Passive TB Broodmare

[Rollin]

I employ a stable jockey who served his apprentiship with TB trainers in France. He has TB mares of his own, one who is in training to race.

He is taken with our CB stallion, rightly so, and sees him as an eventing sire. I have no doubt whatsoever that crossed with a TB mare it will be a good outcome.

Last month he brought the mare, apparently in season, but my gut instinct told me she was not ready, the stallion showed no interest in her. She was very stressed.

We agreed she would come back before next season and arrived on Friday. Nothing until Sunday afternoon, when she briefly appeared in season but the stallion was not interested. Nothing more.

The reason for the question, is she is very passive. I have boxed her beside both of my stallions, so they can see each other through the grill, she does not respond but nor does she kick or stamp her feet or squeal - as my other mares would. Not today mate!!!

She is a butcher rescue of good breeding who never raced. They never managed to back her and she was cruelly treated. However, she is 9 years old and has good breeding. I am asking myself why she was not bred from before - and suspect she won't breed but think my young friend will be devastated.

I don't normally have visiting mares and our own girls are so easy, I have even covered just once on Day 3 with both stallions and had lovely foals at the end.

My vet is here on Wednesday and I think this mare should be scanned, I suspect he did not do that before he purchased her.

Other breeders thoughts please?

 

[madlady]

I'd have the mare scanned as there could be something that is stopping her cycling.

Also she could be hiding her seasons which again would show up on the scan.

 

[Capriole]

Worth having the vet check her out as a matter of course I'd say.
I've got a very quiet one too, it's difficult to tell with her. Outwardly she appears to show no signs of interest, like your passive mare.
We dropped her at stud recently on a Thurs evening, Friday she was scanned, was ready and was covered. Again on Saturday she showed no interest in the stallions at the stud at all, as she was walked back past their paddocks to bring her up to the yard for us to come and collect her. She's scanned in foal, but if we were waiting for her to make a big song and dance about it like some of my other mares, we'd have missed her.

 

[Rollin]

Thanks for your replies. I had one CB mare with silent seasons but this mare is visiting so difficult to judge.

 

[PorkChop]

Definitely get her scanned, they sometimes like to keep us guessing!

I had the opposite situation - my mare was covered with no problems, absolutely love the stallion and stud owner thought she hadn't taken as she was still up for it a month later, obviously a scan showed all was well.

 

[Spring Feather]

With these quiet ones you really need to have them from before their first heat with you and then watch like a hawk when their next heat cycle comes around as not all mares 'perform'. My mares are all quite quiet but I know them so well that tiny little changes are glaringly obvious to me. I would have the mare scanned and tracked, that's what I do with mares who are unknown to me, then it's easy to know what's going on.

 

[Rollin]

With these quiet ones you really need to have them from before their first heat with you and then watch like a hawk when their next heat cycle comes around as not all mares 'perform'. My mares are all quite quiet but I know them so well that tiny little changes are glaringly obvious to me. I would have the mare scanned and tracked, that's what I do with mares who are unknown to me, then it's easy to know what's going on.

The problem is, he saw an opportunity to breed an eventer on the cheap, he will pay just admin costs for the covering. The vet will cost a lot more than the stallion. I don't think he has thought of this. Also your thoughts on first heat, he thought she would come to us in April, then not till May and did not seem sure of her dates. If we cover her it will be a late foal for this region, much better foaled in March/April.

What do you do when the stallion is not interested though?

I could run them together overnight. He is such a big chap I think she might collapse under his weight, this is where I agree with Prof Twink Allan for some mares AI is better than a heavy stallion.

I have had another visiting mare for my Shagya stallion, the owner thought she would be in season when she arrived not so it took another ten days. Scanning late this week.

I will keep you posted.

 

[Spring Feather]

The problem is, he saw an opportunity to breed an eventer on the cheap, he will pay just admin costs for the covering. The vet will cost a lot more than the stallion. I don't think he has thought of this. Also your thoughts on first heat, he thought she would come to us in April, then not till May and did not seem sure of her dates. If we cover her it will be a late foal for this region, much better foaled in March/April.

What do you do when the stallion is not interested though?

I could run them together overnight. He is such a big chap I think she might collapse under his weight, this is where I agree with Prof Twink Allan for some mares AI is better than a heavy stallion.

I have had another visiting mare for my Shagya stallion, the owner thought she would be in season when she arrived not so it took another ten days. Scanning late this week.

I will keep you posted.

Ye it's a tricky situation. With a mare like this he absolutely needs to be scanning and tracking, but the cost of doing this has obviously bypassed him. Breeding on an unrealistic budget can prove a huge waste of money and time for all concerned.

If the stallion isn't interested then I'd collect him and AI the mare at ovulation.

 

[Rollin]

An up-date, my own vet is coming this afternoon for routine stuff, we we will get her scanned. I think she looked poor when she arrived but has been living out all winter with no rug and just a field shelter, she is already looking in much better condition.

Apparently she did not come into season at all this year till mid-May - although if she is silent she may have been missed.

I had a look at her pedigree which he did not understand, he knew the previous owner and was told she had good breeding. She has indeed. Nijinksy, on sire line and Ella Mana Moo on the dam line.