So - tell me what its really like

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 November 2005
Messages
11,196
Location
Devon
Visit site
My mare will be 15 next year and I am thinking about putting her in foal. She had a foal at 3 so I think this should be okay. I will more than likely use my friends TB stallion so will get a 3/4TB x 1/4 ID. The resulting offspring will hopefully be taken on by my daughter who will be 16 in four years time or myself as my mare will be 19 (obviously!!) I have two very good friends who are experienced breeders (including stallion's owner) so will have plenty of help and advice on hand.

But I want to go into it with my eyes wide open and know if its really worth it, breeding your own, how difficult is it to handle foals, look after a yearling etc, what extra facilities would I need, what do I need to know that I haven't thought about?

Please could I have any experiences of any first time breeders on here.

Many thanks.
 
I think your set up is pretty good for having a foalie!! And you mare is lovely!! I told you that when I met you both nearly ...... TWO years ago, golly!!!

I don't think that handling foals is difficult, as long as you are prepared to do it daily from an early age and don't try and lead them from a headcollar until they are 30 days old (although they should get used to wearingone from day one). The reason for not using the headcolalr for this length of time is to allow the neck and head to mature and to give time to teach the foal to walk next to you, without fights when you put pressure on the head - you are more likely to a) damage the foal by leading from the headcollar too soon, b) more likely to loose the foal, thus teaching it it can get away and c) get hurt yourself.

Looking after yearlings is a doddle - esp. if no colts and were handled well as foals. H is absolutely no trouble at all - well no more than any other horse.

Have you thought about houw far away your vet is, should you get into difficulties at any time? Not just foaling, but once foalie is on the ground. Have you considered any extra jabs your mare might require once she is in-foal? If I were you, living on the top of Exmoor (lucky bugger
tongue.gif
), I would seriously consider giving EHV 1,4 (Equine Herpes Virus) at 5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy. Mainly because of the hill ponies up there may carry EHV and not only can it give horses a nasty, nasty cold at best, but also terrible incoordination and foetal abortion in pregnant mares!!

May I ask which stallion?
 
Thanks SN, I really enjoyed our trip to the stud (although not keen on the stallions!) and can't believe it was that long ago - you see you are so experienced and I am a complete numpty!! I wouldn't have known about not leading from the headcollar nor have I ever heard of EHV jabs! There is a vet in Dulverton (just 5 miles away) so thats okay.

I only know the stallions stable name (will find out real name!) but as my mare is not registered I am just looking at what I like. He is a lovely big boned boy with a nice temperament - goes back to Northern Dancer I think. Still wouldn't mind using a Connemara though - but seeing as my daughter's legs are already longer than mine (not difficult) I think I should go for something taller!

Thank you for complimenting my mare - I think she is lovely too!

I would really like to read people's experiences on their first homebred
 
I had my first homebred this year. Mare was an absolute star all through her pregnancy - when I thought she was ready I slept in my lorry outside her stable (I don't live on site). Only got it wrong by one day.

Foaling was the most amazing thing (so different when it is your own) though foalie had a leg back and I had to call the vet. Having said that I managed to sort it out myself and by the time the vet showed up foal was out and trying to stand up on very wobbly legs!
laugh.gif


I would make sure that a) you are not on your own (ie that you have helping hands around) and b) you have a bit of spare cash just in case. My foal was ill in the first week and this can get very expensive.

Also, you need to be prepared to handle them every day and sometimes you need help with someone leading the mare (or encouraging the foal).

It is a very rewarding process - I took my foal to a few shows over the summer and took away a few red rosettes (and even a huge cup).

What I would say is that it IS a huge responsibility and any breeder should be aware that the first start in life is so important and has a direct effect on the rest of the horse's life. This is quite scary, whether your horse is a potential high performer or a child's pony so is not something to take lightly (I'm sure you know this!).
That said, I loved the experience and am now awaiting foal number two!
And here is a gratuitous photo - just because
grin.gif

day2.jpg
 
What a lovely picture ArWen_in_a_manger.
My mare had her first foal (our second) when she was 10. She foaled a few days early and we missed it, the foal was just getting up when we saw it for the first time. However, the mare (who was a bit touchy) would not let the foal feed - in the end we had to twitch her and hold a front foot up. It took 2 days before she would happily let the foal feed. The foal was a strong foal though and never had any problems. The mare was put back in foal and the following year had another foal. She wasn't very keen on this one either although she accepted it quicker and this too was a good, healthy foal. We didn't breed from her again.
Don't let this put you off, it's just to warn you. (I have known 2 other mares like this too although one was quiet enough to milk by hand).
Having a homebred foal/youngster around is just lovely just make sure you pick up their feet regularly. Both mine went away to be weaned. It is also nice if youngsters can have other youngsters to play with - you may be able to borrow one.
Good luck!
 
We had a foal this year from out maiden 18 year old, Sec D x Appaloosa. Pregnancy went fine, except mare went from being a sweetheart to being a right old cow to other horses, and has stayed that way!

She went away to stud, had to be jabbed to come into season, grass keep was £2 per day, stud fee £150, had her scanned once to check she was in foal. We used a stud near Exeter, Cherrytop, and put her to a Section D.

She had the foal about a fortnight early, at 8.30am one summer morning, luckily lovely weather, ours live out so she foaled in the field - my gelding was so shcoked, where had that other horse suddenly appeared from! She started feeding about 3 hours later, mare would not let her near the teats until then, and barrelled foal over a couple of times - as a newbie to foals, it was hard to know how involved to get - there was a time when the foal transfered herself to me, not her mum, but we sorted that out straight away.

It was incredibly exciting, moving, and scary all at once, we still have mare and foal, they still live out with the two boys, the foal is handled daily, and on the day she was born I handled her EVERYWHERE, inside her mouth and ears, covered her eyes, tweaked her nipples, ran my hands everywhere on her, and I still can now - have been pulling her tail from side to side today, and bouncing a dog toy off her last week - she couldn't care less.

Vid of her at two days old, and pic of her at 6 months.

DSC00445.jpg
 
Thanks for your replies and lovely pictures. Arwen you are right though - it is a huge responsibility and not a decision to be taken lightly - that is why I am really keen to hear stories not just of the foaling (apparently she was an excellent Mum before) but also of the later stages in life up to about backing time.

Did anyone's lovely well handled foals turn into wild rogue two year olds for example!!
 
I bred from my mare 5 years ago and the foal is now 4, it is incredible rewarding but a long wait and a lot of things can go wrong. I won't do it again as it just costs far too much if you don't have you own place (I rented a field).
I have also been very lucky in that I have go a very nice young horse who seems to be pretty much exactly what I wanted. I posted a thread about him not long ago:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/sh...rue#Post2511442
 
The first foal I bred myself (seperate from my parents stud) taught me an awful lot. I used a nice local stallion on my nice little TB mare and ended up with a very smart RC all rounder. Looking back on it, financially it was a stupied thing to do - to use a nice but not special stallion as it wasnt improving on the mare at all.
Only had the one mare at the time so when the foal was 4 months odl we moved mare and foal to some friend's so he had a companion when it came to weaning time. It did make life more difficult having to move him away from home but it was invaluable having another foal when weaning time came.

He was a rather fugly yearling so I paniced then but developed into a very nice stamp of a small hunter in time. I loved every minute of his training from his first loading lesson, his first show, first lunging lesson etc. Hacking him out for his first hack was such a thrill. But the main lesson I learnt was with a more sensible choice of mare and stallion I could have ended up with a really decent horse after all those years rather than a nice but average one. After all the cost of keeping them was the same. Thats why I became a bit anal about pedigree/mare/stallion selection as I grew older.
 
You make a very good point Volatis - I will consider the stallion more carefully and perhaps not just use my neighbours for convenience. I would really like the youngster for jumping eventually - thats if I even go ahead with this!
 
You are very unlikely to recoup the costs of breeding. In most cases it costs more to breed then you will ever see in return. Even if you are breeding to keep it still makes more sense to buy a foal/yearling. Having said that their is nothing more statisfying in seeing them mature into decent adults. I love my yearlings temperment, he is so easy to deal with a true sweatheart. I cant wait to see him in his summer coat as a 2yo. I dont have the ideal setup but you manage & neither of my lads have suffered. My daughters pony produced a colt 5yrs ago last July & he did go to my sisters as at the time there was no where for them to have safe turnout. You have 11mths to prepare for it, but just be aware it does not always go to plan!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top