Geriatric brood mares - what I'm I getting in to?

[scr]

I have one older mare - she is 18 this year but in good health. I have had her for three years and she is still fertile and gets in foal easily.

I am looking at another mare now but she is 19 and appears in good health (had a baby last year fine). I would want to hopefully have a few babies from her as long as she was healthy.

My questions to you with older breeding mares are - what am I getting into with these geriatric mares? How long do most of you breed mares? And what kinds of special care do they need as they "mature"? ( I do feed my 18 year old equine senior but that's the only special care she gets). Is it wiser to look at buying younger mares? Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Stephanie]

I've noticed that many breeders get rid of their broodmares around 12 or 13. Personally I love my older broodmares. They know what to do and are usually excellent mothers. I feed my older mares equine senior and they seem to do as well as younger mares.

 

[sfmini]

We have a broodmare in her mid 20's and going strong. The only thing we do different with her is watch her weight closely since we keep them all on dry lot (well mud lot now) as a group. She tends to get pulled down by her foals so we will sometimes wean her babies a bit earlier than we normally would (3 months instead of 4 or 5) and will also bring her and baby in to get extra food. We also watch the dynamics of the group and make sure she is the dominant mare in her group. Easy to do there, she is pretty high in the pecking order on our farm.

She has been our best producer and we will retire her when it is appropriate to do so, she has earned it!

 

[Magic]

the only "older" mare I have is now 23, and she had a gorgeous foal last year for us, and she settled from just ONE cover.

She is now retired, but only because that was my plan, not because I don't think she could continue foaling. IMO she has done enough and should retire.

If you like the older mare, I say get her.

:

 

[Suzie]

I too love my older mares. I know just what they will do. They seem to make better moms, richer milk and more patience with foals than some younger mares to me.

I had a phone call just yesterday from a man wanting to know if a 12-YO mare was too old to buy. I advised him to check her background, care, etc, reproductive history and if all sound, go for it.

I do have a wide spread from 3 YOs to 17 YOs and they have special needs, but the old girls are still in great shape and occasionally they will show off to the younger mares that they aren't dead yet -Kicking up heels and tearing around the pasture! I would say 9-12 is probably optimal breeding ages but as long as they are healthy, fertile and happy, the older ones are great. When baby days are over, they can retire in luxury too.

 

[FoRebel]

I have an "older" mare who is 21 this year. She's in foal right now and I will probably breed her one more time in 2008 for a 2009 foal and then play it by ear for breeding another time before retiring her. She's deffinately not my favorite mare but she's growing on me and we'll never sell her... She's a good mare to use when weaning fillies since she loves the babies. :bgrin Most of my mares are between the ages of 7-13 y.o. though. I do have the one "older" mare and 3 young mares that are still maiden mares.

I guess it all depends on personal preferences.

:

 

[Relic]

The best foals we have have come out of the older 15 and up mares never had anything but fast uneventful foals out of them and they also seem to be better moms and wean there own foals around 3/4 months when they had enough. l guess by that age they have more experience and know whats what..

 

[Miniv]

I too love my older mares. I know just what they will do. They seem to make better moms, richer milk and more patience with foals than some younger mares to me.

I had a phone call just yesterday from a man wanting to know if a 12-YO mare was too old to buy. I advised him to check her background, care, etc, reproductive history and if all sound, go for it.

I totally agree with Suzie. We have several mares in their mid to upper teens and they are wonderful. They still settle easily, give us all the textbook signs for foaling, and are great moms.

IMO, if a mare is taken care of and continues to be in good health, they can continue to be broodmares into their 20's (If THEY want to be.)

MA

 

[Laura]

My questions to you with older breeding mares are - what am I getting into with these geriatric mares?

[SIZE=12pt]I love older mares. As others have said, they know their job and are not usually drama queens

: I've bred mares into their very late twenties and have retired some in their mid teens. It just depends on the mare, her weight, atittude and general health.[/SIZE]

Another thing that comes with older mares is a lifelong friend & companion. I *love* my old girls and would never dream of selling one. They have given their youth for people and should be properly cared for in their golden years. We have several 18-23, one 27 and one who will be 39 this year!!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I adopted (bought for $450) a mare last fall that was 24 years old and in foal. Soon as we got her home I had the vet check her and asked if I should end the pregnancy or let it continue. She said that since the mare was in excellent health and condition for a 24 yr old that I'd be fine letting her carry the foal. I didn't know. This is the oldest mare I've had. But she's due in late March/early April and she's as big as a house, but other than supplementing her with a bit of Buckeye Growth, I'm not treating her any different. She's definitely slowing down a bit and walking like she's about to pop, but she's doing pretty good. We'll see how this foaling goes, and if the vet says she's healthy enough, we'll breed her to Corona for an '08 baby of our own. She's a beautiful silver chocolate with a flaxen/mixed mane and tail

: and her sire is Blue Boy. Even if she never has another baby, we'll be keeping her for the rest of her life. She's given lots of babies for lots of owners and deserves a good place to spend the rest of her years.

 

[Loess Hills]

Laura said almost everything I'd want to add:

I love older mares. As others have said, they know their job and are not usually drama queens I've bred mares into their very late twenties and have retired some in their mid teens. It just depends on the mare, her weight, atittude and general health.
Another thing that comes with older mares is a lifelong friend & companion. I *love* my old girls and would never dream of selling one. They have given their youth for people and should be properly cared for in their golden years. We have several 18-23, one 27 and one who will be 39 this year!!

We have a 23-year old mare who is the most wonderful mother, gentle and loving horse I've ever known. She "talks" to us all the time we are out in the barn or pasture, has had 12 healthy beautiful foals. She did not get in foal last year, so this may be her last foal. She and our stallion are like an old married couple, they want to be together, groom each other, and call for each other if they are separated. We really love her, and would not hesitate to purchase another "older" lady!

 

[New2Minis]

My questions to you with older breeding mares are - what am I getting into with these geriatric mares?

[SIZE=12pt]I love older mares. As others have said, they know their job and are not usually drama queens

: I've bred mares into their very late twenties and have retired some in their mid teens. It just depends on the mare, her weight, atittude and general health.[/SIZE]

Another thing that comes with older mares is a lifelong friend & companion. I *love* my old girls and would never dream of selling one. They have given their youth for people and should be properly cared for in their golden years. We have several 18-23, one 27 and one who will be 39 this year!!

Well said! :aktion033: :aktion033:

 

[Marnie]

I don't know of anyone who gets rid of there mares when they get to be 12 or 13 yrs old, that'd be a pretty stupid move on there part. I love the older mares. My old Foxy Lady is 25 this yr, she gave me a gorgeous colt last yr, she may be bred for this yr and may not be, either way is ok with me. And she'll run in the mares pasture with a stud this yr too, whatever happens, happens. She's in good shape, very good, no one can believe she's 25. She is so happy being a momma. She's kinda an old bat, not real people friendly but I can catch her if I want to, she's blind in one eye, I would let her go to the right home (only because I'm downsizing) but haven't found that home yet so she can stay right here and eat hay for as long as she is alive. I really can't see retiring these old mares if they are in good shape and produce milk for the foal, most of these old mares love being a mom, so why not allow it? JMO.

 

[Stacy Score]

I love what Laura and Star Ridge said about their older mares -- I have a very soft spot for my elderly girls and I truly believe that IF you do want to bring this wonderful mare into your life that you consider very sincerely the fact that this will HOPEFULLY be her LAST home - her forever home. Nothing saddens me more than the thought of an elderly mare who has given, and given and given and then her owner needing/wanting to sell her - perhaps just because she won't be the productive producer that she once was.

Older mares (and my old stallions for that matter) are cherished members of our family and I would never dream of parting with them unless it was truly for their own safety or wellbeing.

So, please, if you are thinking about her, please think ahead about what you will do if she NEVER produces a foal for you, or perhaps only one or two.

My elderly girls are happy, chubby and "in charge" - at age 24 and 9 mos pregnant Cleo is still prancing around in complete control of the entire broodmare band !

Thank you,

Stacy

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I love our older mares. The foals and young horses in general are easy to sell for me in comparision.

We've been fortunate though, our oldies are all very healthy and sensible.

Our two oldest are both 24, with five others in the 17-21 range. The two oldest, Lady (16 foals) and Tina (15) the majority for other breeders. They both cycle regularly still, but as I do not know there complete care history, and they're both fairly roomy mares, I do worry about endangering them for one more foal, so I stopped both of them for that reason only in 2005.

I have retained a daughter or two from each of them as replacements

They run around on our property with their friends (most have been together 10+ years), daughters, grand-daughters and a few great-grands.

Lady nursed her daughter up until a couple of months ago - I guess when your baby is as big as you it isn't as much fun! I let my 'retired' dams keep their last baby if it's a filly until they're ready to let them off into the world. Maria (21) still occasional will let Patsy nurse, but it doesn't look like much in the bag!

I'm actually trying to buy a mare right now that I've tried to buy for four years. She's 17+, but I just adore her!