Old Wives' Tale? A.I.ing maiden mares?

kerilli

kerilli

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I'll probably get shot down in flames for this, but it is a genuine question.
I was told about 8 years ago by a very very experienced horseman that if you AI a maiden mare, she is more likely to reject the foal at first, because, having not been mated, she hasn't had the experience to kick-start her maternal instincts.
I had my comp mare AI'd a few months later... sure enough, when she foaled she was terrified of the newborn foal (circling the box around it wildly, leaping out of her skin every time it twitched). she'd never have attacked it, but took quite heavy sedation to let it suckle, and then seemed to have a total Lightbulb Moment, realised what it was (having eyed it as if it was a tiger in her stable before!) and was a fabulous mum from that second onwards. Had no problems at all with second foal, adored it from the first moment.
So, has this been anyone else's experience? I'd be very interested to hear. Thankyou.
 
Never heard that one but it sounds logical. I think i'd get a bit scared if i gave birth without seeing a man! Maybe she she though she gave birth to the son of god... or pegusus... lol

Horses arn't dumb tho so I can see it being a wives tale too... interesting one
 
My maiden mares have all been AI'd and never had any problem with maternal instinct.
One of my bosses mares was AI'd and was just so stupid she didnt have a clue what to do with her foal and still forgets about him in the field But I think thats just the mare, all my own have been totoally fine.
I think its one of those old wives tales
 
Helloooo,

From experience - I'll let you know next year!

As you know have a friend that breeds a lot, maiden & brood and I've never noticed this. IMO I think it depends on the particular mare.
 
It is most certainly an old wives' tale!

Mares do not actually make the connection between giving birth to a foal and some random event that happened 11 months earlier!!! Horses' minds simply do not work like that!

Even humans have to be TAUGHT that sex leads to pregnancy - we are not born knowing this! How on earth are mares supposed to figure it out? Horses are intelligent creatures, but if we humans need to have the connection between sex and babies explained to us, I very much doubt that horses are smart enough to figure it out on their own!!
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Yes, i can see your point, but you can't explain their instincts... they're inborn, and obviously much stronger in some than others.
the fact that my mare seemed to support the theory confused me, no doubt!
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Absolutely an old wives tale!! Maiden mares always have the chance that they may not be great mothers, thankfully most are, but really until you have a foal on the ground you don't know how they are going to behave.
Horses are very intelligent, but they are certainly not that intelligent as to be able to make the connection between being covered and foaling 11 months later!
 
Interesting thought - we've bred two foals, both AI - one eight years ago, and mum just didn't know what to do with the foal, but with sedation and several days in the box decided that she quite liked the foal, but was never overly maternal - in fact when foal was 5 months old was quite happy to be ridden in the school with foalie running about - then was hacked out with foalie on a long line! However when the foal, had her own foal this year - again by AI - she didn't want to know about her foal - and eventually savaged him and broke his leg at two days old - several people have said "is it because you used AI!" (see my other thread in 'Breeding".

There must be hundreds of mares using AI, but only very few don't take to their foals - maybe some enterprising student could do a thesis for their degree!!!
 
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There must be hundreds of mares using AI, but only very few don't take to their foals - maybe some enterprising student could do a thesis for their degree!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

They could, but it would be a total waste of time. No difference whatsoever.
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I think this is nothing to do with AI in the maiden and everything to do with the mares temperament, disposition and the circumstances in which she herself was brought up.

Probably if they lived in a broodmare herd for any length of time that helps as they would have seen other mares and how they handled their foals.
 
Not sure about horses but my husband told me a funny story about one of his heiffers.....

She was giving birth and they usually stand up for the last push, (as calfs have wider hips than foals, standing up usually twists the calves pelvis slightly to enable their hips to come out) well she stood up realised there was somthing hanging out of her back end and took off up the field with the poor calf hanging out of the back bouncing up and down with its hips still engaged in the birth canal!!
Poor thing then dilodged flew up into the air did a full sumersault and landed with a bump on the ground, the cow disapeared upto the top of the field absolutely petrified!!

Fortunately the calf was none the worse for his rather eventful entry to the world, and once he had got the cow back and penned her up to introduce the calf she bonded well with it and went on to become a very good mum next time round!!
 
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