Breeding Mares

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cowgurl_up

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Hi all!

Well, with the fun time of foals comes the fun time of breeding!!! This is the first year I have owned a mare of my own, so I have some breeding questions.
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First, let me say, I have worked several places that have bred horses, but it was all AI breeding. Then, let me say that I have seen hand breeding done, just never been this much involved in it. I am not shy, and have no problem helping where need be and such.

Ok, here's my deal. My stallion is 3 this year and I would love to breed my mare back to him for his first foal to be born in 09. He is inexperienced, so I am sure that just helps to complicate things!
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Anyway, my mare foaled in March and I watched patiently for the foal heat (they are stalled next to each other and I thought I would just have to watch and wait for her to go stand with her butt to him at the fence!!), but never caught her giving him any signs of being in heat. All I got was her pinning her ears at him every time he looked at her! She must have had it though as the foal did have some very very slight runny stuff just a little after a week of being born. I know the mare should be coming back into heat about the end of this month, but here is my problem/question. She is a very very protective mare (not towards me or others, just mainly towards him or the dogs when her foal is around). Has any one else ever had problems noticing a mare in heat because she is too busy trying to kick his butt so she doesn't give any normal signs?
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What things can I do to make this work or is it more or less a lost hope for this year and I will have to wait until she doesn't have a foal on her next year? Gosh, I hope not! But if it is, so be it.

Thanks in advance for the advice!!!! It is very much so appriciated!!!! Please share your own breeding stories.
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My mares are out and out floozies with the stallions ....except when they have a foal. 2 of them flat out refuse to be bred (won't tolerate the stallion at all) the year they have the foal others will breed once the foal is older and more independent. When mom can be taken from her foal with out either one getting to frantic for 5 minutes or so I can breed all but the 2, they get to be every other year mares because thats what they want.
 
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I have heard of mares not showing heat becuase of their foals. I know there is a shot that will bring her in. I would calculate her date. Tie her to the fence and have her baby by her head (you'll need help). Slowly introduce the stallion from a ways away and see how she reacts. She might take him if her foal is right the in her sight and is well away from the stallion. My neighbor use to breed big horses. He had a shoot type thing (like a stall wide enough for the mare). The baby was held up by the mare's head and then the mare was bred. But if the baby was running around, she wouldn't breed.

Never dealt with this, but I hope this helps.
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If you insist on hand breeding, what we have done with a mare that was very overprotective of her colt is tie her to the stall aisle boards and have my husband hold the foal where she can see it thru the boards. Then I have the stallion approach, ours was very interested in her side, down her legs and smelling everywhere
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until he was sure she was receptive. With yours being an unproven stallion with a witchy mare, I would be very careful doing this one. With our mare that was contrary after the stallion was finished a lot of the time they like to rest there for a moment after, we could not let him with this mare, after he was finished I was jerking on his halter hauling him off in a hurry because she would haul off and kick immediately after. We bred her for 3 years this way. Sold her last year, she is now in a pasture type situation and has done well with that stallion. If I were you I would try pasture breeding with a lot of room for the mare to get away from him and vice versa.

Just my two cents.
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Occasionally, there are mares who are very protective of their foals around stallions especially during foal heat and don't really show heat to the stallion. The next heat after that, the mare should be more relaxed and receptive to a stallions' advances. However, sometimes a mares' hormones cause her to 'shut down' while nursing a foal. A veterinarian would be able to tell you what's going on with your mare through ultrasound. If she isn't cycling, your vet may be able to do some hormone manipulation to get her cycling again. I've had that happen here and we've had to 'jump start' the mare to get her cycling.
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Here it works quite well to leave baby in stall and take mom out to where stallion is and tease through the fence. It seems to work best here if baby is no where to be seen. Then mom settels down (sometimes
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) and pays attention to the stallion.

Charlotte
 
My mares are going to be every other year girls because of this very issue--well, and I think it's best for me, too. I had one mare, with a foal at her side, tease the heck out of the stallion--showing every sign of heat, but she wouldn't let the stallion touch her. The other mare, also with a foal at her side, kept her heat cycles a secret--but when my stallion was telling me she was in heat--she wouldn't have anything to do with him either.
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I hope both change their tunes in a month--because they're all going on together.
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Thanks everyone so much for the advice!!!! It is all very much appricaited!!! It is very interesting to hear what others have had to do to get their mares bred and how others have handled the same situation!!

I have thought of pasture breeding, but I do like to know my exact dates bred and such and I worry that the foal might end up hurt over the deal by either and over eager stallion or a kick happy mare. I may have to try something like that though and see what happens. I have thought maybe I could turn the mare and the stallion loose and hold the foal with me in the middle until I see how they both react to each other. Then I know the foal would be safe from the initial stuff I am sure would go on even though they were together for 2 months before it was her time to foal.

I have also thought to leave the foal in the stall just for a bit while I take the mare for a short walk, just to get her used to being away from baby now and then at the end of the month when she should be coming back in maybe she would be more comfortable and I could just walk her out to the stallion?

It really isn't that big of a deal if she is going to have to be an every other year mare. I may see about leasing a mare to breed to my stallion so I can have a foal out of him next year and to give my mare the year off as she insists!
 
I wanted to add, just for the stallions sake and safety, I would put breeding hobbles on her first before he approaches. Just in case she decided to kick. Don't need a stallion with a broken leg or unbreedable after that.
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Ive had very good luck by keeping my stallion pen ajacent to the mare pen. the mares will often go over to see the stallion and talk to him and with the fence in between them I can see how the mare reacts without my stallion being in danger. I also feel that by him being in close proximity of the foals the mares are used to him being around and feel less threatened. If I notice that a mare is showing interest I will take her out of the mare pen, leaving the foal (she is only going to be a few feet a way and can see the foal) and hand breed the mare in the stallion pen. After breeding I put her back with the foal immidiatly. All of my mares know this routine and it keeps the foals safe and I know when the breeding dates are. this also keeps my stallion happy as he is with his herd in a sense and if often visiting the foals through the fence and also grooming the mares through it. We call it conjigal visits!
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