Question number of foals

[bitsy]

Just a question for all you breeders. What is the most number of foals you have ever known a mare to have? and what is the oldest you've ever had a mare deliver?

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

We have a 9yo mare that's had 8 foals, and two cooking this year But that's with assistance... I've known 18yo mares who have carried 14 or so foals, if they are very fertile and their produce sell, making the breeder willing to try every year. As far as age... I've seen embryo's harvested off of mares in their mid 20's, but the oldest I personally have seen carry a foal was in their late teens. I'm positive there is older out there continuing

 

[FoRebel]

We have a 21 yr old mare that is going to be delivering at least her 9th foal. She has 8 registered to her so this will be her 9th registered foal. I actually plan on breeding her one more time before retiring her.

 

[Magic]

My grand old mare (now retired) last year foaled at 22 years of age. She was bred ONCE, settled and carried with no problems whatsoever. I promised her that she would be retired after that, and she seems really happy just hanging out with her last year's foal and taking it easy.

:

I have an eleven year old mare that just had her ninth foal (the first was an accident). She settles every year reliably, first cycle bred, and has wonderful foals. A mare like her is a true gem!

 

[Kendra]

Robin, pictured above with her 2006 filly at less than a day old, is 16 years old and will have her 13th foal this summer.

The oldest mare we've ever foaled out was 21.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

We have three older mares, the oldest is 16 and is carrying her 4th foal for us, I have no idea how many foals prior to us she has had. The second is 15 and is in foal for her second foal for us.. I know of at least 6 foals out of her. Lastly is our newest mare who is 14, she has had 8 known foals.. She's the one that just lost her 2007 foal due to a twisted umbilical cord

We'll be breeding her back to our appy Sky

 

[rabbitsfizz]

The oldest I have known a mare deliver normally and after having been routinely bred was 33 years old.

This was a proven, registered Welsh Cob mare and with one still birth she had delivered every year form four years old.

All her foals were registered and this was not a "tall story"!!!

33 is pushing it, I know bit I had an 18 year old who "shut up shop" and then pined away to nothing the next year because she was a broodmare first and foremost- I had to have her put down as she would not rally and I always wondered if I had made a bit more effort to get her in foal if she would have been OK- sometimes retirement is not what they want.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I have a 15 year old who just had her 11th foal, an 11 year old in foal with her 6th foal, and a 9 year old mare had 4 foals (she is on her own cycle of 2 years on, one year off).

 

[Marnie]

My mare Sonrisa's Foxy Lady was born in 1982, registered in 1988. But that makes her 25 yrs old. Theirs 14 foals registered to her and I think she is bred this yr. She is a daughter of Sonrisa's Hajel and looks just like him. She's had some beautiful foals, is a great mother and I have no intention of not breeding her unless their is a reason not to, but she's in good shape, you'd never guess her age by looking at her and she loves her babies, I think it's what she lives for. On years she's open, she stands around and pouts as she watches the other foals.

 

[Miniv]

We have a coming 19 year old mare.........Have had her since she was a yearling. She's had 14 live foals for us, 15 pregnancies, and took one year off. She's having one more foal and then she and I will have a "talk" about her retiring. I think she deserves it, but at the moment she's torn.

MA

 

[Lewella]

Royal Pony Farm had a Shetland mare, Brooks Golden Kathie's Lassie, who had her last foal at 32 and lived into her 40's. They've also had many mares foaling well into their 20's including Royal Flame Suspense who had a colt last year at age 26 and Royal Gretta Gee who had a filly a couple of years ago at age 25.

I have a 20 year old Shetland mare due to foal in about a month.

: Her dam had her last foal at age 24 and had 16 ASPC registered foals.

 

[bitsy]

Thanks Jane and Marnie, I'm asking because I have a 15 year old mare that just delivered her eleventh gorgeous show quality foal with the ease that she had delivered the 10 before. Some friends said I was cruel to keep breeding her, personally I think it would be cruel not to. She wouldn't know what to do without a foal on her side and she does indeed love her babies. She still has the shape of an eight year old and you would never know to look at her that she has foaled out eleven pretty babies.