Breeding/Stallions

[AJ]

Have been breeding for many years and only hand breed. Process- I take mare to stallion, keeping mare on lead, only when she is cycling. My current stallions are "wham bam thank you ma'am " types, so we are in and out quickly. With mare in heat, stallion will service pretty much as often as he is given the opportunity. If mare kicks, stallion will retreat and we leave. After doing this thousands of times, I have on a few occasions (this morning being one) where the mare is receptive and the stallion will smell, retreat, pin back ears, lower head in snake like form and rush the mare in "bite" mode. Knows mare and has bred her before. Would appreciate hearing what might bring on this reaction.

 

[Miniv]

Just speaking from personal experience........We have been pasture breeding for years. Our stallion, Raider, (bless his furry soul), just seemed to KNOW when a mare was "ripe". He would approach, flirt, and a cycling mare would act receptive, so he'd sniff. If she wasn't truly ready he would walk away. While the mare was in heat, he would do this daily and then finally after a few days he'd breed her. Somehow he knew when she was most fertile and didn't waste his energy until then.

 

[AJ]

Today - took mare in, he bred her without incident. Maybe yesterday didn't smell right.

 

[Debby - LB]

I have had stallions that would breed a fence post that the mare had walked by lol ... but twice I had stallions that knew when the mare was ovulating. It's so nice to have a stallion that knows the optimal time to breed, makes things so much easier. Those 2 stallions never failed to settle on first cover.