As a long-time breeder I have found that the older the mare, the higher your chances of something going wrong. And finally, use fresh-cooled semen NOT frozen on an older mare. Have your vet evaluate her not only for breeding soundness, but her overall general health first. If everything looks good there, then it might be worth a try. An excellent repro vet is a must.
I have actually had a lot of success with older maiden mares, but all were in excellent shape, and with the exception of one, all were in at least light work. I think general physical health and fitness is important, especially with the older girls. She went back into work after her foal was weaned and is still going strong!
This should give you a good indication on how to proceed. As others mentioned, a maiden may not be the best bet. My EM Francesca is 22 and due to foal in July. I have always tried to get my mares to have first foals by ten. Now I have a current mare that is a maiden that is 12 that is a little different story. Definitely no frozen. My oldest maiden was my good show mare was 20 at conception. Foaled at We retired her three weeks earlier, bred her, figured it was a longshot.
Suprisingly she took first try no problem. Rode her lightly throughout pregnancy. She foaled beautifully and had a gorgeous little colt. On the other hand I had another mare that had foaled 3 times prior to me owning her with no problem. Although your mare isn't cycling now, the care you give her today will ready her for conception in the months to come.
German-based American dressage rider Lisa Wilcox explains how the breeding program works at Gestuet Vorwerk, and introduces her top competitive stallions. From the editors of Practical Horseman. Seeing the squeal-worthy photos of fuzzy wee foals always causes a pang in my heart. Tips on checking your horse's back and saddle fit with holistic veterinarian and saddle-fitting expert Dr. Joyce Harman. Is your horse afraid of fireworks? Professional Holsteiner breeder Karen Reid answers a reader's question about choosing a proper stallion for her Thoroughbred mare.
This article teaches owners the signs and behaviors of a cycling mare. For optimal horse health and breeding success and owner safety, a horse owner needs to recognize when a mare is in heat. Horse Breeds. Horse Health Care. Alternative Therapies. Horse Deworming. Senior Horse Care. Seasonal Care. Hoof Care. Hoof Problems. Horse Industry Controversies.
Beginner Rider. Collegiate Riding. English Horse Training. General Training. Other Horse Sports. Rider Fitness. Western Horse Training. Speed Events. Cattle Events. Trail Riding. Horse Trail Regions. Southwest Region. Midwest Region. Pacific Region. International Travel. Riding Camps. Farm and Barn. But the older mare might lose her ability to evacuate that material. Instead, the inflammatory fluid can remain there for days and lead to a secondary infection and chronic endometritis. This results in a uterine environment that is incompatible with embryo survival, says McCue.
Another reproductive problem occurs in the oviducts, says McCue, which are lined with hairlike cilia that transport the egg and sperm. An accumulation of debris, such as cells and fibrin strands from previous ovulations or pregnancies, can block these tubes and prevent the egg, sperm, or developing embryo from passing.
Pinto says problems might include worsening perineal conformation, such as vulvar defects, vulvar slope, urine pooling in the vagina also known as vesicovaginal reflux , and windsucking, as well as cervical defects. Poor body condition can exacerbate this. These include: Teasing Pinto says he thinks there are more problems with breeding older mares today than there were in the past.
The myometrium is the smooth muscle tissue of the uterus. The surgeon must remove the sutures before breeding and resuture them after and about 30 days before the expected foaling date to avoid damaging the reproductive tract. Ovulation-inducing agents One technique that can help prevent endometritis, says McCue, is the administration of an ovulation-inducing agent to help direct when ovulation will occur.
Veterinarians can then optimize timing for insemination, uterine lavage, or oxytocin administration after breeding to remove any accumulated uterine fluid, and administration of progesterone to help support the ensuing pregnancy. Oocyte transfer During this procedure, which is useful for older mares that can no longer produce embryos, the veterinarian sedates the mare in heat and passes a special ultrasound-guided probe with a gauge needle through her vaginal wall and into her ovary to aspirate the oocyte and follicular fluid from a pre-ovulatory follicle.
The recipient mare must either be cycling or treated with hormones to mimic a natural cycle. The veterinarian then inseminates that mare. Embryo transfer This service, useful for mares with reproductive disorders that prevent them from carrying foals to term or who are too old to risk delivering, requires two main procedures, says Pinto.
Pinto says this procedure is relatively uncommon and mainly performed in specialty clinics because of the laparascopic approach necessary, and he notes the success rates for older mares are low. In recent years the tools and assisted reproductive techniques available to veterinarians trying to get older mares pregnant have improved greatly.
Because these technologies are expensive and time-consuming, mare owners need to be aware of their success rates and determine if possible offspring justify the attempt. And before selecting an approach, be sure your particular breed registry permits it. Hinrichs, along with her research group, cloned the first horse in North America and the third in the world.
She describes some of the high-tech breeding services owners faced with declining mare fertility might pursue. Many breed associations will not register clones or their offspring. For instance, the American Quarter Horse Association recently won a legal battle on the subject and will not have to register clones. However, some stud books, such as Zangersheide in Europe, will register cloned horses.
Resulting embryos are cultured until about seven days, the equivalent stage to that of an embryo recovered from a donor mare. The embryos are then transferred to recipient mares. Oocyte recovery from mares that are dying or will be euthanized This is a final chance to produce foals from a valuable mare. The veterinarian removes the ovaries from the mare just before or immediately after death or euthanasia and handles the oocytes similarly to those recovered from live mares.
Embryo vitrification This method of cryopreserving freezing embryos extends the breeding season for older mares. These mares often only cycle toward the middle of the natural breeding season, says Hinrichs.
But some breed registries offer futurities in which horses compete against others their own age, so foals born late in the year might be at a competitive disadvantage. Using this method, embryos collected in the late summer or fall can be cryopreserved and then transferred in the spring. Treat each older broodmare as an individual, work with a good veterinarian, learn about possible problems, and practice good management. For instance:. Breeding Older Mares Are you thinking about breeding an older mare next spring?
Favorite Share:. It is not uncommon to see mares above 20 years of age that take three to four weeks or longer to build a follicle suitable for breeding. Is It Worth the Cost? Acute or Chronic Endometritis An important cause of embryo loss during early gestation is persistent post-breeding endometritis. Oviduct Issues Another reproductive problem occurs in the oviducts, says McCue, which are lined with hairlike cilia that transport the egg and sperm.
These include:.
0コメント