What do you do with retired older broodmares?

[targetsmom]

Some of you watched Sox on Mare Stare in 2012 when she foaled tiny Snappy, which was a results of her NINTH full term pregnancy and 6th live foal. We decided not to breed her for this year, and may never breed again (sound familiar?). So what do you do with a mare like Sox that has done her best for you but needs a new "job"? In the short time since Snappy was weaned last fall, Sox has become a 4-H project mini, and learned to drive, jump, and do in-hand trail, and a few other things she could never imagine a year ago! After the initial "You mean I have to do something other than eat and make babies?" she took to her new role like a pro. She went to her first show at the ripe old age of 13, in a local open show in the youth small equine division, with 6 classes and shown by an 11 year old who was showing a mini for the first time (but she has done walk/trot before). We also took 2 other 4-Hers. There were also 2 other minis in the division who had been showing in the show series before. Well, Sox won the halter class, the hunter class and the trail class and was high point mini of the Division. So that was July 21.

Then this past Sunday, we took her to another show, another handler, a very competitive show series with 3 mini classes: halter, hunter, and trail. Well, she did it AGAIN - won halter and hunter, although this time her 3 year old son was along and HE won trail. She was again High Point in her division, and her son was Reserve. The biggest surprise is how easy it is to deal with an older mare like this, especially obvious when you are training yearlings and 3 year olds at the same time. She was the first of to be ready to be hooked to the cart although she was the last to be started ground driving. After only a few drives in the EE cart we moved her to the show cart and then back to the EE to give a lesson last week (with me in the cart). Two of the 4-Hers have also been in the cart, again with me. You have to know how safety conscious I am to understand how steady I feel this mare is.

Now, I don't know that I should be surprised at this, because to me, it is just confirmation that this was a good mare selection for our breeding program. So it seems that whatever you breed for, if you select the mares carefully, they should be productive without having to make babies. I am counting the days until Dancer's foal is weaned and I can continue her driving training and Kristen is waiting for her to be available as a 4-H project again.

Sox: Jumping, in trail and showing conformation.

 

[MountainWoman]

Mary, that's so wonderful!!! Sox just looks fantastic and she's so talented. I have one mare here, Wish, who is 19 and this will be her final foal. I purchased her really so she could have a retirement home with me. I'm not sure what our future holds but I know I want to get out there and do things with her.

Your post brought up a subject that is so dear to my heart - older broodmares. So glad to see Sox doing so many amazing things. Congratulations to both of you!!!

 

Wonderful Mary!!! It's so nice to see these older girls moving on to new adventures.

When I retire the old broodmares, they just stay here until they decide to leave.

Wonderful pictures, and congratulations on her wins!!!

 

[AnnaC]

Oh Mary, Sox looks amazing and is obviously very happy with her 'new' life. We are very lucky to have had many of our original mares for a good many years, but as we often leave several years between breedings, most of them end up having their last foals between the ages of, say, 18 -23 dpending upon their condition etc. So like Diane's girls, at that age they just seem to slip into retirement, spending their days still with their herd friends, maybe being used to babysit the youngsters - great for teaching the babies some manners regarding herd dynamics!!

But I do agree that if retired early enough, then it is brilliant for them to start on a new career. Thank you for starting this topic - I love the oldies and will be interested to see what other folks plan for their older girls.

 

[Vansplic]

Charm is 17 and Topaz is confirmed foal 12. We did a workshop with her last fall and she really took to the hunter in hand stuff. As soon as the momma belly is gone and Topaz is weaned we hope to start showing her too. In the workshop she took to everything we were doing like a pro. She has gotten a little pushy since having Topaz but I assume that is just a momma thing. I think retiring to show 4H or open is great!!

 

[paintponylvr]

I think that's awesome! And I so love her form in the hunter class!!! But then again Mary, as you stated, you know how to pick them for your breeding program.

But then, you know that I took two older broodmares (Bell - 92 and Bit - 91 models) and started them in harness and use them (actually 3 if you include Koalah - 98 model). I had continued to breed them - having lost a mid-term pregnancy and then an almost full term foal out of the older of the two sisters (Bit) and having two fillies out of the 2nd (Bell) and 3 full sisters from our stallion out of Koalah. They now all drive single, as a pair (s) together and as pairs with other beginner ponies. They've all driven as a 3 abreast hitch with the forecart and they also have been ground driven as a 4 abreast - hoping to continue that this fall and actually have them pulling some real farm equipment next spring (a ridden spring tooth harrow with and w/o a crumbler attachment). Bit & Koalah were also used as riding lesson ponies after having a bit of work first. Bell hadn't even been halter broke or had any real manners that I like when I purchased her, but after getting her going in driving, I'd forgotten she'd never had a rider (duh -

), and while someone else was leading her about at an event, allowed them to put riders on her! OOPS. I switched ponies, thinking there might be a problem but Bell seemed quite happy giving rides while still wearing her work harness - going on to spend over an hour doing leadline rides before lunch and another hour after! None of these mares is bred for 2014. I may try one more time to breed Bell for a 2015 foal - but I don't know yet. It depends on our situation and what I think about Bell and her health. I would like to breed Koalah for another foal or two... maybe...

Older broodmares getting "yobs" is so much fun!! These are NOT the first that I've taken on this way - just the first small ones and doing driving with them as they near the end of their broodmare years... Two of our older, larger pony broodmares went on - 1 to be a 4H mount and was winning the last I heard - I wasn't officially notified but I believe she's "gone" now (81 model). The other (83 model) went to a local dressage barn and is a beginning mount for the younger family members of the NC State Dressage team members (and a team "mascot")!!