Breeding maiden mares.....

[Crabby-Chicken]

[SIZE=14pt] Alright guys, I have a stallion that has four foals from his first year breeding. He settled each of his mares on their first heat cycles. We have had two mares come in with foals at their sides, and they seemed to have settled on their first heat cycles. NOW.... I have two maiden mares, one three and one four, both about 32"s tall. And he has bred them through three heat cycles. The older mare, had one heat that was for two weeks. Now they are normal length, but she is telling him he is hot again. Is there a chance they took at first and are just leading him on for fun? Thanks for any help![/SIZE]

 

[Margaret]

I have a maiden mare that acted intrested to breed a month after she was bred, but unless the stallion is intrested, I think it could be a hormonal thing. Some stallions can tell when the mare is ovulating and will only breed durring that time. Then others will breed all the time.. The maiden I have was wanting him to breed her the whole heat cycle- but I noticed he was only intrested in doing so durring only a couple of those days. .. So she chased him around alot of the time.. :lol:

 

[Marty]

Some stallions can tell when the mare is ovulating and will only breed durring that time.

This is exactly just what happend to me. Holly was willing and able but Nick wouldn't touch her. That was one very frustrated mare. I left them together for a few days and then one day POW....and then again after that for a couple of good days.

I've learned to trust my stallion. I think he's smart and he knows when the getting's good.

:

 

[bluerogue]

Maybe I should have your stallions call mine up. King thinks any girl is his to have some fun with, no matter what they think. Luckily, I am hand breeding him, and since I can tell if/when the girls are willing, he's just going to have a long learning period. I don't think it would be safe to put him in with the mares. They'd kill him to get some peace!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

If they are pasture breeding I would leave them to it but, if these mares all come from the same place I would also smell a rat. I had two mares come in last year to Rabbit- he bred them and bred them- if they had been humans they would have won the Tour de France they were cycling so regularly.

Rabbit only hand breeds but he was getting sick of seeing them.

When I asked where they had been grazing they were still on this friends clover, where they had been for nearly eight years.

Clover produces natural hormones that are used to treat the menopause- basically I am not sure those mares are ever going to get onto foal again as they have been on this pasture for so long.

Now, please do not all panic- this is NOT pasture with some clover in, this is CLOVER with a few blades of grass

:

The horses do not eat it until there is NOTHING else to eat- she was stitched up royally when she had the pastures sown in the first place.

 

[Becky]

If I breed a mare through three cycles and she hasn't settled, I have my vet check her. There could be a number of reasons they may not be getting in foal.

Here in Oklahoma this year, we've had more trouble getting mares to cycle than not!

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

[SIZE=14pt]Thanks guys for the info. I appreciate the help. If they come in again I think I will have them cultured. [/SIZE]

Rabbit, hadn't ever heard that about clover. Very interesting to know!

-Kim