At what age to do breed your mares??

[zoey829]

I like to wait until 3 or 4 maybe for for the mares and 3 for the stallions.

I started chatting with a lady who bought a 2 yr old. And that spring had a foal. The lady was devistated. She lost the foal. She called the vet came out to check the mare since she wasnt acting right. Gave her meds and one day after work she came home and the mare passed. The vet said she was too young and her insides were not devloped. How sad. Come to find out the sellers knew she was bred

. The mare was listed on the stallion report!!! Shame shame!!!!

 

[cretahillsgal]

I would also prefer to wait until they are at least 3 to breed them. But having said that I have two 2 year old mares who were bred before I bought them. I am worried about them to some extent. They are both due next spring and one will turn 3 years in February and one will turn 3 years in May.

 

[rockin r]

I have never bred a mare till she was 5 yo...That is just my preference....

 

[zoey829]

It is scary!! Was not ready emotionally or physically. She had no idea they were een bred!! How scarey!! The previos owner said,"Well, if she went into heat it is natures way of saying its time". Is that before or after she died????

 

[targetsmom]

I wonder if there would be less breeding of 2 year olds if AMHA had a "breeding stock" or "oversize" registry for the over 34 inch minis so that people wouldn't be tempted to get some registered foals out of taller mares before they go oversize and have to have their papers turned in. Just something I heard that some people might do.

 

[zoey829]

Good point! I didnt think of that. What ashme. There are so many mares out thier. Why breed so young?? This lady felt so bad. She felt if she knew she could have monitor her more closely. But honestly she wouldnt have bought her.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

I won't breed a stallion before their third year, and not heavily until their fourth. I will not breed a mare younger than 24 months, and if it was mine I'd wait until they were three or older. There is no reason to rush... at that young age how do you know that they are any good yet? I don't understand why some people are so eager to breed two year old stallions and claim they are mature and of such quality that they can't wait one more year. People are so rushed these days.

 

[Joanne]

The question of age for breeding horses came up a few weeks ago and I tried to find something in the AMHA rule book online that addressed the age that you were allowed to breed a mare or stallion, but could not find it.

I though that in the past that the stallion had to be two, but I do not remember if the mare had an age requirement.

Does anyone know the answer to this?

 

[maestoso]

Mares are usually not mature until their third year, but there are exceptions. Some 2 yr old mares are mature enough to breed and can be bred and foal safely, or at least as safe as any breeding. I believe that is the exception though... I think you have to be educated enough to look at your mare and decide, weather they are 2, 4, or 6, if they are mature enough to breed or not, or get your vets assistence.

I have a colt who will be 2 next year and I plan on giving him a couple mares, and am not concerned at all. In some cases I am sure young stallions can't mentally handle breeding until they are 3 or later, but I think that is the exception. Just my opinion . . . .

 

[Sandee]

The question of age for breeding horses came up a few weeks ago and I tried to find something in the AMHA rule book online that addressed the age that you were allowed to breed a mare or stallion, but could not find it.
I though that in the past that the stallion had to be two, but I do not remember if the mare had an age requirement.

Does anyone know the answer to this?

You may be thinking of AMHR. I'm not positive without digging it up but I believe that they require the stallion to get his poermanet papers before any "get" can be registered. That would still allow 2 yr old stallions to breed but if the foal is born before the stallion's "actual" 3rd birthdate you have to wait until the Permanent papers have come thru on the stallion to send in the foal's papers.

 

[Carolyn R]

"The question of age for breeding horses came up a few weeks ago and I tried to find something in the AMHA rule book online that addressed the age that you were allowed to breed a mare or stallion, but could not find it.

I though that in the past that the stallion had to be two, but I do not remember if the mare had an age requirement.

Does anyone know the answer to this?"

Sadly this was in a post a month or so ago and there aren't any breeding age limitations in the AMHA for a colt or filly. My thought then and now is with all the clout that the AMHA holds, you would think they would have some type of guidelines on this (most other horse registries do).

I wonder how many A/R parents are out there with foals that can only be A reg. because the parents were too young too produce offspring according to the AMHR standards.

I stand behind the R guidelines on this one.

Carolyn

 

[Relic]

AMHA has no age requirement as to breeding. ln fact when we started way back it was the norm for 2 year olds to foal out at 3. We have a few of the oldies still who were started as 2 year olds none had problems because of it and are now well into there twenties. But back then not everyone was on the up and up on why foals died either and the most common one was the cord was wrapped around the neck...reason for lost foals or dwarves. We don't breed them till the third or fourth year as a rule but stallions we do use as 2 year olds and l can't say it has hurt them along the way. l do find it repulsive to know of poor 2 year olds having foals.. you know just babies having babies

 

[REO]

Even the Farmer's Almanac says 3 years for mares.

I have two coming 5 year olds and one coming 4 year old mare and they have never been bred. I don't breed but about 1/2 our mares, and I like to let the girls grow up. But people won't buy them because they're not bred. Nothing wrong with them at all.

I'm very passionate about my opinion on breeding *fillies* so I won't say it here.

Long ago I got a weanling filly. She had been out in the herd with her sire. Many people do it like that, but this lady did not remove the fillies from their sire's herd. IF he BRED his daughters as long weanlings or yearlings then that was fine with her because it was "natural" !!!!!!!!

At least I got one filly from that situation.

I'm sorry for the foal, for the filly mom and for the lady and the loss and heartache she had.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I know someone who has just dealt with this. They bought a yearling filly (from the US) and a couple of months after they got her home they started to complain that they couldn't get her belly down. They didn't worry when she didn't come in heat since she was only a baby and they assumed she was just not matured enough to do so. About February they started to say rather uncertainly that perhaps she was pregnant. By march o so they were sure. The original owners kept saying no but gee we did lend her to someone for a couple of months. This spring the barely 2yr old foaled a pretty little colt, no problems thank goodness, and the owners contacted the people they'd purchsed her from who then decided it had to have been the new buyers stallion that bred her in spite of the fact that would have made the foal at least a month premie which it clearly was not. They refuse to help at all, just want to stick their heads in the sand so the new owners are forced to go the DNA route to prove parentage (hooray for the new dna everything rule) and as long as it wasn't a yearling colt who hasn't been DNA'd they'll finally be able to prove parentage. They have kindly shared the name of the people who sold this filly with the members of our club and pretty much anyone else who asked so it will bite the sellers in the butt (who will buy from some one who allows yearlings to get in foal and then refuses to take the responsibility).

 

[Joanne]

"hooray for the new dna everything rule"

Can you please explain this? Are all stallions, even those that are bred to less than five mares required to be DNA'd?

If so, I am soooo glad to hear this!

We always dna and parentage qualify our horses. But have been frustrated by other breeders that do not do the same.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

As I understand it (and I'm sure to be corrected if I'm wrong) all horses must be DNA'd before their offspring can be registered.

OK here is what the rule book says, ' Any horse born after Dec 31,1995, must DNA tested or blood typed prior to registration of their offspring.

of course it also has the part about 5 or more mares (p45 of the rule book)

so any horse 13 yrs or under must be DNA'd to reg. the foals, that means that chances are the stallion responsible for this colt is already DNA'd and the people responsible will be clear. Not that it will change a darn thing but at least the colt will be registerable and thats a plus.

 

[lil hoofbeats]

Well, hmmmmmm........... we breed our mares at 24 months (2 years), some catch, some dont. . NOT ONE TIME in 186 foalings(total of all foals born naturally, and dystocias at our farm) has the youth of a mare played a factor. In some older(20+) mares age has played a factor. We are VERY lucky here to have a Vet that his specialty is equine reproduction, and has alot of extra training and knowledge in that specialty. We go to seminars, and try to absorb every bit of reliable information that is out there about equine reproduction. We breed 2 year olds and will continue to do so.

Now having said that, we do not judge people for the choices they make with thier own animals. If you are uncomfortable foaling out a 3 year old, than dont buy a bred 2 year old. We bought a long yearling, not knowing that she was in foal, but found out kinda like the story that was told originally, and delivered a gorgeous appy filly at 28 months old. Not my first choice of situations, but she was a wonderful mother, had plenty of milk, and has had a baby every year since, and is treated like the broodmare goddess that she is. Now should that baby after being parent qualified not get her registration papers? because of some age technicality? If a foal is out of 2 registered parents, and it can be proven through DNA, than that foal deserves what is rightfully thiers. The AMHA DNA tests, the AMHR does not, which is most likely why the AMHR has that age stipulation.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I used to breed the Arabs at two, and never thought anything of it.

I do not breed the Minis at two, I find they often did not take anyway, so there was no reason to rush it.....I prefer not to leave them too late, though, as the bones set and are not so pliable to allow the foal through the passage.

I think three is probably the ideal age, one of my mare lines are "late bloomers" and often do not take til five...that's OK too!!

Another thing I never do is give a mare "a year off", if she wants a year off she is welcome to it, and some take a break regularly, some never do, I leave that part up to their own personal metabolisms!

I think we are all agreed that a yearling should not be bred, it is better not to breed two year olds and three is early enough.

I do have to say though, for every horror story of two year olds foaling that I hear there is also an untold story of a yearling foaling successfully!

Waiting for the AMHA to do something is a hiding to nothing, they can't even be bothered to try and sort out the colour problems, why would they do anything about the mares??

A simple rule stating no mare's offspring may be registered unless the animal is 34months or more at foaling would solve the whole dilemma...no idea why they don't do it, I don't really care if it means the foal can't be registered, an unregisterable foal might make a lot of people be more careful.

 

[Relic]

We have 2 stallions under 5 this year who produced there first foals these stallions are NOT DNA'd/PQ'd but the mares are. Foals have already got there papers but being geldings l don't plan to DNA or PQ them at all. Both stallions will be 5 next year and will get done when applying for there perm papers. l had a problem once with typing a foal to see who the sire was but couldn't because l needed permission for that to happen from the stallion owner and they wouldn't give it..l also needed to pay for any that were blood typed to convert to DNA if they weren't willing to foot the bill.

 

[lil hoofbeats]

We PROUDLY guarentee EVERYTHING bred by our farm to DNA test and parent qualify