Putting a mare in foal

[scats]

I have a mare with mild chronic PSD in one hind which appears to have been the result of an accident (hit by the prongs of a tractor delivering haylage to a field). About 3 years ago, vets told me that her ridden career would be highly unlikely as she just can’t stand up to anything other than walk or trot (turns herself inside out if you ask for canter). They did suggest that they felt breeding from her would be fine as the suspensory problem appears to be injury related- it’s right underneath the scar where the original injury was down to the bone- but it wasn’t something I have ever considered so didn’t really think anymore about it.
Recently, however, I have been starting to consider potentially putting her in foal with the idea of it being my next ridden horse.
Thoughts on breeding from this mare and practical things to think about all welcome.

I haven’t made any real decisions yet and it would be next year that I would put her in foal so plenty of time to think and plan if I do decide to go for it.

 

[brighteyes]

I'm a complete pessimist re breeding. You need to consider all the possible outcomes if you know her lines, including loss of either mare, foal or both and a long and sometimes fraught 0-4 years wait until much at all can be done which includes riding.. A very savvy lifelong high-end horseman ended up with a massive and very bad-tempered horse from a petite mare mating x standard-sized and proven stallion. I feel desperately sad for them as the mare was a winner through and through. The attitude of this nominally sound but diabolical to manage offspring has to be a big disappointment. Plus it gets really bad sweet-itch so can't go out or stay in w/out rugs, which it hates having on or off - or basically anything doing with it. Is OK to ride but is not any kind of friend to anything. Are you a gambler? First foals tend to be smaller, but heavens alone knows what genetic throwback happened here! Go buy a two y.o. you like the look of.

 

[TheMule]

It's amazing, but there's huge potential for it to all go horribly wrong and cost a hell of a lot of money so you do have to be pretty practically minded! It also depends on your set up. I've bred a couple but have a good set up for it with full time turnout and was willing to invest in another foal to keep company. I was also confident to foal my own mares as have experience from other failings and could spare the watching time. Or you need to accept sending them away to foal down and then youngstock livery for the first 3 years.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I didn't breed from my chestnut mare for all of the sensible reasons that exist. However now that she's an old lady, I actually really regret that decision and I have bought youngsters instead of breeding from her. I don't think I realised just how fab she is, she is just the sort of tough, sound, nice tempered and well conformed mare that actually should be bred from. Too late now.

So I would have a good look at the conformation of your mare - I believe that PSD is very closely linked to straighter hocks. If she has a good hock angle, is fab in all other ways and I felt confident that her issue was 100% caused by the injury, I would look into everything more seriously.

 

[milliepops]

yeah foaling down at home was not the plan for us but lockdown changed everything... it was the most terrifying and amazing thing I think I've ever experienced, the sense of responsibility was immense. keeping watch was exhausting and I was lucky that my job accommodated it. OH was no help whatsoever because he was just certain it would all be fine, well in hindsight it was but I was glad i had done hours of research beforehand just in case I don't think I'd have been as enthusiastic if we were dependent on youngstock livery, a lot of the charm of the experience has been having them at home and seeing the changes from day to day.

Anyway, as you know I bred from an injured mare, with vets blessing. after a textbook delivery she then colicked and it all came into sharp focus because they can get very poorly at that stage, and I was quietly freaking out about ending up with an orphan. Fortunately with a lot of TLC and some ££ weekend call outs she came right.

I don't know what I'll end up with, my mare x stallion chosen ought to produce something reasonably substantial and quite nice moving but who knows I don't really mind though as I've never really chosen a horse, just ridden what's come my way, so I'm very used to the gamble.

we will try again, possibly getting a bit late this year so otherwise will be next year, she's still a fairly young mare and not being a maiden now hopefully that will not cause an issue anyway. For me it's the best chance I have of getting the kind of horse I want, because we have the facilities at home it's an affordable way to get the sort that I just can't stump up the funds for.

 

[Clodagh]

I enjoyed every minute of breeding a foal.
Apart from the stress and worry and the waste of loads of money as he was completely wrong for me.
Would I do it again? Oh yes!
Go for it.

 

[Tiddlypom]

How do you plan to run the (hopefully healthy and just what you wanted) foal on? They need company of a similar age.

I fostered a youngster from the RSPCA as weaning companion, which worked well and meant that I could keep my homebred at home. I've got the space to do that.

It's very rewarding, but it's far more expensive to do than you can imagine even if you think you've worked all the costings out.

 

[milliepops]

I approached all the charities from the big ones to little local set ups in very good time to offer a place for a youngster for weaning, only one came back to me and they wanted me to keep it until it was 4
I already have 2 charity freeloaders so unfortunately that wasn't an option.
I may have been unlucky, but just mentioning it as I thought that would be my solution and it wasn't.

 

[scats]

Thanks all for your feedback, this is definitely what I need- lots of opinions/ experiences. It’s very much just a musing right now and there’s a very good chance that I will decide against it. I suppose my set up at the moment is pretty ideal in that my horses have their own fields and I manage it how I like it. My friend owns a yard locally (3 miles from my yard) and has a few fields with young stock on, where several friends have sent their babies after weaning, so that would be my plan.

Biggest block to me really is something going wrong with Polly. I’m not sure I would forgive myself. She is such a happy, settled little mare and the thought of something going wrong and losing her for the sake of me wanting a homebred... it’s hard to think about really. She has a home for life, regardless, shes a fantastic companion to Millie and she enjoys doing a bit of walk and trot work.

Knowing my luck anyway, the foal would probably come out with 3 legs or one eye or something...

 

[Clodagh]

I bought a ugly feral thing very cheaply from a local woman who bought him from the New Forest. I think!
He was a great companion and now he makes TheresaW’s life a misery. I lost money on him but I needed a companion and didn’t really think about a charity.

 

[TheresaW]

I bought a ugly feral thing very cheaply from a local woman who bought him from the New Forest. I think!
He was a great companion and now he makes TheresaW’s life a misery. I lost money on him but I needed a companion and didn’t really think about a charity.

He makes me happy sometimes!

I met Clodagh when my mare was at stud with hers. I think our plan was, at weaning, my foal would go to hers and be a foal with her foal. Sadly my foal was stillborn, hence Ollie.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I hate this thread! *angry face*

I'm now thinking about breeding a foal from my grey... it's the most idiotic idea ever but now the thought has popped into my head it doesn't want to leave.

ETA - just in case anyone didn't realise, I was being tongue in cheek, I don't hate the thread really. I do now want to breed from the grey but all her skin issues do make it a bad idea. I'd love a foal from her if it could be guaranteed that the foal wouldn't get sarcoids, the weird fungal skin lumps, oh and no melanomas either.

 

[Equi]

When it goes well, its great. When it goes wrong its horrible. The most basic fact is that you have to be prepared to loose your mare and foal and money to really consider breeding. One potential issue in your case is that the foal could be running its zoomies as they do, the mare may be in pain trying to keep and and therefore become very stressed or very lame/in pain.

I too am in the hmmm will i wont i club. My little mare is prime age and a real beauty, i already have someone interested in the foal lol but im just not sure i can let myself risk this mare. That also being said, the stallion selection here is not great for american minis, so the one i know of is not american and im being a bit of a snob. If i found an american one, i would be very very very tempted.

 

[SpottyTB]

I echo what others have said about it being a chance if it’s actually going to meet your needs/suit you.

Mother in law bred from her show TB mare (it had also had a field accident), foal arrived with a bit of a thud, they both ended up in hospital, several other issues raising him to 4.. and she’s basically ended up with an opinionated, tricky, sharp horse who turns 10 this year and has to have both hocks injected to stay sound (both parents fine conformationally/no history of lameness). He really doesn’t suit her but after spending 10k to get him here/mare still alive, she can’t sell him now (plus no one would have him).

On the flip side, I bred our lovely ISH Hunter mare 3 years ago and it all went relatively swimmingly (and it really is the most wonderful experience) and I’ve ended up with a fantastically level headed 3yo who is absolutely everything I ordered (sire really stamps his babies mind).

 

[honetpot]

I have a positive and negative experience. I bought a youngster to breed from, had her broken at four, and then she had a natural covering to a traditional CHAPS cob. A straight forward pregnancy, and he just appeared in the stable one morning, she had no signs of foaling, perfect chap, my only criticism is he could do with being two inches bigger. So for her next covering I went AI and something a bit bigger, stud fee and vet about £1000, she gets in foal first time, and she was blooming. She got colic while I was at work, I came home and walked up the field and knew from where and how she was stood there was something wrong, two hours later I had her PTS.
I am afraid unless, you really want to do it, it makes no financial sense, I managed to buy a weanling IDSH, that cost the same as the covering, which I bought on a whim, I know prices have gone up, but at least you know its on the ground.
My foal is now eight, having bought ones back that I sold after backing, one is now twenty, I can not bare to part with him, he is backed but the money, is immaterial, when I look at him, he makes me smile. He is field boss, just like his mum.