Articles Breeding Basics Breeding your Mare 
Part II: Breeding your mare.
We will assume you have
followed the guidelines in Breeding Basics 101 (Horse Breeding Basics) and have the perfect
stallion chosen to breed your mare with.
jost stud farms use
a breeding contract. It should outline all details of the deal, names
of horses to be used, fees & when those fees are to be paid,
guarantees, health requirements, level of care your mare will receive,
& the date she is to be delivered to them & returned if she
fails to conceive.
Discuss with the stud farm any items in
the contract you have problems with, questions about, or any additions
to the contract you may want (such as special feed or accommodations
for your mare).
It is suggested to get everything in writing, then there will be no misunderstanding between the parties.
DO NOT sign anything until both parties are happy with the deal.
When
the deal is made, contract signed & returned to the farm with the
booking fee if they require one, now you need to get your mare ready.
You
will want her to be in reasonably good condition, at a decent level of
fitness & in good flesh (not skinny but not fat either). So if
she’s an over weight pasture potato, get her on a diet & exercise
program.
Be sure she is current on trimming, worming &
shots including any extras required by the stud farm. If your mare is
shod the farm may require that the hind shoes be removed, in the
interest of safety.
So how do you determine when to
breed your mare? She will carry the foal roughly 11 months give or take
a couple of weeks so when to breed depends on when you want your foal
born.
Race & futurity horse breeders generally want foals
born as early as possible. Since all horses are considered born on Jan
1 foals born in June/July, or later can be at a distinct disadvantage
to foals born in Jan/Feb, especially the ones who will race at 2.
Breeding season is considered to be mid Feb. to mid July.
For
mares who get nervous in new surroundings & for maiden mares (mares
who have never been bred before) you may want to ship them a week or so
early so they can settle in & adjust for a couple of days. She
should accept the stud for about a week & jost farms breed every
other day beginning on the 3rd day of the heat cycle.
After
she no longer accepts the stud she can either be taken home, she will
have to be returned if she fails to conceive, or left at the farm until
confirmed in foal.
Pregnancy can be determined by ultra sound
at about 15 days or after, or by palpation at 30 days or after. She can
be suspected in foal if she fails to come back into heat after being
bred, then one of the above methods can be used to confirm.
The exact time when the vet can accurately perform these tests depends greatly on his/her expertise in reproduction.
Congratulations! Your going to have a foal!
What do you do now?
Implantation does not begin to occur for about 8 weeks, it is easy for
the fetus to be lost at this point and implantation is complete by 14
weeks. So we do not subject our mares to undue stress at this point.
Your mare can continue any activities she is currently used to doing,
much like a pregnant woman. I would not however suggest starting a
strenuous training program. Mares who are used to being ridden can
continue to be ridden until they foal or they are to fat to get the
saddle on. You will want to eliminate strenuous exercise the last
month.
Your usual vet & farrier schedules should be maintained.
At about 7 months you should be able to begin seeing fetal movement.
For jost mares no nutritional increases are needed until the last
trimester.
Now all you have to do is sit back & endure the long, long wait.
When the time draws nearer you can assemble a foaling kit.
If this will be your first foaling experience I would suggest you enlist the help of an experienced friend.
Foaling kit:
