Breeding question

[Mini Glaciers]

I concerned about my horses. I have a stallion who obviously knows what he's doing and I tried breeding him to 3 mares in a dry lot setting and no one settled. My 2 year old stallion also tried breeding several of the same mares with no success. One of my mares was in with the older stallion for several weeks. As far as I know, none of my horses are pregnant. I'm going to have my older stallion checked to make sure he's not shooting blanks. Anyone have any tips on how I can make sure that I have some foals next season?

Also, during the summer, my stallions, including the yearling are separated. Right now, in the dead of winter, they are all together in one stall and doing fine. They also run together during the winter.

 

[MountainMeadows]

Connie

I do not hobble - to me it is same as "rape" and I would not ask any of my girls to be subjected to that. I will tease over a wall and let my stallion place his head on the mare's rump before I will let him mount. Having witnessed what can happen and how quickly it can happen in a "happy pasture situation" - I will never let my stallions be put into that position again. I am very sorry that it cannot be, my stallions loved being out with their mares, it was "natural" and all seemed well, but in a split second that can all change and the stallion is going to be the loser. That said, it is entirely possible that an accident can happen even in a controlled situation - but with only one mare and one stallion and me handling him, in their breeding area at the time, it is far less likely that a "situation" will arise without me knowing it is about to happen - out in the pasture a mare can come at the two "lovers" out of the blue and turn a natural act of breeding into a disaster - again, with the stallion being the big loser - just not worth it to me - never again.

Stacy

 

[Connie P]

Thank you for sharing Stacy.

I appreciate your input.

 

[Knighthawke]

I will say I have on very few occasions used breeding hobbles. I had one mare that when she was in heat. I would wait until she was in for at least 3 days. Then if you tried to breed her, and she was in standing heat she would try to kick the stallion the first time she was bred. On the second time I would cover her she would be fine. Then the following year if you bred her to the same stallion she was fine and would not kick but if you used a different stallion she would kick and you would have to the same thing. I know some people call hobble rape but I went waiting through two heat cycles with this mare trying to kick. Until I hobbled her the one time.

I have also used a one leg hobble you see that a lot in the TB world. They will tie up the front leg until the stallion jumps up and enters the mare then you let the leg down. It is used a lot for mare that will not stand still.

For some mares just a twitch to get the mare more focused on you is enough to help with a hard to breed mare. I have sometimes used it on maiden mare the first time they were covered.

I will say mini mares are a lot easier to breed and not as flighty as dealing with TB's.

I used to work at a Vet office that specialized in reproductions and dealing with the young maiden TB mares was a challenge.

I have also used breeding hobbles as a training device on a mare that would try to kick when you picked up her feet. It keep her from being able to kick out and with one training lesson that was not ruff, and she was broke.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Never used hobbles on a Mini, do not own a set so can't say if it would work.

The only time we did use hobbles with the Arabs we had those shoe things as well, that go over the feet....we had a few mares come in with hind shoes on, and, well, could not take the shoes off ourselves, couldn't get a farrier and could not afford to turn away the stud fee, so we put the boots on and hobbled.

The stallion got a foreleg caught in the hobbles, once we had sorted that out the mare, quite justifiably , took a pot shot at me, her hoof cam nowhere near but she nearly knocked me cold with the boot thing as it flew off and connected with my head.

After that we settled for a pole twitch, correctly and gently applied, and had no more problems.

I will occasionally use a twitch on a maiden mare, but really only to get her to quiet down, and even then the majority are just fine.

Carlos is a very canny lad, and he is a bit of a mouse with the mares, very respectful when loose with them, an absolute BULLY when hand breeding, I will do it, and I do make him, but he doesn't seem to get any quieter, I have to say, and I take no back talk from my horses, you know

I agree with the possible damage, one of the main reasons that Rabbit is as highly strung as he is , is purely that he was badly kicked as a two year old, and had testicles the size of small melons ...I was SO lucky, also very lucky to have a river and a child willing to get up before school and back him into the river and leave him there for half an hour. I did the same at lunch and in the evening, but we were still really lucky.

It affected him all his life, he was a mess all through the breeding season, could not be turned out at all, not even in a round pen, and stall walked constantly.

He is 31 this year and he still walks incessantly, but, for the past fifteen years I have at least been able to turn him out in a paddock and, although he still cannot ever go in with other horse, I have put his round pen in the mares field, and he can interact with them in a controlled manner.

Carlos is the complete opposite,

He is a shy boy, very nervous and he is content to just graze around the girls until they indicate (I will find him with his head soaking some morning, sorry to be so gross!) that they are ready to breed, thus they call the shots and at all other times Carlos is too far away to get kicked!!

I still prefer hand breeding!

With Rabbit it is soooo easy, he has always been such a gentleman and I am so sorry he never got to know the joy of standing under an oak tree with one of his foals, just chilling out.

If I had been more careful in his first year breeding he might have had that joy.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I never, ever, ever allow my stallions to breed in a pasture breeding situation. Too dangerous. Working in a repro hospital has shown me many times what can happen to a stallion who's mare changes her mind. I do all AI. When needed, if I have to do a live cover, I use hobbles, twitch if nessesary, and drugs if warrented. For minis its a lot easier to restrain by hand, and the damage they can do to the handlers and stallion's chest is minimal, so I restrain by hand instead. For example, I can lift a mini mare's head straight into the air to prevent her from kicking... I can't do that to a TB mare if she disagrees with me. But any and all full sized horse I breed is wearing break-away hobbles, and is bred in hand.

 

[Connie P]

Interesting to see all points of view. Thank you everyone. I am now unsure of what I want to do. Hmmmmm

 

[tagalong]

No pasture breeding for the main stallion here... every time we tried to let him run with mares - even pregnant ones - he wore himself to a frazzle by constantly herding them... and when they decided to ignore him he would run circles around them. He fretted, he fussed, he fumed... he dropped far too much weight and became an anxious wreck. Never again. He has had the odd mare in his paddock with him at times - but never overnight/unobserved. That works well for me - I wuld rather know EXACTLY when the last cover was so I have a better idea of how many gestation days we are at. Watching for outward "signs" does not always work. "Signs" may not be present - the mare may not have read the book - and my only guide may be how far along she is!

And this same stallion will not tolerate any other stallions or geldings being with him. He even rages at them through the fence if they have the temerity to get too close. Not every stallion is able to be turned out with "the boys".