Mare won't stand for live cover. Any ideas/suggestions?

[amysue]

I currently have a client's mare in the breeding shed with a month old colt at her side. She got the "all-clear" from her vet to re-breed. The owner skipped foal heat and now 25 days after the last day of her foal heat she is in full-blown standing heat. The vet examined her and said she has a follicle ready to go. She has been in heat for almost 5 days now frequently urinating and winking at my stallion. She has ALL of the boys excited, so I believe the vet is right and she is ready. The problem....she won't stand. She'll woo the stud, let him nuzzle her, squat , wink and pee...but when my VERY docile well mannered boy mounts, she kicks him HARD. I have tried hobbles and she broke them. Tried lip and ear twitching and that just made her angrier. I wondered if her colt was the problem so we have tried both letting him in the pen and leaving him with an auntie mare to no avail. I tried taking them to the other side of the farm away from everyone else to avoid distractions and that did not work either. This client does not want to AI the horse and I really can't swing buying an AI permit right now for one mare that's not even my mare. She stood great for the same stud last year on the fith day of her heat so....im at a loss here. Im not putting myself or my stud at risk any more than I already have, its just not worth the $900. I offered to let her try another stud (I own 6) since he has NOT made any contact so I feel comfortable letting her see if another gentleman suits her better but the client has her heart set on this one. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions for me to try? I know I may have a few more days to try until she comes out of heat but I do not want to get hurt or traumatize the horses. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Mona]

I would say just keep trying twice a day until she stands. They often know better than us humans. Some plainly will not stand until their foals are weaned. She may be one of those.

 

[HGFarm]

I agree, keep trying.... also, did she have a foal by her side last year? Some mares worry a LOT about where their foal is and what's going on. Have a maiden mare this year who did that... but, it appears that (hopefully) she is bred, but then I pasture breed. Any chance you could just let them in together for a couple of days? That way your boy can just keep talking to her all day.. perhaps she will give in and decide he is cute after all, LOL

Better hobbles?

 

[Margo_C-T]

I had(have; she just came home from a lengthy 'free'lease; sadly, in very poor condition...lesson learned, never again) a 30" broodmare. She was adamant about NOT accepting a stallion when she had a foal at side, no matter how strongly in heat she was. I have breeding hobbles that I sewed up myself; used them a good bit, esp. on a stout 34" grey mare who was openly hostile to the actual 'act' similarly, no matter whether she had a foal on her or not; in her case, it was a lot about who the stallion was...I used to tease her 'in front' with the one she didn't like, sneak up on her with the other one,and 'got'er done...working by myself, too...thanks to a very agreeable 'one she liked' and a good safe set-up, and those hobbles. With the smaller mare, we just gave in and considered her an 'every other year' mare. No matter what we did, how long she was teased, etc., etc., she would object SO strenuously with or without the hobbles, that it became a safely issue all around, and not worth persisting...I didn't wish to for the stallion to essentially 'force breed' her. Just my experience, FWIW.