Mares vs Stallions

[dmhstacy]

THis is a point I would like to hear some different views on. I know everyone has different ideas.

The recent topic of stallion being late to mature & dropping later then 2yrs does not worry some but others do not tolerate it.

My question is what about all these mares that are late maturers??

It is quite common for them to 4,5, + years before they fall pregnant. (most do fall at 3yrs but there is a large % that dont - do we not breed with those?)

I have never known this to be a big issue with large horses.

Maybe there are some lines in MARES as well as stallions that are late maturing??

I am not saying there is or isnt just would like to hear some views on it.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Thera was a late bloomer in my opinion. She had her first foal at 4 yrs old. It was red bag, I sometimes wonder if I should have waited yet another year but we'll see.

 

[Sue_C.]

It is quite common for them to 4,5, + years before they fall pregnant. (most do fall at 3yrs but there is a large % that dont - do we not breed with those?)I have never known this to be a big issue with large horses.

From my experience, MOST breeders of the larger breeds, are more interested in "proving" a mare, before she is allowed in the broodmare band. Even those who are Halter Champions, are saddle, and/or harness trained before they are ever expected to be bred. A horse has to have more than bloodlines, and be able to do more than stand there and look good.

Most of the mini mares I know, haven't been shown, or even harness trained before they are bred and producing foals that one really has no clue of how they will "pan-out". Granted, two of my mares, due to injuries as foals, haven't been harness trained, but the others here, have been.

Personally, I want to KNOW what my horses temperments are like, when put under the pressures of training. Also, it is a test of their abilities. We do not have any big-time, sanctioned shows, but plenty of open shows. I feel, if my minis can compete well with other breeds, including full-sized horses...they are more than welcome into my little broodmare band.

I have raised Quarterhorses, Morgans and Appaloosas, and never dreamed of raising a foal from a mare which was less than four or five years of age.

 

[pepperhill]

I had actually been wondering the same thing myself about late maturing mares. Good question. It also occurred to me that the info I have about the correct age to breed a mini mare might not be right. I'm sure there are some varying opinions about what the correct age is. I have heard that you breed them at two for foals in their third year, but then others have said

to that and that they shouldn't be bred until 5 years old. Is there a generally accepted rule on this? Linda

 

[Sue_C.]

I will not breed a mare as a two year old...it is done...but for the life of me, I cannot understand WHY.

This has been pretty well "hashed-out" in the past, and although, yes, some do breed what is IMHO, babies...the general consensus here has been not to.

I wish I had kept the article that I read years ago, on early beeding of immature mares. What it stated, was that by breeding these young mares, you actually shortened their productive life, by putting a strain on the mare's reproductive system.

Funny thing, it is a common practice to start a stallion slow and easy, breeding only a mare or two in his second year. (if any) Yet some folks will put a much larger and longer-lasting strain on an immature mare, and not think twice about it.

 

[Cathy_H]

We have foaled out approximately 90 foals since 1986 from several mares. We've only had two mares that did not get into foal before they turned four. I feel this was because we were showing them both & they just needed a bit more down time. Lee was ready to give them away as pets but I said, no we are going to give them another year. Both turned out to be two of our best broodmares. One got pregnant & has had a foal every year, the other one got in foal also but has skipped a couple of times.......... If I had one that was 4ish & did not get in foal, I would have it vet checked & go from there. If & when I ever buy a mare that has had foals I will check out its foaling history as I know some people even breed yearlings & I would not want to buy one that was bred that young.

 

[Minimor]

Let me start by saying that when I say "late maturing" I'm not thinking about a stallion having both testicles dropped...nor do I think about the reproductive tract when I refer to a filly/mare being late maturing.

In the Morgans, I always preferred horses that were late maturing over those that were well developed early on--I wanted our weanlings to look like weanlings, our yearlings to look like yearlings, once in awhile you might even get a 2 year old that looks like a yearling, or a 4 year old that looks like a 2 year old. I personally don't mind that. I didn't want a weanling that looked like a late yearling, or a yearling that looked like a 3 year old. Those that looked mature as a yearling tended to grow up to be very hefty horses by the time they were 4 or 5 years old.

I've looked at photos of Minis & thought "VERY nice", then I read the caption & realize I'm looking at a horse that is 12 months old--not the 3 year old I thought it was. No thank you, that isn't what I want. Is that yearling that looks like a 3 year old going to be more ready to be bred as a 2 year old than is the yearling that looks like a true yearling? I don't know, & I don't care. A mature looking 2 year old or a young looking 2 year old are, in my books, still both just babies, & I have no intention of breeding babies. I see no good reason to breed a 2 year old filly; I prefer to get the young horses trained, drive them for at least a couple years, then if the intention is to use that horse as a broodmare, she can be bred--no younger than 4, maybe not before the age of 5 or 6. Just because a 2 year old filly can be bred and carry a foal doesn't mean she has to!

If a 2 or 3 year old filly is too immature in the reproductive tract to conceive and carry a foal, I don't consider that a bad thing at all. We have a filly here that is

2 1/2 years old this fall. She had her first heat cycle just 3 weeks ago. Am I concerned because she didn't have a heat all through her yearling year, nor through her 2 year old summer? Not at all.

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

When we first got into minis we were told to breed them at 2 (mares), they'd probably catch if not rebreed at three. I bred two 2yr olds only once, one never caught or absorbed the other lost her foal at one day. My personal opinion is just because they can be bred doesn't necessarily mean they need to be bred at this age.

Since then we've been upping the age - I did breed some three year olds this year, but I'm tending to lean more towards their fourth year to start breeding. This allows for our mares to be fully mature, shown if that is the goal for that mare, etc. It works for our breeding program. It may not be the most 'business-like' decision where I've heard mares referred to as factories, etc. I don't view them that way, so treat them on an individual basis.

As to your questions, I do see some lines that are very mature as yearlings, others that are late two/three before they have the look, attitude of a mature mare. They all will start showing interest/heat by two, but they remind me of teenage girls - too many hormones and no idea what to do with them!