stallion with little interest in breeding

[SuzE]

I bought this stallion last fall so this is my first season with him. The farm I bought him from only pasture bred and that is all he has known. I have only hand bred and thought I could teach him to but to my dismay he would have nothing to do with it! Afraid of not having any foals next year I decided to watch my mares and when they showed they were in I would run them with him. I have run 4 mares with him two are bred, one seemed to be bred (she skipped one month but is now back in) and one is only a 3 yr old (she has come in again). He shows little or no interest in these last 2 mares. They literally follow him all over the pasture to try to get his attention. Should I be worried? Being a hand breeder I am not used to a stallion walking away from a mare teasing him. He has plenty of foals on the ground. He is 6 this year and even has a foal registered to him from his 2 yr old breeding year. He tends not to cover these mares till the end of their cycles. There are times when he will mount but not try very hard to get it where it needs to go. Am I wrong to expect more action? Could it be a mare issue. I can understand the 3 yr old not catching. The other mare had a late foal last year and I left her open for 2007. I started breeding her early April she never teased in May and now she is back in in June. Maybe I should get her flushed. Am I worrying for nothing and trust nature will take it's course? Is it hard to teach a stallion to hand breed that has only pasture bred? Any suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Sandee]

If he has verified get on the ground then he should be fine. If he is actually covering them at the end of their cycles, he's smarter than the average person because that's the right time to "catch" them.

You could have him tested by a vet for sperm count but just from what you've said it sounds like he's doing his job. If I liked him, I'd wait and have the mares tested.

 

[hhpminis]

A very wise horsewoman gave me the best advice of "Listen to your stallion". Since I have applied this rule, it has made breeding so much easier.

The stallions that have experience and especially those that have pasture bred tend to not waste their time and energy on a mare that is not ready. This sounds to be the case with your boy. Catching the girls at the end of their cycle is wise and when they are most fertile. I do not think I would be worried about him at all. He just has been taught by some good mares as to how life truly is.

:

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Sperm count has nothing to do with libido!!

The other thing of course is he may well prefer to wait till nightfall.

He may also just not like these two mares (which is why I do not pasture breed)

My first stallion, thirty three years ago, had only pasture bred so I got a good book and a stool and I waited.

He got the message pretty quickly, really- it took three days and then he played the game.

I did compromise once I got to trust him- I would put the mares in season in once a day, he would breed them then I took them back out.

He also got to the point where he would breed them when I took them in on halters.

He also continued to breed in hand when I wanted him too.

My Silver Black stallion also had only bred loose but, again, he could do it my way or not at all- and he got with the programme quick enough.

Again I did compromise once he was willing to work for me.

Both stallions were kept out with mares, once the mares had set.

Both stallions were, eventually, even left to breed a mare in their own time- it is give and take with these "pasture boys".

And Fred would only breed them when they ovulated- once, twice at the most and then no more interest.

 

[lyn_j]

Annette is right . Listen to your stallion. Experienced field breeding stallions know exactly when to breed. they also know when mares are actually showing false heats and are actually bred..... That happened to me this year. A mare I swore was never covered is due this month to foal. She had seemed to be in season twice after breeding her but my stalliion absolutely showed no interest.

I wouldnt worry about him. Just trust him and let him do his job. His nose tells him more about the mares than what we can see with our eyes.

Lyn

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

More than likely he has an aversion to letting you watch

Its VERY common with pasture bred stallions, mini or full sized. Another reason why I don't do pasture breeding!

 

[Miniv]

Just from our personal experience, I agree with both Annette and Lyn.

We have a "good ol' boy" here........He knows exactly when a mare is "ripe" in her cycle and doesn't bother with her until then. He also prefers to breed at night, although has broken that rule occasionally if the mare is smelling perfect during the day.

BTW, we did try handbreeding with him ONCE. He would have no part of it -- would pull himself in and refuse.........if you get my drift.

Our fellow's name is "Sooner State Raider Light". He is 20 years old and we purchased him when he was 7 from Scott Creek Farm. We love him very very much. His breeding years may be coming to a close in the next few years (that will be up to him), but he will be with us to the end.

MA

 

[SuzE]

Thank you everyone for responding...

I am NOT a fan of pasture breeding! I monitor all my mares, having a full time job and two little girls I need to know when they are due! Plus maybe I am a little bit of a control freak! I do prefer the slam, bam thank you mam I get from my other stallion that only hand breeds...

I guess I need to trust this little guy knows what he is doing! I am going to have the first two mares vet checked this week and if they are indeed in foal I am not going to worry over this anymore.

 

[Miniv]

I am NOT a fan of pasture breeding! I monitor all my mares, having a full time job and two little girls I need to know when they are due! Plus maybe I am a little bit of a control freak! I do prefer the slam, bam thank you mam I get from my other stallion that only hand breeds...

SuzE,

Keep a calendar of when your mares with him are in heat. You can then calculate when they should be coming back into heat. And if you do witness a breeding, document it. If they do NOT come back into heat, have them vet checked (ultra-sound preferred) to see if they are in foal for next year or not.

No, you won't have an exact breeding date, but you will have an approximate week. And since our beloved mares don't foal out according to their exact foaling date anyway, you'll still be CLOSE.

:

MA