Is it possible to breed your horse?
To answer this, we as veterinarians need additional information such as the horse's history. How old is she? Has she had any foals before? If yes, were there any issues with them? We also conduct a thorough physical exam to identify any underlying issues that could hinder her ability to get pregnant or carry a foal to term. We examine the reproductive track and use advanced diagnostics to evaluate the health of the uterus and the reproductive tract.
Dr. Kari Bevevino
Roaring Fork Equine Medical Center
How do you find a stud or a stallion for your mare?
This depends on what you intend to do with the foal. If you plan to register the foal, you must meet certain requirements from the association or registry you intend to use. You can find potential stallions for your mare on the internet or through word of mouth.
What is the process for breeding a horse?
There are many options. One is placing a mare in a pasture with a stallion and letting her accept the stallion around her ovulation or heat cycle. This is known as live cover. Another method involves involving your veterinarian to track your mare's cycle closely. This guarantees better success. Mares are seasonal breeders who only cycle and ovulate in warmer months.
What are the different methods for breeding a mare?
Besides live cover, there are options such as artificial insemination, where the semen is collected from the stallion and inseminated into the mare. This could be done with fresh, cooled, or frozen semen. There's also the option of embryo transfer, where the embryo is collected from the mare and placed into a surrogate mare. Another method is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, where a single sperm is injected into an egg collected from the mare.
What is the ideal age to breed your mare?
The ideal age is less than 10. After this age, a mare's fertility starts to decline, especially if she hasn't had a foal before.
How long will your horse be pregnant?
The equine gestational length is around 340 days, nearly a year.
How can you tell if your horse is pregnant?
We can detect an embryo in the uterus of a mare as early as 10 days using ultrasound. This method can be used throughout pregnancy to evaluate it.
Can you determine the gender of foals?
It is possible but difficult and not an exact science. The best period to determine the gender using ultrasound is between 54 to 80 days and 140 to 150 days.
Are there any risk factors for your horse giving birth?
While mares generally do a good job at foaling out, there are risks involved. If a horse is having difficulty, it is an emergency and a veterinarian should be contacted immediately.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (970) 987-4757, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram