Difference between Pasture and hand

[Bonny]

Just curious, when you hand breed your mares how often do you let the stallion cover the mare?Do you cover once a day every day she will stand? Or do you cover her every other day?

When you pasture breed to you just put them in a pasture and let them breed as often as they like? Or do you do a more controlled pasture breeding such as after you observe the breeding you remove one?

 

[Matt73]

I only hand-breed. Mares are covered every other day (sperm live in the vaginal tract/uterus for 48 hours).

 

[Miniv]

When we DO hand breed, we've tended to do it every other day.

Pasture breeding, we leave the mare(s) with the stallion and try to document the breedings, we also document the mare's heat cycles - incase we don't see the actual act.

 

[Windhaven]

I mainly do hand breeding. I only breed every other day and start on the 3rd to 4th day of the mares heat cycle because the egg usually drops down the last day of the mares heat cycle. Once in a while you might have an odd mare that has a the egg drop down sooner in the cycle but the norm is the last day or day after of standing heat. This I was told by vet fertility specialists and they also recommend breeding every other day.

 

[sdmini]

I do both. When I do hand breed I go every other day.

The bulk of mine are pasture bred, remaining in the pasture for the duration of the season. I have a small pasture directly across from house, early mornings and later afternoons/early evenings I go across and sit on a bucket and just observe for a while. I could tell you who was in heat and if they were actually getting covered plus it would give me "qualtiy" time with the foals.

 

[Reble]

We call ours watch them breed

This time of year our mares are with our stallion in a dry lot during the day. Than he returns to his own stall.

Now we can see them breed just outside our door. I mark the dates down when I see him breed.

Now when our pasture is ready (about first of June), they will all go out to pasture for a few hours a day untill they get used to slowly grazing. Than they are out for 4 - 6 hours a day at the most.

Our Stallion gets stalled by himself every night.

 

[muffntuf]

Typical stallion behaviour in pasture breeding is to cover several times during the day during the mares standing heat.

I only hand breed - when I do, it depends on the mare. If it is a seasoned mare, it is on the last few days of her heat cycle. IF it is a maiden mare, because they don't typically know when to stand, I cover once a day until they are out. When they foal the next year, they usually know the difference of I just want a boy and I need a boy.

 

[FoRebel]

We do the "watch 'em breed" thing too. The mares are put out with the stud when they're in heat and are returned to their separate stalls in the evenings. When mares being bred are not in heat, they're with the other mares. It works for us since we can pin point a good week of "should be due" according to 342 day gestations.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I hand breed, every other day starting on the 3rd day of heat.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

ditto Reignmaker, when I don't use AI.

 

[txminipinto]

I hand breed, every other day starting on the 3rd day of heat.

Just wanted to throw this out there, I have a mare that comes in, ovulates, and goes out in a 3-4 day time span. So, if you wait for day 3, you might miss it on some mares.

 

[HGFarm]

Ditto Nathan and Reignmaker. MOST mares are in heat longer than three to four days, so this would work. However if you know you have one with a short cycle, you would need to accomodate. Perhaps breed her on the second day, but you will have to check her again on the fourth day too.

I pasture breed anymore, but make note of the dates, etc... But when I hand bred, I also bred the third day and then every other day til the end. Even if they are in only 3 - 4 days, caught on the 3rd day should do it if they are still accepting the stallion on only day 3.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Even if they are in only 3 - 4 days, caught on the 3rd day should do it if they are still accepting the stallion on only day 3.

Exactly. Since ovulation occurs usually near the end of a heat you could settle that mare with only one cover

 

[Bonny]

Thanks, that is a lot of good information.

 

[Margaret]

Ive noticed with pasture breeding,- the stallion may cover the mare more than once a day.

Because of this I usually seperate and choose to check receptivity on the mare daily.

As long as she is intrested to stand for the stallion, I generally hand breed them once a day, and dont sweat it if I skip a day.

Sometimes if the mare settles, she will stop breeding or showing receptivity on the 3rd day.