Foaling and age of the mare

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zoey829

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At what age do you stop breeding your mares? I like to stop at 17 and let them live thier life as a pet. Enjoying life. I am considering buying a mare who is a little older (14 in May)and hesitant to buy her. She is a high quality mare and prob coudnt afford her if she was in her prime. So I just wanted to get thoughts.
 
you only need one foal from her and then shes paid for herself , everything after that is a bonus , I would guess she should breed for at least another four years so if he a quality mare I would go for it ,
 
I would also go for it (but you know that already) Some horses seem to be old at 20 and some much later. If the mare is healthy and she is obviously a viable quality mare, GO FOR IT. Her foals have been good quality also. That is not old, in my books, and I know mares that are producing in their early 20's with no problems. You just have to go by each individual horse and you know this mare has been well cared for and had a good life so far too. DO IT. I would.
 
My first mini mare was 22 when I bought her in foal, she delivered a healthy filly at 23 yrs, and while I was hesitant to breed her, she had her own ideas about that and delivered her last and only colt (all fillies till him!) at 24. We lost her due to a stroke when that colt was 3 1/2 mths old, but I honestly believe she'd still be around had it not been for that stroke- she was healthy and full of herself and acted much younger than 24 yrs old. She was the queen bee and let all teh younger mares know it.

Right now I have a 15 yr old & a 16 yr old in foal, and am on the fence about breeding my 19 yr old mare for a last foal come spring. I love older mares, and that's generally how you get your better horses by buying the older gals that most folks don't want to deal with anymore.
 
I would check her foaling history - if she has missed in the last couple of years that MIGHT be a warning to you. If she has been a consistent producer and foaled as early as 2010 then she is probably a gold mine. The key to some of these older mares is KEEPING THEM PREGNANT. I know that sounds cruel, and anyone who knows me that I am the biggest crusader for the mare out there - but if she is keeping her weight up, foals with no problems and is a happy pregnant mare, then the best thing for you to do to ensure that she will continue to produce is to keep her in foal and PANDER TO HER NEEDS. If she is looking worn out, gets ultra thin, has trouble foaling, etc, etc, then it is probably time for her to retire. I have several mares that are in their late teens and early 20's that are happily perking right along - rest assured that when they don't have an easy pregnancy that they will retire to a cozy stall and live out the rest of their lives as pampered pets.
 
Hmmmm very interesting. This mare has been WELL taken care of. And yes she has produced consitantly. And looks really good. And as sone mentioned if she was younger I prob coudnt afford her anyway. So it is a good way to get nice stock. Thanks for the help, will keep everyone posted
 
If she had not foaled successfully in 2010 then I might think harder on it, but if she had a healthy foal with no problems recently, I'd go for it. I LOVE older mares. And I mean in their 20's, not teenagers. Been there, done that and know how to do it again!
 
Yes she had a foal in 2010 and is very healthy and looks to be 10!! And I dont wnat to give anything away but has produces some nice foals!!!
 
14 is not all that old for a consistent broodmare. I tend to let them stop at around 17 but, if I am on a roll, as it were, and the mare foals OK I will go on longer. Sometimes broodmares do not appreciate being left out of foal!

I would go for it, as Supa says, one foal form her and she has paid for herself.
 
I think if the mare is healthy and foals with no issues then as others have said I would go for it. Some mares thrive on pregnancy and love their little babies and wont have it any other way.

I dont have a problem letting older mares go in foal if they are healthy and happy. So judge your mares individually and take it from there. And 14 is not old in a mare - she has many good yrs left in her and foals.
 
Thanks. She is healthy and wel taken care of. Very reputable farms have owned her. She has produced show quality foals and she is confirmed in foal for 2011. The bottom line is if she was 5 yrs younger I coudnt afford her. This is a chance to own a quality mare. Dont get me wrong her price still isnt cheap it is just in my range.

I dont think 14 is old but I would just want at least 3 foals from her. One to keep a foal and 2 to sell to pay for her.

Thanks
 
I have two older broodmares that I purchased within the past couple years, one is a 21 year old amhr/aspc mare and the other I purchased this year is going to turn 22. I expect two more foals out of the first mare and will only breed Cherokee (22) perhaps once more and then allow her to go retire with someone.
 
I just bought an 11 year old to breed ! She didn't have a foal this year and she seems lost! She seems the type to be a lot happier having foals!

I don't think 14 is too old , I say go for it!
 
I love the older mares!! Last time I was shopping, I wanted a mare that was in the 10-15 yr old range. I have a 19 year old mare in foal this year, she is doing great with the pregnancy, she is in good health overall. I wouldn't hesitate, to me the older mares are a gold mine.
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Michelle at Wesco Farms had retired her mare but the mare had other ideas. She hasn't been bred in several years and backed up to a fence and had a healthy colt at 25 with no problems.

I have a 21 year old mare I retired as her last foaling went well but she was so tired afterwards. She is as bad at wanting to get to the stallions as the stallions are at getting to her.

I consider 14 to be in their prime for foaling. They are been there, done that mares that usually produce some of their best foals at that age. Remember minis live longer than the biggies and are tough little guys.
 
One of our breeding programs most influential broodmares was purchased by us ten years ago at age 15.
 
I agree that that is not really that old, if she has a good foaling history and is in foal again for 2011, is healthy and looks good then I would not hesitate. Sometimes you can get your best deals that way, a better price since the mare has a few years on her, and possibly a great foal out of her. We also have had some of our best foals out of some of our older mares. Her age wouldnt bother me at all with all info youve given us about her.
 
Thanks this has helped me so much. I was just worried with her being older causing any issues. And when you see young bred mares selling for half this mares price with this economy I wanted to make sure it wasnt a stupid investment. But like usually my friends here have helped. And those I showed pics of this mare say she is well worth the investemnt.

I will keep everyone posted

Thanks
 
We have 3 mares here over 20 and all three are still producing gorgeous babies when bred. It does depend on the mare and her condition though. My 21 year old mare had a gorgeous filly in 2010. We did not immediately rebreed her though. I let her have her baby all summer until end of November. She kept her weight very well and just this week she was out running with the 2 year old fillies and having a blast herself. She certainly does not look or act like an old mare. I have two 21 year old mares in foal for this spring. They maintain their weight very well and just seem to enjoy being in foal. Maybe it is the special attention they get? who knows.

That being said, I have younger mares that don't retain their weight as well and I do skip breeding years on them.

So it all depends on the mare. I would check her foaling history for sure. We don't breed much anymore and I probably will retire my old gals when they give me a signal that it is a drain on them.

A 14-YO mare with a sound breeding history is not a put off to me.
 
If the mare has been taken care of all her life I would not hesitate getting a mare in their late teens or even their 20's if they fit my breeding program, as long as they have a good breeding and foaling history.

Some mares get better with age! They are certainly great to have around to add wisdom to your herd!
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One of our retired, older mares was a wonderful nanny to the foals. Just awesome.!!
 

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