How much work is having a foal?

[steph91]

Absolutely love my mares temperament, but she's a bit small (15hh) and stuck in her hunting horse ways and refuses to jump at anything less than a gallop, plus she is getting on a bit 13ish. So i really want to breed from her (she had a foal with previous owner) and hopefully get something with a similar temperament but just bigger and a project.
I've heard foals are very difficult to handle before you even get anywhere near the breaking stage, so just want to hear some experiences of people breeding their horses and the work involved?
We've breed horses before but i was too young to really remember

 

[CrazyMare]

In a word. Lots.

They are great fun, but its definatly not an easy or cheap way to get another horse. TBH, you are better off buying.

Fools breed for wise men to buy.

I am a fool....

 

[Divasmum]

I bred from a favourite mare some years ago. I kept mother and daughter. The foal stage is lovely but they can get quite naughty as yearlings. One word of warning re size though. My mare was 15.2 (Welsh) and the sire was a 15.3 (anglo-arab). The daughter was barely 15 hands when fully grown. I had a great time with mine and showed her in hand as a yearling and when she was older.

 

[millitiger]

Timewise- not a lot.

But they require lots of patience and you need to spot the moment to reprimand and the moment to reassure in a second- if you get that wrong you very quickly end up with a not very nice youngster.

 

[steph91]

Was planning on breeding with a 16.1 ISH, would that get me something between 15.2 and 16.1?
I know buying would be easier but i really do love my mares temperament, she is perfect but cheeky at the same time, and really enjoy riding her at the moment so want a side project.
Planning on getting as much advice as possible...

 

[Allover]

Timewise- not a lot.

.

Cant agree with this, i spent HOURS gazing lovingly at mine!!!!!!!

Seriously though, i sent my mare to stud for the whole thing (covering to weaning, it actually worked out cheaper than having her on DIY!) they were in experienced hands the whole time and i just turned up to help out as and when i could. It meant that when the foal was born they were turned out with other mares and foals and left to get on with it, they were checked everyday, wormed and had their feet trimmed as and when. It was the most stress free experience (apart from winding myself up about the birth etc) and the foal was brilliant to handle etc as the herd taught him his manners.
I was very lucky and was offered a job at the stud shortly after he was born so i got to see them every day but managed not to "over do" the contact i had with him.

It is a great experience and "that noise" the mum makes to her baby still makes my hairs stand up when i think of it. Its good for the soul

 

[CrazyMare]

Was planning on breeding with a 16.1 ISH, would that get me something between 15.2 and 16.1?
I know buying would be easier but i really do love my mares temperament, she is perfect but cheeky at the same time, and really enjoy riding her at the moment so want a side project.
Planning on getting as much advice as possible...

Again - to be negative, sorry.

My mare and her daughter are polar opposites in terms of temprement, one is sharp, jumpy and on edge, the other is chilled, laid back and up for cuddles 24/7. The latter is the baby thankfully. It could so easily be the other way round

 

[PurplePickle]

more than I remember! im on my first foal in 15 years, im sure my last one wasnt as bad, well probably was but id forgotten how much time they take up. Having said that its nice time and lovely to know exactly where theyve been

 

[Umbongo]

Was planning on breeding with a 16.1 ISH, would that get me something between 15.2 and 16.1?
I know buying would be easier but i really do love my mares temperament, she is perfect but cheeky at the same time, and really enjoy riding her at the moment so want a side project.
Planning on getting as much advice as possible...

I would say that having a foal is a LOT of work, but worth it imo so long as you know what you are doing.

With regards to temperament, just because she is a sweetie doesn't mean the foal will be, it can work both ways. A woman at my yard had an absolute cowbag of a mare, she bred from her and luckily the filly has grown into a lovely little mare...nothing like it's mother!

Also I have been told that it is not necessarily the height of both parents that determines the height of offspring. The size of the mare can determine the size of the foal as a small mare could not accommodate a large foal. Also husbandry, nutrition etc (am I right in thinking that?)

 

[bonnie93]

Was planning on breeding with a 16.1 ISH, would that get me something between 15.2 and 16.1?

doesnt matter what size the stallion is, a foal can only grow to the size of the mare that its in!!!!! plus its can lead to complications if you try to breed a larger built foal from a smaller mare, even though the foal can only grow to the size of the mares womb, if the foal is wider built it can be difficult during the birth!!!


imo there are too many ppl breeding foals, they just end up wasted, ud b better off buying a foal/youngster and bringing them on. you can pick up good foals for £500, why put ur mare and yourself through all the hassel? and dont forget the extra costs lol


sorry to be the grumpy one!!!

 

[Umbongo]

doesnt matter what size the stallion is, a foal can only grow to the size of the mare that its in!!!!! plus its can lead to complications if you try to breed a larger built foal from a smaller mare, even though the foal can only grow to the size of the mares womb, if the foal is wider built it can be difficult during the birth!!!


imo there are too many ppl breeding foals, they just end up wasted, ud b better off buying a foal/youngster and bringing them on. you can pick up good foals for £500, why put ur mare and yourself through all the hassel? and dont forget the extra costs lol


sorry to be the grumpy one!!!

I thought so!

 

[Enfys]

imo there are too many ppl breeding foals,they just end up wasted, Not if the breeder thinks carefully and produces something that can be useful, not a single one that I breed, or buy in for that matter, will be wasted unless some yeehaw doesn't appreciate a nicely trained animal. I do think that "wasted" is relative, what is one mans junk is another mans treasure and all that. A warmblood would be wasted on me, no use for them at all, give me a paint pony that is going to make 12-14h and it won't be wasted by the time I'm done with it.ud b better off buying a foal/youngster and bringing them on. you can pick up good foals for £500Best time of year to buy, why put ur mare and yourself through all the hassel? and dont forget the extra costs I try very hard to do just thatlol


sorry to be the grumpy one!!!

...

 

[bonnie93]

wen i said to many ppl breeding i meant your average jo bloggs who think they can just make a bit of money, not actual breeders =)

 

[steph91]

Cheers everyone, though i'm not sure about you saying that a foal can only grow as big as the mare, as previously our 15.2 tb foaled a 17.2! And i think my mares last foal was 16hh.
I want a foal partly for me to cuddle and also cos my mares field companion of 3 years has just been sold and she seems really lonely as the other horse did act like her foal.
Also i forgot to mention i'm off to uni and am trying to think of things to do with her so she doesn't just become another field horse.
She's a cob btw so i doubt nothing could be wider

 

[The_snoopster]

I have done both I have bought a weanling and bred off my mare both are worth it if you put your time in, my weanling was a untouched NF straight off the forest. The NF was hard work as he had to get to trust me before I could do any serious handling, but within a few months he was pretty much good to do most things. As for breeding your own I also put my 15hh cob in foal, my filly was human friendly within 1 day. I choose to spend lots of time with her, and she has been well worth the wait, and all the time I put in as another poster wrote I just stand there admiring her.

 

[skychick]

I am not speaking from experience here.....but my mare has had 2 foals whilst with the person i loan her from (who works at my yard) one of her babies is at my yard...he is 4...and is touching 17 hands. His sire wasnt that big and my mare is 16.1.
But he is the EXACT carbon copy of my mare, looks and temperment wise.

her second foal she wanted something smaller....so took her to a stud with a smaller cob.....well she is 18 months now and is going to be equally as huge....prob around the 16.2 mark.

It seems that my mare throws big foals.

So you could be very lucky and have a mare that will give you a bigger carbon copy of herself.....or you could end up with smaller....or completely different temperment all together.

Also, when chatting to my mares owner when out on a hack...i had no idea of the cost/work involved with getting them in foal to them actually foaling. The vaccinations, scans, insurance, etc etc.

I think it would be very exciting to do it, but not having experience with foals or foaling etc i think i would buy rather than try and breed another copy of my mare.

(i emphasise....i know nothing on this subject....just what has been explained to me!)

 

[thatsmygirl]

I tried breeding from my beloved mare and she aborted at 9 months gone, it was so much heart ache and I neally lost my mare and had a £1500 vet bill and no foal.
Iv since gone and bought a stunning colt foal to make 15hh for £250.
If you breed you get what your given as well, buy and you can pick.
I couldn't put a mare in foal for £250

 

[brighteyes]

Don't bother, leave it to the experts and buy a youngster. My friend has bred about five and none of them have nice temperaments, all came out very different to the mare and each other, in spite of two being by the same stallion! You don't know YOUR mare's breeding, so she could throw back to her dam, granddam or anything and you have no idea who they were. Our mare's sire was gelded not long after she was foaled as he was proving unsuitable as a sire - whatever that means...

Don't risk your mare or the chance the foal will not be all you wanted and if you are that bothered about her doing nothing while you are away, put her on loan.

There are enough foals clogging up the salerings with only one destination. Buy something and save it from being put on a hook.

Negative? Yes. Realistic? Yes to that, too.

 

[The_snoopster]

It will be definately be cheaper to go out and buy a weanling of good quality, its not just the stud fee its all the extras like livery while your mare is at stud, scans plus any vet bills. Plus if you go out and buy a weanling you can go out and choose out of lots that are on the market.

 

[Enfys]

wen i said to many ppl breeding i meant your average jo bloggs who think they can just make a bit of money, not actual breeders =)

I am your average Jo Bloggs My stallion covers outside mares that I wouldn't breed from because if the owners didn't use him they'd only go to the next available grade stud, so I may as well give them a chance at producing a foal from a stallion with a decent temperament and no glaring confrmational faults. I do turn down a few mares, I won't put him on drafts or anything under 13.2

 

[Sessle]

I was thinking of putting my mare in foal, but not as a sale prospect, for me to keep, but I was too much of a scaredy cat! I love my mare so much, I was too scared that something would happen to her during the pregnancy/birth, so I just bought a youngster instead!
But when I was thinking it over, I spoke to a vet, and he said he'd done it, and in hindsight he wouldn't have done it, said it cost him more money to breed his own foal than it would have been to have bought someone elses! And he's a vet!
I do still think that it would be amazing to breed your own foal, and be there from day one though
In terms of workload, halter training and basics, then as others have said stand and stare in happiness, then the work starts when they're older

 

[iconique]

We've had the foals that don't take much work and are now turning into nice youngsters, but when I say not much work, the time that you would spend riding, is probably spent handling and working with them in addition to normal handling and grooming.

However, this year we've had the opposite, we've lost the most fantastic mare, leaving a 3 month old foal, that fortunatley weaned ok, but then it all went even more wrong and we now have a foal that is 6 months old and has had colic surgery plus will be on box rest for 12 weeks. We don't grudge it but you need to understand the risks, there's your mare - ours was not insured due to age for illness, the foal also had treatment for bent leg prior to mum dying and now we are hoping the insurance will cover the foal (which couldn't be properly covered until it was 30 days old) plus the worry (we check her every few hours but we also keep her at home) and I run my own business and am able to leave my guys at short notice.

Then the other side of it, putting the mare in foal, we've got one that might be after 2 attempts of AI, but the vet says it isn't although her temprement says she might be. She was away on holiday - costing us money for both livery and vets bills (repo stuff) and we might not have anything.

I'm also a grumpy one, you say you are going to uni and if you aren't there then you need to ensure that someone else is if needed plus you are at the beginning of a life and career - who knows where that will take you, if you are breeding to keep, then you've got a commitment for the next 20 years or so!! But if its what you want and you understand the risks, then great, I wish you well and that everything goes to plan. If breeding to sell, then from a profit point of view, unlikely.

Sorry to be a downer on it, but I certainly won't be rushing out, the pain has been too much and financially, well lets not go there

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

We've bred one, and bought one.

The bred one has turned out temperament wise similar to her mother, with extra fire and attitude! Her dam was 15.1hh, sire 14.2hh, I was hoping for 14.3hh/15hh, she is three years four months old, and barely scraping 14hh - I can't see that she's going to make another hand. I have pretty much decided that she isn't the horse for me, despite us breeding her to be next riding horse, once she's broken she'll probably be for sale (unless she's a total donkey to ride!). I've also realised that I get on much better with geldings, and that isn't something you can pick when you're breeding (well, not at the level we were breeding at!).

The bought one will be the riding horse that the bred one was supposed to be. He was bought wild and untouched, from a dealer out of a barn of over 20 colts and fillies - he was the only one that turned to look at the humans, I liked his interest in us, his markings, couldn't fault his conformation (he is a l/w cob type). He is an absolute sweetheart, and I wish I had bought instead of breeding first - if Ellie isn't the horse for me, then I have the heartache and guilt of finding a new home for what should have been my forever horse.

 

[Enfys]

wen i said to many ppl breeding i meant your average jo bloggs who think they can just make a bit of money, not actual breeders =)

Opinions are free and everyone has the right to them

Farrier turned up to deal with an abcess so I didn't finish what I was saying, you are right, too many people do breed, as the saying goes 'from anything with a uterus'

I have the result of two of those breedings here, although fortunately they are attractive foals and if they don't grow another head they will go on to be useful animals I hope. I think raising a foal takes a lot of production, as in hours on the ground in small doses, to prepare them as best you can to give them a fighting chance because they have manners and know what's what.

I've been offered three weanlings this week alone, the money I offer is probably less than the stud fee, it is a buyers market at this end of the year. One B.Y breeder is so desperate to be rid of a colt by winter that she is offering him to me for $200, down from the $800 I saw him originally advertised at. I still won't take him because he isn't what buyers want and at the end of the day, I buy to sell - eventually.

 

[steph91]

I'm not looking to buy a foal at all, if i have one i want it to be my mares. My family has done the breeding thing before so i'm well aware of the costs, just wanted advice on the work that goes into a foal once their born really. I know everyone is sharing their experiences and i'm quite thankful of that, but my mare has already bred atleast 2 foals that i know of with no complications, so i don't really have any fears of her or the foal not pulling through.
I'm really not trying to sound arrogant or ignorant and i really do value everyone writing on this post

 

[nijinsky]

I bred 2 foals last year, first time breeding for me, I wouldn't be without them now. One was definitely to keep out of my mare who retired from an injury. The second foal I bred to run alongside the other foal as I heard it's better to have two foals together for companionship etc. I utterly adore them both & can't bring myself to sell the one that was bred to sell!! I have been very lucky with them, no real problems to speak of, they are yearlings now and I imagine the bigger & stronger they get I could meet with some issues!

My 2nd foal was out of a 16.3 broodmare by a 16.1 stallion & I will be lucky if she makes 15hh. The 1st foal was out of a 16.3 maiden mare & the same stallion & she is gonna be enormous, so you don't always get what you hope for regarding size. I would never have thought my 2nd foal would be so tiny.

The other thing to consider is cost. It can cost a fortune & you still don't get your foal. The stud fee, the vet fees, are expensive enough if it works first time but many people try around 3 times before their mare is confirmed in foal, even if you get a good "package" deal. You are feeding them for a good few years before even thinking about working them too.

That said I love my babies and wouldn't be without them now. They are a real breath of fresh air. Ask me in a years time if I still feel the same though!!

 

[toffeesmarty]

I have bred 2 foals. The eldest is 2 and the youngest is 4.5 months. They were both foaled at home at my yard. Both were from AI.
Both are from my mare who was retired from the showring afetr some b*****d stabbed her in the field leaving her with an ugly scar.
I have used 2 different stallions.

The first filly was specifically bred to be my daughters first horse so temperament was of major importance. We have been lucky and have the soppiest thing on 4 legs.

The second was bred to improve the mares movement and be more of a competition prospect. We have a cheeky filly who is very showy and has a look at me attitude. She could be a handful if given the chance.

The satisfaction of watching these two horses grow and develop is a wonderful rewarding experience. The time each has required has been different. One wants cuddles and reassurance- the other requires lots of boundary setting! Both are completely different characters.
Would I change either of them? NO! Would I do it again? YES!

 

[mon]

what are rough costs of AI and what type of packages and what is involved.

 

[jaypeebee]

I've been breeding and raising horses for ever. Foals are not difficult to raise if you know what you are doing. They can take up as much or as little time as you have. The beauty of foals is that you dont have to spend a lot of time with them if you dont have it or you can spend lots of time and they will enjoy that too.

When breeding a mare to a stallion who is larger than she the foetus will not grow larger than the space available in the uterus which is why it is still quite rare for problems to arise. Once the foal is born it will grow to whatever its genetic make up dictates. There is a philosophy that says a filly will never grow taller than its mother and a colt will always grow taller than his mother, but there are no real studies to prove either of these cases.

Foalings usually go without a hitch but you need to consider what you would do if something did go wrong. You also need to plan ahead and make sure you have the time to foal watch. If you dont then you should take your mare to stud a month prior to the estimated due date and they will foal watch for you. You should remember that a few months after the foal is born you will have to decide what to do about weaning the foal. Some people prefer natural weaning, some do it in a stable or field next to the mother and some send the mare away till she dries up.

Having a foal can some times not turn out the way you think it will. Often foals are very similar to both parents and you can easily see their traits in the foal however this is not always the case so you should prepare for this and for how you would feel if you dont have the same connection as you do with your mare. These are all things you should think about before you send your mare away to be bred.

 

[bonnie93]

Also i forgot to mention i'm off to uni and am trying to think of things to do with her so she doesn't just become another field horse.

if thats the case then when are you going to find time to look after her? and what happens when the foal comes, you then have to look after both and find the time to bring your mare back into work and start everything with the foal? mind boggles

why dont you find someone to loan her, that way she wont become a 'field horse' and someone will be giving her attention and enjoyin her