Stallion mated to smaller mare........

[Janah]

Just heard someones 11.2hh mare accidently mated to 13.2hh stallion. She worries that the size discrepancy will lead to problems for the mare.

Does anyone know if this is so?

Jane

 

[Super_Kat]

She'll be fine.

 

[hellybelly6]

As far as I am aware, the foal will get its size from the dam for obvious biological reasons.

My highland is crossed with a clydesdale and is the height of a clydesdale which makes everybody think his mum was the clydesdale. If it was the other way round, he would probably only be 14.2 hands.

 

[marmalade76]

A friend bred 12.2 ponies to Welton Apollo (16 hands? not sure.) Offspring were no bigger than 15 hands full grown.

 

[JadeWisc]

If she made it through the breeding with no problems she will be fine I assume.


I have always heard they stay a safe size while in the womb and only get larger after they have been born.

The problems with larger staillions to smaller mares are usually injury during breeding.

 

[Sol]

I'd heard simalar to JadeWisc... that the foal will grow to a size in proportion to the mare whilst in the womb, and then continue to grow to whatever size after being born... or something like that? small mare doesn't necessarily mean that the foal will be smaller basically, but I doubt there will be a problem

 

[henryhorn]

This is a perfectly acceptable size difference, I've seen many an 11.2 hh put to a 14.2 hh and have normal foals, 13.2 hh will be fine.

 

[YorksG]

The only word of warning I would have, would be if the mare had foaled many times. Our old Black and White mare came to us 'accidentaly' in foal to a hanovarian. She had had 7 foals before him and stretched to accomodate the large foal. This was to his detriment and hers. I am sure it is not as much of a problem if the mare has not had that large number of foals. Having said that, our vet back then commented about the number of 'planned' Csections on cows who were deliberately put to much bigger bulls, he was not impressed at the practice of putting small breed cows to large breed bulls.

 

[spike123]

I had a mare who had a hernia caused by putting her to a bigger horse.She was only 15.2h.No idea what size the stallion was as this happened prior to me owning her.However she had had foals previously so it may be as said above that she was predisposed to it because of that.