should i put my mare in foal?

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G1999

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Hi there,
i have a 6 year old, late starter but very well bred (quick star) and nicely put together, went round discos last year, she's really sharp and very hormonal. would it be beneficial to put her in foal to allow her to mature mentally and physically?
 
I wouldn't use the word beneficial, because ultimately she could have complications from the pregnancy and foaling.

I have once put an unproven mare of mine, homebred, in foal before she had proven herself for myself to keep. Usually best to breed the best to the best, depends on your circumstances as well.

If you feel she needs to mature then just turn her away, if she is super talented do you really want to wait 18 months to two years before she can compete again? :)
 
My mare had a foal 6 years ago. The owner was too heavy to ride her, even though she's super talented and could have easily been sold or loaned to someone. She was 11 and had done dressage to a good standard. She was covered by a very good stallion and had a lovely son, with a uncomplicated birth. However, foal didn't feed in his first hours of life and the owners didn't/hadn't realised. He almost died and had to have major transfusions etc, lots of vet intervention and a very bad time for everyone involved. He's now only just been backed at the age of 6, as owners didn't have the time for him before then. I'd say unless you know what is going to happen to the foal and have a plan for it's future, the horse would be better continuing education or being turned away.
 
I have heard of the old "a foal will settle her" line before. As if having a foal will naturally sort out any imbalance of hormones etc. Personally, I don't think it's a foal that 'settles' a mare, it's the 'time off' that helps.

However, I think there was a thread on here with something similar to this and I can remember people putting their own experiences on it. I can only say from personal experience of mares that have had foals, most seem to be very much the same once they are back fit and are equally as quirky as they were prior to having a foal. Maybe others will disagree.

But I do feel the primary reason for putting her in foal should be to have a foal, not to try and sot out her temperament/hormones etc. You could end up with a foal that inherits her 'hotness' or quirky manners, or whatever it may be. Good luck in what you decide!

...if she is a late starter, but has been doing disc sj, I guess she has done a fair bit in a short space of time, which has maybe 'enhanced' her hotness, you may find with time and experience she settles more and more!?!?
 
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GemG said:
I have heard of the old "a foal will settle her" line before. As if having a foal will naturally sort out any imbalance of hormones etc. Personally, I don't think it's a foal that 'settles' a mare, it's the 'time off' that helps.

However, I think there was a thread on here with something similar to this and I can remember people putting their own experiences on it. I can only say from personal experience of mares that have had foals, most seem to be very much the same once they are back fit and are equally as quirky as they were prior to having a foal. Maybe others will disagree.

But I do feel the primary reason for putting her in foal should be to have a foal, not to try and sot out her temperament/hormones etc. You could end up with a foal that inherits her 'hotness' or quirky manners, or whatever it may be. Good luck in what you decide!

...if she is a late starter, but has been doing disc sj, I guess she has done a fair bit in a short space of time, which has maybe 'enhanced' her hotness, you may find with time and experience she settles more and more!?!?
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Agree with the above comments about mares after having foals. My mare is back to her grumpy old self about eight months after her foal was weaned.
However, the reasons for us having a foal were not to settle her or sort her hormones, but I had heard this might happen. Yes it does temporarily in my experience but not long term. In fact, I have also heard of mares being more hormonal after weaning. But it could just depend on the individual mare I guess?
 
Its also important to remember not all pregnancies and foaling go to plan...there is a very real risk of the mare getting injured or even dying in the process. Is it worth it just to give her time to mature and grow up? I'd rather stick her out for a while and see from there. Let her just be a horse and settle down :)

She'll also be out of action for about 18 months if she has a foal....are you willing to wait that long? I think a few months off would do her the world of good and you can start back riding her when it suits you rather than waiting for weaning time!
 
ashlingm said:
Its also important to remember not all pregnancies and foaling go to plan...there is a very real risk of the mare getting injured or even dying in the process. Is it worth it just to give her time to mature and grow up? I'd rather stick her out for a while and see from there. Let her just be a horse and settle down :)

She'll also be out of action for about 18 months if she has a foal....are you willing to wait that long? I think a few months off would do her the world of good and you can start back riding her when it suits you rather than waiting for weaning time!
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^^This. We put our well bred mare in foal due to trauma ringbone to give the young mare a job. She foaled last May luckily we caught her on the camera, she needed help and the foal sadly died after contracting septus. That cost us and my mare an emotional heartbreak not to mention the high financial cost trying to save the foal. She's sound now happily but I won't breed again. It's not always all roses and you need to be prepared to take that risk.
 
If you are willing to give her 18 months to have a foal with no work, then why not find a good herd in a large field and turn her away for that time? 6 is still young, she might just need some downtime to think about what she has been doing and continue to mature at her own pace.
 
I wouldn't. Even if it all went smoothly, you'd potentially end up with a second 'quirky' horse to deal with.
 
She sounds like her breeding suggests she would be. QuickStar produces sharp, hot and talented horses. Deciding whether to breed her or not is, for me, all about her motherline. Does she come from a good mare and a good line of mares? If she does, then yes, breed from her. If she doesn't then I'd carry on working her. I don't find that time off in a field magically alters a horse's trainability. I find hours under saddle and patient schooling is what makes the difference.

Perhaps you could send her away for a few weeks to a professional rider if you need some help with her? It would be quicker and cheaper than putting her in foal and might give you the horse you want.
 
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