Reproductive troubleshooting

[LostandFound]

If your mare doesn't get in foal, what are the more common troubleshooting steps you can take? She is under 15 years old and has foaled with no trouble in the past. It may not be her, it could just as easily have been the stallion. But it seems like a good idea to make sure it's not her before sending her to a different stallion.

 

[LostandFound]

So many breeders and no advice? I'm sure the vet will have something to say but minis don't always do the same things full size horses do. And there is a shortage of vets that have experience with minis.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Hey Lostandfound,

I would have a vet check her over to determine she is cycling as a starting point. They may want to give her a PG shot and bring her into season and also perform some form of examination, to see if everything is fine with your mare. Has the stallion produced before ? It may also be worth having her flushed before you decide to try breeding again.
When was the last time your mare produced a foal ? When she was bred to the stallion, was she hand bred or pasture bred ?

Sometimes often than not, a mare just doesn't gel with the stallion and fails to fall pregnant & others they just don't fall pregnant during breeding at all, during that particular year.

If your planning on sending her to a different stallion , I would def get her checked to make sure things are right your end.

If all is ok then trying a different stallion will hopefully work. Hope it all works out for you and that I'm reading your pregnant mare thread soon & if you do decide to get the vet out, let me know how you go . Fingers crossed for you

 

[LostandFound]

Thanks! The vet is already scheduled, just wanted to make sure nothing was missed since minis can be a little different. Mare hasn't been bred for 3 or 4 years. She stopped cycling over the winter, was put on lights, then had 3 heat cycles. Well, the first heat cycle and 2 "real" cycles. They were pasture bred and he is unproven. Normally I would just guess it was his issue, but sending her out is fairly expensive and time consuming so I want to make sure. And he didn't seem very interested in her, although he was in the fall before she stopped cycling.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Not to put a damper on anything, but horses in general do not have a really high reproductive rate. Somewhere around 60%, and I only mention this to reassure you that it's possible nothing is wrong with her. But having her examined by the vet is the way to go.

 

[chandab]

And he didn't seem very interested in her, although he was in the fall before she stopped cycling.

Were they actually together last fall, or just across fenceline?

 

[LostandFound]

They were together after she stopped cycling. Winter. Before that they could see each other but not touch. Come to think of it he was more interested in the winter than he was in the spring.

 

[Cayuse]

100% sure she's not in foal? Maybe she's hiding something?

 

[LostandFound]

100% sure she's not in foal? Maybe she's hiding something?

Anything is possible but it's a real pain to tell with ultrasound. The vet couldn't see anything last time. Like nothing at all, just intestines. She's trying again next month but it may make things more difficult if she can't tell for sure. I couldn't find those wee foal tests, which is a shame.

 

[Standards Equine]

Last summer I had three maidens all catch on first or second cycle of breeding. They ranged in age from 7 - 16. I also had a maiden that we covered through 2 cycles and she did not catch. Two of the maidens ended up getting "dirty" uteruses even after pre-breeding checks. I found some oxytocin injections a few hours after covering really helped them to clean up and catch. I did an informal test of my stallion's semen (ordered one of those microscope/video units) and although I couldn't check individual cells, I could definitely ascertain that there was live cells and a lot of movement. His recovered frozen motility is 70%, so we know he's good.
We had three mares given injections to induce ovulation within 24 hours. None of them caught when that happened.

I have no secret. We'd had vet guidance and support with some mares and absolutely nothing until confirming pregnancy on another. We've had maidens and mares who caught. My only thought is always tease the mares really well before covering - if live covering, and I will absolutely use oxytocin a few hours after going forward - especially if there's no geldings or other horses to tease the mares to clearing out after covering.

Best wishes to you!