How to get my mare bred

How old should my mare be? - Mares mature enough to breed at 3, so you get your first colt when they turn 4. Older mares are a little more difficult to get a conception on... in theory. We bred another registered QH mare 2 years ago with Papa Durr that was 20... the colt is a yearling now so it apparently worked fine. The owner suspicioned she was in heat, I trailered over the first time and she was ready. We tried a 2nd time 2 days later and she wasn't in the mood - because her cycle was over and she had conceived.

Here's how - Mares cycle every 21 days in good weather. Some will stop in the winter if the weather is severe. Exceptions abound - we just had a colt born in November that was conceived in December. The mare had prolapsed and got out of phase by 6 months.

The first trick is finding out when they are in heat, which lasts about 2-4 days. There 3 or 4 ways to discern when she is "in".

1. You can (sometimes) tell by the way she acts around your horses - maybe a gelding, etc. There will be sniffing, mounting, squealing, kicking... the whole courtship process for horses. I've had lots of mares that don't show much of this phenomena, so I don't depend on it too much.

2. She can be teased with any stud. She'll strike at a stud that makes any unwelcome overtures... so this is safest across a wooden corral fence. The other choice (if corral isn't available) is to lead them up to one another if the stud can reliably be controlled. When she's "in", she'll show some romance... squirt urine, swing around and give the stud access her hind quarters, and "wink" (they will flex the outer labia repeatedly similar to the few times they flex after a normal urination). If she's "out" she won't have anything to do with the stud and will strike or kick to make him keep his distance.

3. When I go back to Montana to my brother's place, I can only stay for a week. He gives all the mares shots four days before my arrival to get them to cycle. Then we breed mares all week and go home. By the end of the week they are all back "out". I've missed one older mare that is about 28. The vaccine is a hormone called Prostaglandin - perfectly safe, sort of reverse birth control, and available from your vet for about $10.

4. You can also have the vet check for ovulation prior to breeding. They can actually feel an egg that is the right size and in the right position in the fallopian tube. I had a really grouchy mare that was afraid of the whole process and wasn't showing the owner of the stud enough "romantic" notions. So I just gave her a shot and took her to the vet 4 days later. It took 2 trips, because she actually cycled on the 6th day. At 5PM when he checked her the 2nd time, the vet suggested that night or early the next morning. I chose that night, and the colt is a blue roan named Blue Stars Risen (This was before we got Papa Durr - he talked the mare into a more natural romance the next year).

5. The vet can also confirm conception. 18 days after breeding they can do an ultrasound and show you the colt on a TV screen for about $35. It really beats wondering where you're at. If she's not with foal, the vet can tell you if she's close. Normally, you would take her right back to the stud because you should be right on the 21 day cycle to catch her next ovulation.

Timing - Here's my suggestion on how - pick a date to come over, give her a shot 3 days in advance, leave her about 4 days, and take her home. Get the vet to confirm conception 18 days after the last breeding. If she's not bred he can tell you if she's ready right then - and we'll try again. The other option is to leave her here for a full cycle.

Will my mare get hurt? - I've never had any trouble with a horse getting hurt. Your bad experience was probably with pasture breeding where the stud and mare are turned out together. Some studs with a set Ramada will actually try to kill a mare turned into the bunch late. "Hand breeding" means both parties are kept on a halter. Since the sperm lasts 36 hours it's only necessary to allow the mating to occur every other day. It can be dangerous for the people involved if you don't pay attention - I've had a few stitches learning this the hard way. Both mares and studs will kick - the mating process changes personalities (no matter how gentle you think your horse is). I use a stud chain on Papa Durr... and as long as everybody stays away from the business end of mare and stud - no problem. My son Ben takes the mare and I handle Papa Durr and everything is pretty uneventful. Some breeders will hobble the mare so she can't kick - getting the stud hurt is a real danger. I haven't found hobbles necessary for most mares.

How much? - Most stallion owners charge a stud fee (ours is $500) and they guarantee a live foal. That means if you don't get a live colt they will breed the mare again for free. Most charge a nominal amount to keep the mare while she's being bred - usually around $5 a day.

Hope this helps,