good news on my mare!

[Molly's Run Minis]

i just got the ok from the vet yesterday that if misty, my guella mare, keeps growing and filling out like she is then i can breed her next year! yay!

i myself am totally prepared, im looking at some barn cams and marestare rates, thinking of the correct stall size and fence safety, i know foaling signs and a good vet, i even have some baby goat/lamb bottles and know where to get milk powder with antibodies in the case of rejection. the problem is i'm so nervous that i'll loose the mare or the foal, especiually the amount of trajeties and deaths that seemed to happen this year. if i lose Misty i don't know what i'll do

she's my best horse friend and the horse that started my farm. i just want to know what can i do to reduce the risk? and how can you tell if she wants to have a foal or not? i dont want to make her have a foal if she doesn't want to. and would i be able to still show her in local shows for a while? also, whats the best vitamins/supplements to give her when she's pregnant? do i have to give her some before breeding? any pre foaling shots? are there any wormers i can't use? anything else i should know? lol

i just want to make sure i do this right. i dont want her or baby to suffer because of a stupid mistake i made.

btw Misty should mature at 32-33" the way shes going i think she'll be 32''. the stud i'm going to breed her to will be 30-31" tall and he's VERY refined, has arabian head, small legs, good body (i'm looking at him this weekend, probably buying him haha

) to look at misty go to my website(in my signature). also can you register the foal if the sire is only 2?

 

[~Dan]

Hmm the eternal question should I breed??? Personally if your mare is so special and as we all know the risk in minis no matter what size is very high. I would not breed her, but rather go to your favorite breeder and pick out your dream weanling, like having a foal but without the worry and then you can get your favorite temperment, confermation, bloodlines, and all you want in your dream foal, and then whatg if things don't go as planned and or the foal goes over sized is a dwarf has off bites etc so imho your best bet is getting a weanling, all the joy of raising and training a foal minus all the worry and risk of foaling out. Dan.

 

[weerunner]

I would not personally breed a two year old mare, especially one that is special to me. They have not finished growing and the energy for growing is going to be strained by nurturing a fetus. JMO, but I also have a 31 inch 2 year old I'm chomping at the bit to breed, but not this year and maybe not next year, I'll judge it at that time. Vets are not always right about minis, they are different from big horses in alot of ways.

That being said I know plenty of people do breed at two years, some with success and some with tragedy. You never really know for certain with these little guys.

I wish you luck with whatever you decide.

amanda

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

Hmm the eternal question should I breed??? Personally if your mare is so special and as we all know the risk in minis no matter what size is very high. I would not breed her, but rather go to your favorite breeder and pick out your dream weanling, like having a foal but without the worry and then you can get your favorite temperment, confermation, bloodlines, and all you want in your dream foal, and then whatg if things don't go as planned and or the foal goes over sized is a dwarf has off bites etc so imho your best bet is getting a weanling, all the joy of raising and training a foal minus all the worry and risk of foaling out. Dan.

well i plan on being a breeder so i'll have to breed her sometime! i'm just wondering if there are any procautions i could take to prepare.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

I would not personally breed a two year old mare, especially one that is special to me. They have not finished growing and the energy for growing is going to be strained by nurturing a fetus. JMO, but I also have a 31 inch 2 year old I'm chomping at the bit to breed, but not this year and maybe not next year, I'll judge it at that time. Vets are not always right about minis, they are different from big horses in alot of ways.

That being said I know plenty of people do breed at two years, some with success and some with tragedy. You never really know for certain with these little guys.

I wish you luck with whatever you decide.

amanda

oh no im not breeding her this year, i'm breeding her next year. she'll be 4 by the time she has the foal.

 

[weerunner]

Ahhh, sorry I misunderstood. Well if you want to be a breeder, yup you have to just do it. Know that there will be horrible disappointments and also glorious victories (like seeing your very first foal nursing after trying fruitlessly for hours). It's like all things in life and if it is your passion then you should do it and do it the best you possibly can. No one can fault you if you approach it this way. I'm having my number 5 and 6 foals this fall, I started 5 years ago. It's been worth all the hard work. Good luck and keep us all updated.

 

[~Dan]

Ahh I see, molly, I too misunderstood. I thought that you wanted breed (resposibly of course) too raise a foal for fun, however if you are going to become a breeder then yes deffinatley go for it. Best of luck on your venture. Dan.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

Ahh I see, molly, I too misunderstood. I thought that you wanted breed (resposibly of course) too raise a foal for fun, however if you are going to become a breeder then yes deffinatley go for it. Best of luck on your venture. Dan.

thanks

 

[CheyAut]

I highly recomend these two books:

http://www.completefoalingmanual.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Foaling-Illustrated-Attendant/dp/0876059515/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273524076&sr=1-1

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

thanks for the advice. i'm buying quite a few books on breeding, foaling, gestation, stud care, mare care, etc.

 

[Miniv]

You also asked about rules regarding the age of the stud...

I believe AMHA doesn't have any rules, but AMHR does.

 

[Katiean]

I personally can not see the reasoning for breeding young horses (2-4 years). You need to make sure your fences are strong enough to keep him on his side of the fence and the mares on their side of the fence. That way you have no accidents like I have had. In this economey I would wait to breed until prices pick up. I have found cheeper rates for gelding and thats what my boy is getting.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

I personally can not see the reasoning for breeding young horses (2-4 years). You need to make sure your fences are strong enough to keep him on his side of the fence and the mares on their side of the fence. That way you have no accidents like I have had. In this economey I would wait to breed until prices pick up. I have found cheeper rates for gelding and thats what my boy is getting.

um, i'll be keeping the foal regardless if its a colt or filly and i have horse sized 6 feet tall pannel fenceing that none of them can get through. as for breeding young horses i believe she is mentally ready. she treats the yearling filly i recently bought as though she were her foal, even letting her nurse(we stopped this immediatly). as for physically, i'll let my vet decide. she has a vet liscense for a reason.

and it's not like i'm breeding crap horses, both mare and stallion have phenominol bloodlines, the mare has proven herself in the show ring, and the stud has too! the stud almost got his amha hof last year but he was 1 point off. the mare has won numerous ribbons and was always in the placings. both have awesome temperaments and, so far, are a joy to have.

 

[Katiean]

Sorry if I upset you. That was not my intention. You should know though that even a big horse can climb under the "big panels". I would not be having foals this year if I didn't have a fence problem. Also, with the number of horses out there, big and small I don't think I would want foals even if I were a big name super breeder/trainer. Not for at least the next 2 years. Please remember, this is only my opinion and you did ask in a public forum.

 

[MountainMeadows]

Molly

Please don't take offense at this statement -- your many questions concerning breeding are both VERY IMPORTANT as well as VERY DISTURBING. I would NOT recommend venturing into breeding miniature horses until you have owned them for a few years and have read, read, read, witnessed, helped, etc with all the aspects of not only breeding the mare and stallion together, but also the mare care and the foaling itself and post-care of a newborn foal --- as you have seen many times here on the Forum the foaling process can be deadly - for both the mare and the foal -- it is not something to be entered into without a great deal of thought and preparation. In other words, unless you have completely immersed yourself, have ready answers to almost any situation that will arise during breeding/mare care/foaling - then it is not something to do quite yet. Your mare is very young still - and has her entire life ahead of her - to wait to breed her until the age of 5 or 6 would not be the end of the world and would certainly give you the time you need to absorb all that you will need to know, purchase the equipment you will need to ensure that you will be able to properly monitor her upcoming birth, etc - these items are costly but IMO VERY NECESSARY. As miniature horse owners we owe it to our mares to make sure that we have taken all steps necessary to ensure that the outcome of the breeding ends in a success - this may involve doing a c-section which can run into the thousands of dollars, but without it you risk losing your mare and/or damaging her for life.

I really don't mean to get on a soap box and I know that this is what it sounds like - but we have all witnessed the loss of life this past year - and the thought of another mare losing her foal or her life because we as her OWNERS did not want to wait the time it took, or spend the money it takes to truly be prepared - well, . . . it just makes me sick to my stomach - our beloved mini mares DO NOT DESERVE it - they are a man-made creature and therefore we must treat them with special needs.

Again - there is no big rush - you have plenty of time to learn, absorb, purchase all necessary items, etc - your mare will be better off for it, and I truly believe, so will you.

Stacy (the preacher - but a true lover of miniature mares)

 

[valshingle]

Not to be a wet blanket, but unless you are prepared to lose your mare and/or her foal I would not recommend breeding. You must also be willing and able to be with your mare 24/7 when she is close to foaling. And that may mean 3-4 weeks of constant supervision. I have lost mares and foals - breeding is not for the faint of heart or of limited financial means. An emergency c-section can run into a few thousand dollars. A sick mare or foal can also run up a huge vet bill. One year rhino swept through our herd and we had some foaling disasters, just a bad year - our herd of 25 horses ran up a $30,000 vet bill in the space of one year. The good news - only one mare was lost and the rest recovered 100%. It's taken 3 years to recover financially.

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

I agree strongly with the last few posts. After reading all the basic questions you were asking on different topics I just suggested a couple of books you needed to read before considering breeding.I am so glad that Stacey and Val actually went into more detail. Every time I read one of your posts I kept thinking about your poor little mare and that you are so unprepared for what could lie ahead. Do you have the money for a C section if needed to save your mare's life? Have you ever watched a vet cut up a foal to get it out of a mare at the same time racking up huge vet bills? I assume that you have a day job. Well what will you do at foaling time. Quit your job? I am lucky enough to stay home with my mares,but do you have someone who will watch while you are not there ,and I meen a person with some knowledge. Something else for you to think about .You are going to take a two year old stallion who has not been used for breeding and breed to a mare who is going to be nervous and you yourself are not sure what you are doing. You think that your two year old mare is going to be a good mother because the lets a yearling filly try to nurse. That has nothing to do with being a good mother. Right now she is still a baby and is just allowing the filly to mess with her.

 

[normajeanbaker]

There is no such thing as an HOF through AMHA.....

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

I agree strongly with the last few posts. After reading all the basic questions you were asking on different topics I just suggested a couple of books you needed to read before considering breeding.I am so glad that Stacey and Val actually went into more detail. Every time I read one of your posts I kept thinking about your poor little mare and that you are so unprepared for what could lie ahead. Do you have the money for a C section if needed to save your mare's life? Have you ever watched a vet cut up a foal to get it out of a mare at the same time racking up huge vet bills? I assume that you have a day job. Well what will you do at foaling time. Quit your job? I am lucky enough to stay home with my mares,but do you have someone who will watch while you are not there ,and I meen a person with some knowledge. Something else for you to think about .You are going to take a two year old stallion who has not been used for breeding and breed to a mare who is going to be nervous and you yourself are not sure what you are doing. You think that your two year old mare is going to be a good mother because the lets a yearling filly try to nurse. That has nothing to do with being a good mother. Right now she is still a baby and is just allowing the filly to mess with her.

yet again, I AM NOT BREEDING A TWO YEAR OLD! I'M BREEDING HER WHEN SHE'S 3! SHE WILL BE 4 WHEN SHE HAS THE FOAL! i am 15 going on 16 and i'm learning everything i can, i'm buying books, talking with vets, watching videos on birthing, etc. i've already planned to stay home from school during the last 4-5 weeks of her pregnancy. i was simply asking for advice and saying i'm a little nervous, does that make me not capable because i'm new to breeding and i'm nervous? i am prepared and know what could lie ahead, complications could happen, the foal/mare could die, she may need c section, etc. I KNOW ALLL OF THIS!!! if i knew i was going to get attacked asking a few questions about foaling then i never would have! i know about red bags, what to do if they happen, everything i need in a foaling kit, what to do if the foal is not in the correct position, what to do if she rejects, etc. i'm not stupid! also, i'll have her on marestare and my mother, whom has also been learning and reading about it all, will be there.

and do you really think that getting me upset, telling me graphic things about c-sections, and being an overall jerk is suddenly going to make me change my mind? next time someone asks for some advice, try being nice about it or get lost!

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

There is no such thing as an HOF through AMHA.....

he may have ment hall of fame, or something like that. but i do know the colt won some year end awards at the mmhc. maybe he ment that? idk but he did win something for showing.