Stallion Help

[charli]

Hello-I have 6 minis but we are beginnera and we have been learning a lot here-so Thanks! We have 2 stallions and have tried to put 2 mares in with the one that I would prefer to breed with this year BUT he does not seem to be 'working'. I have my older mare confirmed pregnant last December by him but since then she has somehow lost it and came into a BIG heat. I put her in with Kochese but he couldn't seem to get it done. Had her checked and she was NOT pregnant...put her in with my older stallion and he got the job done immediately. So I took Kochese to the vet to be checked and cleaned and she said he was fine. Well, I brought my moms mare to him today (she just didn't seem to like my other stallion and has yet to come into heat) and he went crazy at the fence, she seemed to just miraculously come into heat (dripping and blinking)--put her in and he seems to want her, tried to mount and could not get an erection. He then jumped down and seemed to be afraid of her...bucked at her and looked like he was running away. She keeps going to him but not overly aggressive...probably is day 1 and he keeps walking away but doing the stallion mouth thing ( I am sorry that I don't know what it is called but it looks like he is grinning). Any advice or ideas of what is wrong here would be very helpful.

Could Kochese be 'broken'? Could he just NOT be interested in my mares? Please help as we are getting late in the season to breed but we have been waiting to get a baby.

Thanks!

 

[ohmt]

How old is he? I had never had a problem with any of my stallions until a couple of years ago. I bought a stallion as a 3 yr old and he would try and try but would 'bend' so to speak and couldn't do the deed. Same thing as a 4 year old until finally late in the season I gave him a mare and he did just fine. He still won't pasture breed, but does just fine hand breeding. I think his problem before was just immaturity. Since the markets been down I haven't been breeding a lot of the mares the past few years so it wasn't a big deal.

 

[Eagle]

I am far from an expert but I have noticed with my stallion this year with outside mares that he does have his preferences. Some mares he just loves and can't wait and others I have to really insist. My stallion seems to like the screamers and if they kick a bit all the better, he even nips their back legs to get a reaction. The mares that quietly stand there and do nothing bore him and he finds it hard to get / keep an erection. He is only 28" and he covered a screamer/ kicker of 37,5" no trouble

Maybe your boy has preferences too?

 

[targetsmom]

I am no breeding expert, but I have learned a lot from this forum AND from the Veterinary Guide to Horse Breeding by James M Giffin and Kjersten Darling. I recommend it for the wide range of breeding information it covers, including foaling and care of the newborn foal.

One thing I have learned is that some stallions can tell when the mare is most fertile and they won't bother at other times in her cycle when their efforts are less likely to produce a foal! A couple of years ago we got concerned about our stallion when he seemed to lose interest in a mare after a few days of breeding (every other day). It turned out she was having an extra long heat cycle; his interest returned and he got the the job done at day 14 of her heat cycle. She foaled 11 months later.

Our stallion also has his preference - or maybe it is because one mare is such a hussy. When Mira and Toffee were in heat the same week this year, we had to hide Mira so he could concentrate on Toffee.

We do not take chances if the mare is kicking - too many stories of stallions permanently out of commission from a misplaced kick at a vulnerable time. That is just us... and we know our mares WILL stand for our stallion if the timing is right.

 

[supaspot]

you said ..."she seemed to just miraculously come into heat (dripping and blinking)--put her in and he seems to want her, tried to mount and could not get an erection.".

are you sure shes really in season ? she could just be showing submissive behaviour

 

[iowa]

I have found it is sometimes helpful to tie the mare and put a halter on the stallion and lead him up to her on the other side of the fence. Let them do some "talking" and when he is ready take him to her side assuming she is willing as well. One of my older stallions does best when the mare is tied and he has a halter on the lead as well. I think maybe he feels "safer" and treats the mares better. If I just turn them in together he sometimes snakes them around the pen and scares her half to death.

 

[charli]

Thank you all for the fast responses and I will reread them tonight. I have been on the farm all day and did successfully videotape Kochese 'getting the job done'. I am pretty sure (but am always guessing) that she is in heat because this is the first we have seen from her. We purchased her bred last summer, had her confirmed pregnant in December, watched her for 2 months this winter (Feb/March) for a foal and then she seemed to 'shrink' so we clipped her (in the dead of winter here but put her under a heat lamp) and took her to the vet-no foal. Heartbreaking for us as we have been waiting for years to have a foal. We put her in with Kochese and nothing...took her for a preg. check and they were unable to determine if she was pregnant but felt that she was not BUT we had never seen her come into heat. Today she tucked her butt, dripped 'stuff' and blinked. She also has that very sleepy eyed look and slow walk...so I think she is in heat but I guess I can't say for sure.

We are thinking of proceeding with the hand breeding idea of every other day for awile.

Any thoughts and ideas are welcome!

 

[Sandy B]

Hand breeding is hard when you are not using ultrasounds to confirm heat and pending ovulation and then again preg checks 15 days after last breeding date. We are breeding 7 mini mares right now and I feel all my daughter and I do is tease, tease and tease. I have had two mare's not settle (both had prolonged 12-14 days) heat cycles the first go and we are breeding those again. Then we have one at 22 days post breeding and another 21 days and yet another 19 days and two of those have shown slight winking/dripping when we tease but not their normal "standing" heat one day and the next day show nothing and the next day winking but tail swishing/squealing/kicking. So I am assuming that they are pregnant because some mares early in their pregnancy show almost as if in heat. Then again I have had a full sized mare act in full-blown heat and I thought she lost her foal but she was still pregnant. This behavior is normal for a small percentage of mares. I think that is the reason to keep good teasing/behavior records so that you can distinguish what is normal for each mare.

 

[kaykay]

One thing I have learned is that some stallions can tell when the mare is most fertile and they won't bother at other times in her cycle when their efforts are less likely to produce a foal! A couple of years ago we got concerned about our stallion when he seemed to lose interest in a mare after a few days of breeding (every other day). It turned out she was having an extra long heat cycle; his interest returned and he got the the job done at day 14 of her heat cycle. She foaled 11 months later.

I always let the stalliion tell me because they know. If they get excited and then just walk away its not the right time yet