Mare getting in foal

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kayla221444

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
523
Reaction score
0
Location
Port Leyden ny
Hello everyone, I have never had this problem but was wondering, what could be some problems of why a mare cant get in foal? I have a mare in mind of buying, but they bred her ( two differnt months a few times each) and had the vet check her 2 months later to see if she was in foal. The vet performed an internal ultrasound and had said that she felt to be pregnat but he couldnt tell for sure, as he was too big of a guy and couldnt get the probe in the correct spot to tell for sure. They then noticed she wasnt getting any bigger so they had her checked again. This time the vet performed an external ultrasound, but I have heard that sometimes they dont work as well on minis because of their thick hair, you almost have to do it when they are at least 8 months along. This was a big horse ultrasound machine(external) (does it make a difference?). Do you think there could be something wrong with her on why she didnt take? Shes 9 years old and has never had a foal before, this is the first foal they have tried with her, but maybe other owners have and werent sucessful???? Or maybe she just needs to be bred more??? Any suggestions?? how much is it to get them checked to see if they are able to be in foal? whats the procedure? thanks hope someone can help

Kayla
 
If you are wanting a mare that can have a foal, my suggestion is to either buy a proven broodmare, or, even more of a sure thing, a vet-checked in foal mare. A nine year old mare that has never had a foal and hasn't settled when bred isn't going to be a good prospect as a broodmare, IMO. Now, if you really like the mare and aren't set on having a foal, then she may be great as a fun pet, companion, show horse, driving horse, etc. Miniatures are good for much more than just reproducing.
default_yes.gif
Good luck whatever you decide!
default_smile.png
 
I would have to agree with Magic. I would be very hesitant in purchasing a 9 yr old mare that has never had a foal. Yes it is possible that the previous owners of this mare never bred her and just had her as a pasture pet, but even with that being said. An older mare that has never been bred can be more difficult to settle than one that was bred as a younger mare.

If you realy like her and don't intend on breeding her then as said previous, she might make a great pet, driving or performance mare. If your desire is to have babies, then I would consider looking elsewhere for a proven broodmare with a good breeding background and foals on the ground.

Good luck.
 
I just bought a nice, very reasonably priced, 8 yr old mare, double registered, just what I was looking for with great bloodlines. She has never had a foal because they never had a stallion for her. She will be arriving next month and will be put in with my stallion who is also arriving with her on the same trailer. I figure it may take a few tries so they can be in quarantine together. We'll see what happens.
default_laugh.png
 
I would also agree.

I found a beautiful bay General Patton daughter who was 3rd in the World at the AMHA World show. I was so excited about her, just beautiful!!

She was supposidly pregnant. They could not do an ultra sound as their vet did not do them, but she had not come back into heat since breeding her. This is what they said.

I got on to the Stud Book on line and looked the mare up. She is 9 this year and has never had a live foal. Well, I went back to them about this and they gave me excuses about how she was not bred before etc. I said I wanted a note from the vet saying she was pregnant before I would buy her.

They again said that their vet did not ultra Sound. So I told them to have a blood test done. They kept saying that she was pregnant, and getting fatter all of the time. I held out for the blood test. Sure enough, she was not pregnant. I saved myself $7,500 from buying a barren mare.

Be careful what anyone tells you.

I personally would not buy a mare that was older and never had a foal, there is a problem there and very few of them have "never been bred before"

There are so many nice pregnat mares out there, look for one that you know can give you foals.
 
As far as what can cause a mare to not get in foal, bacterial infection, scarring from a previous foal or her aborting a fetus, an infertile/low fertility stallion....I am sure there are other things beyond that.

I don't totally buy the ultrasound thing, two years ago my vet did an internal ultrasound, had no problems at all with two mares. This year my vet did external ultrasounds on four mares, had no problems at all. Between my observances and her knowledge, we both had the same due dates for our outcomes. The machine is the same for big or small horses, it is still an ultrasound machine.

My horses were between 4-5 months when ultrasounded, the image was crystal clear.

You can ask if they have had her cultured for a bacterial infection, if an infection is present it can cause the mare to not get in foal, abort, or, in some instances, carry to term and have a foal that has serious issues with an infection.
 
Hello everyone thanks for the replies. I guess I didnt explain good enough. She was a show mare up until last year when the people that have her now bought her. And they tried two times to breed her they bred her once in april and noticed she came back in heat again the next month so they bred her again, and thought she took because she never came back into heat, So just figured she was preg. but then she never got any fatter, so they figured they would check her, is it possible the stallion just didnt get her well enough?I would love to get her check by a vet saying she is sound to breed, is there such test to check them to see if they can carry a foal? They also had said something about the stallion being to big and he couldnt get close enough to her ovaries(the vet said)...is that possible? Shes a small mare. I do want to purchase this mare for breeding because of her lines, show record and BEAUTY, I think shes worth the try. I have bred minis before so it wont be a first time, I am just asking this question because I have never had a mare not take, and if I have it was because they werent bred on the right days etc, or just one time(with mares that have already foaled before though)Thanks

Kayla
 
Kayla all I can say is if the mare is priced in such a way that it wont be such a loss to you if she cannot have foals then by all means go ahead. But if you are truely counting on this mare being able to have babies then I would think long and hard about it as I would really hate for you to lose your money. I myself would not buy her for if my goal is to use her for broodmare it would just be too much of a risk to me... I would buy a mare that is proven and already definitely in foal. Very few mares make it to that age without being bred even if they have been shown...Maybe whoever tried to breed her when she was younger,couldnt catch then just decided to show her so it wouldnt be a complete loss.You never know...Alot of questions..few answers...I guess that is one of the reasons breeding is such a gamble...
default_wacko.png
 
Yes, it is a risk, but if the price is really right, it may be worth giving her a try and working with her and maybe the vet. But make sure you like her well enough in case she can't do the mommy thing.
 
My mare I got is 21. She didn't get into foal the year before I bought her. And she was a proven broodmare. Things just happen. She got in foal the year I bought her and we're expecting. Is the stallion proven???? Could be something wrong on his end. I also know there are shots that you can give to get a mare in heat and cycling, but I've never tried one.

You can always sign a contract saying if you can't get her in foal within a certain amount of months, then you return her and get your money back. Always a thought there. Good luck!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top