We've also hand bred maidens. Then we've used a combination of hand breeding, paddock breeding and running our stallions with our mares. When running our boys with the girls, new mares aren't added to a group, but he is pulled out, cleaned up and allowed to "woo" the new mare thru hand breeding.
When breeding larger, horse mares to our Shetland stallion we used a ramp for him to stand on and breeding stocks. A couple of mares (they were halter broke, used to standing tied and used to being handled) were 1 leg hobbled. A cotton rope was tied in a bowline knot around her neck (usually from the left), the end of the line was run down to her left hind leg, wrapped 2x around her pastern and brought back to to the neck loop and tied in a slip knot that can be pulled loose. The leg was drawn up well under her but NOT so far that it was in the air. The stocks that I used allowed us to cross tie the mare and a handler was still right there on the left to quickly undo the "neck hobble" if needed.
I cleaned up the mare first - wrapping her tail, washing her whole hind quarters with ivory soap and warm water - anus, vul va, well around her haunches & down the insides of her hind legs - anywhere a stallion might come into contact with her if they were hopping around. I trained my stallion(s) that though he was to "woo" his "love" from the front and side (either side), he wasn't allowed to rear, paw, bite or leap on her from the side - preventing direct contact with her sides.
Then the he was brought out with his breeding halter on (or whatever you use) and he was allowed to tease the mare. At our first property we used the breeding stocks as a barrier between them while I was preparing him and to double check that the mare was in standing heat, here we are in my barn and I have a wooden fence and gate between our stalls that I keep partially closed during teasing. He can put his head/neck between the upper and middle rails to visit, nuzzle, talk and nibble (they learn quick that I don't allow biting - I've seen major damage done with large horses where the stallion literally tore the mares' necks up and some breeding operations use a leather "apron" over the mares' necks so that he can't bite them). The mare is tied on the other side of the fence - but can move around so that she can present herself to him. OR she can turn her body away from us/him and move back to the end of her lead and he won't even be able to see her (either a "silent heater" or one that may not be in heat at all). He is taught to stand and not kick while I wash him also with warm water and ivory soap. His whole scrotal area is washed, his p en is and his belly in front of the scrotal area where his p en is may come into contact with him as well while mounting.
If we are using the breeding stocks/ramp, then the mare is moved outside to them while he remains in the barn. He is then taken out to visit and woo her more up close and personal before moving around behind her to get the deed done. He is encouraged to sniff, "talk", lick and nibble - but no biting (and on a "shy" stallion, correcting for biting can cause that e rec tion to go away and start all over again... snooze). Angles are different the larger the mare is. When he is ready and mounts, we do guide him in to get done as efficiently as possible. On smaller mares w/o the ramp, he usually mounted, entered and finished all in one smooth "go".
If I was breeding smaller mares right in the barn, I'd take him around the gate area after washing him and again he'd "woo" her up close and personal, then move down her side and mount and breed her from the rear. Most of my handling of both horses is always from the left - however - my own ponies/horses are used to me also being on the right and if positioning required that I move to the right for whatever reason, I could. The clean up/washing of horses often took much longer than the actual teasing and breeding, especially with horses that aren't used to being touched "there" (to include the mares!!).
Our first stallion was a "good" breeder and seemed to appreciate the "help" and didn't mind being guided to complete the "job". I used to shake my head and laugh when i read or heard stories of "shy" stallions" "...there's such a thing?...". Then we purchased our 2nd Shetland stallion and OMG - he's a shy breeder!! The minute you touched him for washing he'd draw up so tight you'd have to look under him to see if he still had a sheath and testes... NONE of our mares became pregnant the first year (I managed to get him to cover 4) - it was a serious exercise in frustration for all involved! And once the e rec tion lost, it took forever to get him ready again (I learned quick not to try to breed mares in the morning before work after I was late when it took more than 2 hours to get a mare bred). I prefer morning breedings and used to pray that mares would be in heat either on days I wasn't working or over the weekends, LOL.
Our first set up, I was often out at the "pony pasture" many hours at various times of the day. It was easy to visually track mares' heat cycles and between observation and my stallions' reactions, we often covered a mare only one time during a heat cycle and she would be checked in foal 14 to 30 days later. Our "shy" breeder talks to all mares - even when they aren't in season (or used to) - using him to visually track heat cycles added to our frustration. With work schedules with him (2nd stallion) - often our mares were/are bred several times in a heat cycle. Though we did get past that first year of no pregnancies, it hasn't been nearly as easy - it's work. With my work schedule now, it is difficult to track mares that I'm unfamiliar with. Right now, due to my schedule, I won't take outside mares - I know that I simply wouldn't have a great chance of successfully breeding and getting a mare in foal. I doubt that I'd get a "silent heater" in foal right now via hand breeding - I'd have to use paddock or pasture breeding...
I have sent full size horse mares out to be bred and they've had breeding hobbles used on them. I've been involved with several large horse breeding operations and we used them about 1/2 the time. No mishaps. I've heard lots of stories of wrecks though and have always shied away from breeding hobbles for the minis - though it's more a personal, "gut" feeling - nothing concrete and no experience.
