Breeding Your Best Driving Horse

[Shortpig]

I'm unable to come up with a reason why you wouldn't be able to breed your mare so she would foal between the middle of March and 1st of April. Continue to drive her thru the normal season and then let her rest thru the winter till she foals.

I would think this would help to keep her in top physical condition. She should then be ready to start driving again when the foal is a little older. Once again this would help to get her back in shape from the foaling. Wouldn't this be a better situation than breeding her and just tossing her out in a pasture to wander around and eat?

 

[Sandee]

I say it really depends on the horse. Horses, like people, are theoretically supposed to be able to continue whatever they were doing before they were pregnant but it doesn't always work out. If they are in good physcial shape before and you continue to "keep them in shape", it SHOULD be alright but since minis have so many other problems there's no good way to tell except to do it. I have been in this same delemma as I wanted to breed my mare but she is so good and fun to drive that I hate to lose her for a year (or two). Since maiden mares have more then their share of problems holding a pregnancy and giving birth, I'm going to wait.

I will tell you that I know someone whose mare was bred "by accident" while at a trainers. They didn't know she was pregnant and continued training her and started showing in the spring. She placed in a halter class (yes, she was in very good shape), and the next morning when they went to her stall there was a foal at her side. That shocked and amazed everyone at the show.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

There is no reason that a mare can not be driven while pregnant. Of course that is presuming you don't plan to do marathons or extreme driving of course, and even then if she was already fit for it and had been doing it daily it would likely pose no extra risk. I bred my best driving mare (she was a 9 yr old then) and drove her all that summer and fall, she gave me a lovely long legged buckskin colt in early June of the following year. The biggest problem of course is that i then had to give her that year off to raise her foal

I missed driving her that summer. When we were kids all our saddle horse mares were ridden right up until about 3 weeks before foaling with no negative consequences at all. In fact we continued to ride with the foal at foot once it was about 3 weeks old and could keep up. I think it made those foals easier to start since they were already used to seeing people up on other horses. It might be more difficult to drive tho since the foal would have to lead well first so it could be ponied from the cart, leaving it running loose could endanger both it and the driver since they (foals) are bad for playing and rearing up on mom. They could easily get caught in the harness parts or get a leg over the shafts or....

I shudder to imagine what else.

 

[ShaunaL]

I don't see why not - when we are pregnant we continue to be active, I would think it would be good for her. I rode my Arabian mare all over the place until about 3 months before she foaled and resumed our rides when the foal was about 2 weeks old. I wouldn't drive a mare with a foal at side, of course, due to the dangers of the cart and harness but in early adn mid pregnancy I think it would be great to keep her fit and happy.

 

[Katiean]

I had a Big mare that we continued to ride while she was pregnant. Then I went out of town and my brother continued to ride her. One day they were crossing this bridge that they crossed a million times before and my poor brain dead Annie Throws a fit and goes off the side of the bridge hitting her tummy on the edge if the bridge on the way down then ends up stuck in the mud where the saddle went in to the mud as far down as it could trapping my mare on her back and her head under water. The guy he was riding with helpped free my mare and she did foal normally after the accident. This was in September and she foaled in Feb.

 

[targetsmom]

I think the Journal (?) just had an article about this. I know lots of people that keep driving/showing pregnant show mares, i.e. ones that are already used to showing. But I believe the American Driving Society rules prevent pregnant mares past a certain point from competing in CDEs. Other than that rule, I think it would depend on your own mare and situation. I would certainly not show or drive a mare that showed signs of stress from the activity before she got pregnant.

My issue isn't losing the mare for a show season (or even two) but the possibility that she could die from a really bad foaling experience.

 

[Shari]

Some mares can get more sensitive and reactive when in foal. Some get better in their temperament.... it just depends on the mare. My worry about showing a mare in foal is a couple of things.. one the diseases and colds they can pick up at shows and a chance you may loose the mare foaling.

Have seen all kinds of not good things happen, so I personally would be leery. I won't breed Maggie again because I don't want to loose her, maybe I am getting more whimpy as I get older.

You should write the pro's and con's on a piece of paper and figure out if it is worth it to you.

 

[valshingle]

I guess that you should be able to show a pregnant mare, but I never would. The mare and her baby are too important to me to risk either of them for a show. There are many germs that your mare could pick up at a show that would endanger her and her foal. For sure, your mare should get regular exercise while pregnant and that can include driving while she is able. But I would keep her at home. All of our pregnant mares are kept away from the show horses (those that travel) as much as possible. Unfortunately I must bring them into the main barn when they are close to foaling, but otherwise have no interaction with horses that travel off the property.

When I was pregnant myself, I was showing hunter/jumpers. I asked my doc if I could continue to jump and show for awhile. He said I could, but how would I feel if a fall made me lose or hurt my baby? I stopped riding altogether - it just wasn't worth the risk. Your mare can't tell you how she feels - you have to make the decision for her.

Whenever I have a decision to make about my horses like this, I ask myself who am I thinking of...myself or the horse? I doubt your horse cares about ribbons, but she does care about you and doing things with you.

 

[~Lisa~]

Bred mares can show lets not forget a very heavy in foal mare (as in foaled within days of Nationals) won the grand.

That said my best driving mare (ok my only driving mare) came to me bred and had a dystocia- she was fine although we lost the foal. All I can tell you is I kept thinking during that dystocia if something happened to her I can not replace her nor would I forgive myself I came to the conclusion at that point she would never be bred again cause the odds of me being able to own a 4 time National Champion mare as talented as her again are slim to none. - Even if I do not drive her very often and show her much at this point

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

we have a mare who was bred last year as a 3 year old and then she was broke to drive - lots of ground driving, lot of exercise - not just trotting, but lot of canter work as well. then we hitched her up and drove her a few times before the winter. Come February, she didn't look "all that in foal" - and so we hitched her up again.... although she was so wide she barely fit in the shafts! We didn't work her hard, but drove her a few more times before we had her checked... she is in foal (due any day now!) Needless to say, we quit driving her after she was checked (but mainly because she was tight in the shafts!)

 

[Shortpig]

I'm not going to breed anyone. My question was hypothetical in the sense that I hear of alot of people who show or drive their mares for a year or two then breed and put them out to pasture so to speak. I just thought that general pleasure driving might be a good way to keep them physically fit while preggo. Then get them back in shape afterwards. You hear so much now days with Drs telling humans that they are better off if they stay active and physically fit while pregnant. I figured it wouldn't be any different for animals.

With the new group of young people who will some day be the breeders of tomorrow this might be something they would consider doing.

Please don't misunderstand. I bred Jasmine 5 times in 12 yrs. She had 5 strong healthy foals without one issue. I bred Ariel two times and she had two strong healthy foals with no issues. I know I was blessed. I made a decision 6 yrs ago I was done with the breeding and retired my mares to new things. Ariel still drives and I will slowly continue to work with Jasmine. Duckie is in training as everyone knows and Dorothy really likes this horse. She thinks she is going to be an awesome driving horse. My photo abilities don't do her justice. I know she wouldn't win in the show arena as she is not the Araby type but she can certainly compete in driving CDE. I'm hoping next year to send Koda to Dorothy and get him trained for pleasure type driving also. He's a very sweet gelding and built for driving also. I just want to see him blossom and have a future other than keeping his Sire company.