Is there an age limit for a maiden mare?

[Charmer91]

Afternoon all, the reason I ask this as I was always told it depends on the individual horse. Yet I had my vet out for vaccinations today and we were having a chat and he told he he'd been to see a horse today that was in foal for the first time at 22! I jumped back in shock thinking this was old for a maiden mare and he said it really varies on the individual horse which I understand.
But I know absolutely nothing about breeding,and it got me thinking, is there an age limit for breeding? Are some ok to breed from in there later years?

 

[Leandy]

Yes depends on the individual horse of course, just like people and presumably just like people fertility drops off and likelihood of problems increases with age. That said, I don't think horses (or most other animals) are like women in having a long period of life after their fertile years. Pretty sure I've read that humans are fairly ununusual in having evolved like that and it is because grandmothers have a useful function in the family group in looking after grandchildren because human children are unusually helpless for an unusual number of years to maturity (unlike most other animals who are self sufficient pretty quickly) and so it is to the benefit of the whole family group to have older non-fertile females around to help out. So I don't think it is unusual for many animals to go on being capable of breeding until close to the end of their lifespan. I'm no expert thought, interesting question.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I've known a couple of mares to foal in their early 30's - not advisable but luckily no issues! Both were native ponies and had been broodmares all their lives having foals more years than not. Both were turned out with an old, thought to be infertile stallion and given the mares ages the owner assumed nothing would spring from it!

It's not advisable to have a first foal so late on but it does depend on breed, quality of life before, during, after etc.

 

[Spotherisk]

Our maiden was 18, she was Section D x Appaloosa and went to a Section D Stalin - foaled in the field in front of us and raised her filly no problem.

 

[Gloi]

I know a mare who retired from jumping at 19 and went on to have 6 nice foals.

 

[Millie-Rose]

My maiden mare will be 15 when she foals in May. She took first time with AI and so far no issues. My geldings dam was an 18 year old maiden and physically everything was fine but mentally it blew her head. How he survived to weaning I'll never know she was not aggressive but would fly round stable with no regard for where he was and squash him. She self weaned and chased him off at 4 months. Whether she would have been like that at any age no one knows but vet felt age was a factor and she just didn't seem to understand where he'd come from or what she should do with him. She was also a crazy hormonal mess having previously been a quiet sweet mare. She returned to normal a couple of months after weaning and never had another foal. A year or so later we hacked her past field where he was out with other youngsters- he trotted up and called to her she turned tail, jumped a small ditch and ran off across a farmer's field to get away from him! It was the most bizarre thing I've ever witnessed.