Mares at stud

S

Skhosu

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 May 2006
Messages
8,193
Visit site
It always seems odd to me that mares at stud are just plonked together. Are there never any problems? I mean, at home they would be carefully introduced etc. in most cases..
Just wondering!
 
I wondered that, thats why mine is stabled. She's not the best with mares anyway, being very dominate and I'm sure would hate being put in a field with lots of others.
Although lots of mares that go to stud are broodmares so are used to being mixed with others they don't no and just get on with it.
 
It's weird but when you send a mare to stud or anywhere new for that matter, she is 'off her own patch' so is the visitor and as such, she'll be down the line in the pecking order. It's not until you introduce more mares that she will go higher in the chain of command. This seems to pan out whether you have a bullying witch at home or whether she is meek and mild at home in which case that type seem to come out of their shell a bit cos they're not with their bullying buddies!
You do get the exception to the rule, in fact a friend of mine, her mare is a total softy with people and if she's not in foal; get her in foal and she becomes matriarch of the whole field overnight with a vengeance - it's a good pointer though to whether she's in foal or not!
 
My mare was at stud for 3 weeks and was getting on fine and then they put a rug on her and turned her back out and the other mares went bonkers
 
My mare was at stud absolutely fine with all of the others and then the same day she was AI'd a new mare went out who proceeded to beat up a few and my mare ended up shattering the splint bone in her leg and having to have surgery!! Needless to say she slipped the foal with all the stress and drugs necessary (definately took as cycled back very quickly). Poor girl is now on box rest for ages.
Would still let her live out at stud again though as more relaxing all round for them than being cooped up 24/7 for god knows how long till the take. A good stud will generally keep an eye and any that cause problems will be removed.
 
I was very disappointed in the treatment of my other mare she came home with a great gash down her hind leg. It took 4 buckets of water & lots of hosing the clean her tail it was so matted with blood. It was the fact that they never said a word about it. If I ever breed again it will be via AI with a few days spent at my vets.
 
Being relitively small we have the luxury of being able to keep mares in nice small groups of 3 or 4 and more often than not most behave pretty well but we keep a very close eye and move anything we think might cause trouble.
If we have two mares from the same owner usually we wont put anything else with them as i think that is asking for trouble.
 
We too keep the mares in small groups and kept in fields in front of us for observation, mostly they are very good with occasional friction. Its important we think that they are kept as normal as possible, but we try to give them lots of room so they can escape any trouble. The trouble with keeping them in is that that can be even more stressful for them, although some of the competition mares prefer that as that is what is normal for them.
 
oh gosh, thats so unfortunate
frown.gif
 
My mare isn't usually aggressive so she arrived at stud and they put her in a paddock with a known quiet mare of theirs... they are fine though Asti decided instantly that she was in charge and the other mare seemed to say "ok!"

My problem is bringing her home to two bullies so she'll have an electric paddock of her own next to them so they can't get her! Which she'll be fine with, she was in her own one right next to them when Byter first had Ivy at foot.

They can go back in together later in the winter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top