and is in foal again! had one every year since she was 3!

 

[jelibean]

Wow, thats going some!
Am i right in thinking that this mare must have been put in foal during each foal season to have had a foal each year?
I've always been advised against this because of the increased risk of fluid or pregancy matter which may not have had time to come away properly leading to infection.
Have i been misinformed?

 

[henryhorn]

Some of ours have had 7, but this year all bar one have been given a year off, for a start they need a rest, and secondly the dates need to be earlier, hence the break.
I think many mares have 10 or more but a break now and then seems to give them a better chance of producing long term.

 

[volatis]

Jelibean, if the mare was always covered on foal heat but foal's would in theory have been born earlier each year (11 months gestation) so I would assume the mare was more likely to be covered on the heat following the foal heat.
We only cover on the foal heat if we specifically want to bring forward the time of the next year's foaling

 

[foxviewstud]

my mare is one her third with me we think she had one before, but she is only happy with a foal at foot, when he foal comes away she will mother the youngest pony she is out with,i have always treated her as if she was still wild like she was when i got her with regards to running with stallion as have been told many a time they wont catch when they have had enough.

 

[jelibean]

Thanks Volatis, that makes sence now. It is right about breeding from the foal season or a load of rubbish? My Father In Law (Old fashioned horseman) swears by it.

 

[volatis]

It is more risky breeding on foal heat as yes you haven't given nature as much time to clear nay fluid etc that might be lingering. If I bred on foal heat (rarely) then the vet has to be certain the mare is clean, plus you need to delay the foal heat to at least 8 days post foaling as covering the mare prior to that massively increases the chances of the mare not conceiving or losing the pregnancy. Andypandy is the one to give you the technical reasons behind that.

 

[Irishcobs]

One of our mares at work has had 12 foals and is infoal to her 13th and final foal. She is 21 and still had a very good eventing career too.