Pondering the idea utting a mare in foal, any advice would be great!

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ChestnutConvert

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After quite a few suggestions that i should put my mare in foal i thought i would have a look into it and was wondering if anyone here has any advice to pass on?
She has good breeding but hasn't had a foal before and the first thing i need to know is how old is to late for a first time??

Any other words of wisdom greatly appreciated... ta! :)
 
I think its more important to ask WHY you want to put her in foal. Because someone else suggested it? What would you do with the foal? Keep it for yourself or sell it on?

Don't mean to sound offensive or anything but there are so many unwanted youngsters around these days that unless you intend keeping the youngster I wouldn't be breeding at all
 
As above^^^

Also stand back and view your mares conformation with a critical eye.

Good breeding and an empty womb isn't sufficient reason for putting in foal.
 
ohhh no don't get me wrong i wouldn't be doing it just for kicks and when i bought her she was for sale as a Dr horse/broodmare! I have very good intentions and yes it would be for me, i'd love to have an offspring that can out live her as she has been such a good mare.
 
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Perhaps it would help if you posted some photos of her and gave more details: her age, what she's done etc. Then maybe people might have suggestions re her suitability, type of sire etc?

:)
 
You could also perhaps put a similar thread in Breeding, lots of very experienced and knowledgable people in there. :)

How old is too old? That depends on many things, the main one being her physical condition, her health - does she have any physical issues that may be exacerbated by pregnancy?

The best person to give you advice is a vet, preferably an equine one who will actually know his **** from his elbow.

I think with breeding a foal, even though you may intend to keep it for yourself, is to consider the fact that the future is never written in stone and situations change :( breed the best horse you can that will appeal to other people as well so that if you do have to part with it there will be a market for it.
 
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I wanted the same from my mare, she wasn't perfect but was in my eyes and it was for me to keep as my mare got older.
Cost a lot off money to put her in foal, £500 stud fee, keep at £25 a week for 6 weeks, swaps, scans. It wasn't cheap.
I done everything to the book and at 9 months she lost it, her cord had twisted and suffercated the foal. The next few days were awful as she went in and out off labour but the foal wasn't in the right position to come out. I was heart broken and around £3000 out off pocket at the end off it with a dead foal and so neally lost my mare they only just saved her. I'm not trying to put you off but just be aware that you could get problems as it never crossed my mind. I was gutted. Iv now brought a foal which was a fraction of the price to what I paid out and had nothing plus I was able to pick the sex, colour etc.
I would still love to have a foal from my mare but won't chance it again,
 
I have to agree that breeding is always a risk for various reasons and also that even if you choose who you think will compliment her you may not get the foal you bargained for. To be honest I wouldn't do it any more, too many disappointments with the outcomes, my mare (15.2) bred such big foals, I even tried a 13.2 hairy cob and ended up with a 16 hand three year old! Why don't you just retire your mare, she won't care, and go buy yourself a nice youngster that fills your eye and is what you want and will probably cost you less in time and money in the long run?
 
You will end up spending far more than if you just went out & bought a youngster. At least then you would know what you are getting & wouldn't be risking your mare or adding to the equine population.
 
I agree with the points about cost & risk, etc. Problems can be lethal for the mare, so you have to weigh up how well you'd be able to look after her or get her emergency help throughout her pregnancy.

I do, however, understand your emotional point of view I think. A few years ago I was convinced that having a foal from my 14.1hh mare was the way to go when I realized I was outgrowing her. I wanted my next horse to be a continuation of her, as I was devastated that I was getting too big for her. But also, I was terribly worried about the risks involved & didn't want anything to happen to her. The decision not to do it was made for me when I realized I wouldn't be able to put her with a stallion big enough to even halfway guarantee getting a big enough foal, plus obviously a big foal would have been even more risky for her.

A while later, an 11-month-old foal was bought by my YO to bring on & sell - 3 months later she was mine & I've never looked back! She's nothing like my little mare, but she's fantastic in her own way & they even have the mummy/foal bond :)

Make sure you take time over your decision. Consider all the options, write pros & cons lists, talk to lots of people. But do remember that this is your decision & you are the one who has to live with the consequences, whether something goes wrong OR if you end up with a bouncing baby foal who'll need plenty of looking after :p Good luck :)
 
I thought about it very hard with our mare. She did very well in the show ring and had bred a foal as a 3 year old before we bought her.

I would love to have her foal and keep it, but decided not to take the risk. She has done everything we could have asked of her and we love her as a pet. I would have been devastated if anything happened to her or her foal.

Also you dont really know what the foal will be like. It might not have been like her and we would have ended up keeping something we didn't really want.

Instead we bought a three year old, even then you dont know what they will turn out like. I would not have bought ours had I known.

I dont blame people for breeding if they have a quality mare but personally I would leave it to the professionals.
 
How old is she? I would have her vet checked, and just check that they see no issues, or can run you through any potential issues. I had my mare put in foal, and we took her to the vets for this purpose first. They gave the ok.

I have another mare that is very well bred, but older and am not sure she has had a foal before, I will be getting her checked out as well, should I think about having her put in foal.

The cost of breeding and raising a foal, means that you wll be lucky to break even if all goes well, and more likely out of pocket. However, if you want to breed your own, and the money is not an issue, the mare is sound and a nice type, you have access to facilities and time for the foal, then it is quite fun.

I have bred 3 foals in the last 20 years, and while relatively lucky, we did have some significant vet bills with the first foal/yearling in the first 18 months.

I sold the first and still have the second, at 16 years of age. We intend to keep the third, all being well.
 
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