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When is a mare too old to breed?

5888 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  KBA6, 
KBA6
Hello all

A lady I ride with and have been good friends with was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and I have inherited her mare. She is a Palomino quarter horse, maybe 16yo (could be 1 or 2 years older). I do not know her exact DOB, but I know that she has never had a foal.

I am having a vet come out in a month to do the yearly vet check, and I'll bring it up with them as well, but just thought I would see what the community had to say.

Is she too old to have a foal? Would it be too hard for her since she is getting up in years? She goes into season EVERY MONTH ... so I know she is still capable.

I'm a newbie to breeding. It's been 20 years since I've last had a pregnant mare so I'm just throwing around the idea. I also just watched videos of foals on youtube so I'm baby crazy right now! ;)
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SilverMaple
Unless she's truly stellar, it might be more trouble and risk than it's worth. You can buy a weanling for a lot less risk and cost than getting this mare in foal.

Now, if she is truly an outstanding individual in temperament, breeding, and conformation, the easiest way to get an older mare in-foal is live cover. It comes with its own set of risks, but the success rate tends to be higher. Many breeders will do a breeding soundness exam, and if all is well, simply turn mares like this out in a broodmare band with a stallion to pasture breed, and if she settles, great. If she doesn't, her likelihood of settling with AI is near zero.
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SilverMaple
Dreamcatcher Arabians said:
I have hand bred older mares like this one, but have not had great success with pasture breeding. They can be pretty 'shy' and may not stand for the stallion. That's where the 'whole nuther set of problems' comes into play.
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A friend who discovered a treasure trove of rare older lines of Appaloosa in a herd of maiden mares that appeared on her local Craigslist and were all nearly unhandled and 15 - 20 years old got all but one settled with no trouble turning them out to pasture with her stud. It just depends on the mares in question and the stallion whether to hand-breed or pasture breed, but my main point is that AI with an older mare may be much less successful than live cover.
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