In Breeding ~ Help~

[LittleB]

I need ideas of what is the best way to handle a bad situation.

I just rescued a 4 year old stallion (36") and a 6 year old mare (31") that was living in unexceptable conditions. But the worst part is that the stallion and mare share the same sire and were left together for the last year to breed. The previous owner said that the stallion had just successfully covered the mare in the middle of December and was sure that he had settled her.

Can the mare carry a foal from a larger stallion, and will the foal even be healthy with the dam and sire being so closely related?

What would be best to do in this situation?

Do people "line breed" that closely?

:no:

 

[lilhorseladie]

My understanding is you can do it once. So half sister half brother but no more crosses within the family. They do that kind of thing with dogs successfully. No matter what, you need to be prepared, but worrying over what is done won't fix it. People think funny don't they?

 

[LittleB]

Yes, people do think funny sometimes!

You said... "No matter what, you need to be prepared". How should I be prepared and for what???

That's the part that really worries me.... would this foal have a high risk for birth defects?

I thought that the mare might just absorb or abort the foal because of genetic defects?

 

[^T-bird89^]

absorbing and aborting is nature's way of taking care of things if the foal has a deformity in most cases. I have seen that sort of breeding in quite a few pedigrees and the majority of the time the resulting foal is okay. If i read correctly you said you were worried about the size of the stallion? He is 5 inches bigger than the mare? How tall are their parents? Do you know? If the stallion was just a "fluke" with his hieght, you should be ok-( as in, if his parents were both 32 and he somehow got to be 36" ). Hopefully the mare won't have a problem, but if you are worried you can speak to your vet and find out what he/she thinks about the situation.

 

[LittleB]

Yes, I am worried about the size of the stallion with this small of a mare if she did carry the foal to term. As far as I can tell from any records she hasn't ever had a foal.

The stallion is 36", but his sire and dam are both 33". And then the mare is only 31" but her dam is 34" and of coarse her sire is 33" (since they're the same sire).

I've been told by some people that the mare determines the size of the foal.... have you heard that?

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I have in bred and then line bred quite aggressively for nearly thirty years- as have Little Kings.

I have never had a genetic fault due to inbreeding with one, accidental exception and the mare and stallion were not mine nor was I responsible for the continued pregnancy- in the case in question the stallion was the son of the mare and the mare and stallion were both by the same sire- so he was both her son and her brother.

The mating was accidental- in hindsight I should have got the Vet out and said nothing but, having told the owner I was instructed to allow the foal to happen.

It was born normal and although I never considered it "right" (there was always something missing) it seemed to grow normally etc.

At approximately 14 months it developed severe neurological problems and had to be euthanized- I have never known of physical problems being attributed to inbreeding- although obviously you stand as good a chance of the faults being doubled up on as you do the good points- this is why only the very best animals should be in bred- but, then, only the very best animals should be bred anyway, which is something people tend to conveniently forget.

I would be concerned that the mare is so small against the stallions height but I would not be concerned that they are brother and sister- not a strong mating but not a disastrous one, either.

Basically, have your Vet apprised of the potential problems and ready to roll- and their number on speed dial on your phone.

Good Luck- do you have any idea when the mare is due??

 

[LittleB]

Thank you for all the advise, I feel a little bit more releived that the foal and mare will be ok now if she really did settle.

The mare was last bred Dec. 15 06', so she would be due about Nov. 22, 07'. Not the best time of year to be having a foal, but at least I have indoor birthing stalls and heat lamps!

 

[Jill]

Everything could turn out perfectly fine. It's my understanding if you have two nice individuals w/o many flaws (there are no perfect horses) and without common / shared flaws, it should be fine. I own two stallions, and one of them is a half sibling to two mares I own and I can foresee in the futre that I may choose to cross those half siblings together. After all, they are all offspring of a stallion who's been a big part of a breeding program I've admired for a long time [SIZE=8pt](Erica Killion's BTU son, Little Kings B T Buck Bandito)[/SIZE].

BTW, people who understand that this kind of breeding can actually "set" good traits and type call it "line breeding"

 

[Humhill]

We've had a few horses come to us inbred.

My grandfather used to say "If it works, it's linebreeding, if it doesn't work, you call it inbreeding."

And he also said (which I agree with) "The only thing a mare is good for is to have geldings."

I miss him.....

 

[Jill]

While I adore my geldings, I have a few mares who could probably change your mind about the statement above

:

 

[Marnie]

I haven't read the other replys so maybe this has been mentioned but if he just bred her in Dec, it's not to late to have her aborted. They have something new now, not that shot that used to make the sweat and shake, this one has no side affects. You'd have to have the vet ultrasound her, I suppose though as she could easily be further along if they ran together for a year but that'd what I'd do.