- Breeding
- ELITE DINING AND HOSPITALITY CLUB TO DEBUT AT 53rd WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW
- Relive Southern Eighths/Nikon Three-Day on YouTube
- The History of Horse Breeding
- Buying a Horse
- Equine Experts Send Us Your Best Tip - Win $750 Worth of KAM’s Healthy Horse Products and More
- The Top 4 Places to Find Horses for Sale
- What to Look For When Buying a Horse
- General Horse Articles
- Going in Circles to Change Direction
- Are Equine Business Studies Worth the Price?
- Understanding Flying Changes
- Horse Feeding
- An Equine Electrolyte for All Seasons - Electro-Ryte™
- Targeted Nutrient Therapy for Insulin Resistance
- When Dealing With Horses Get It in Writing - Sign Up for May 16 FREE Webinar
- Horse Grooming
- Relive Southern Eighths/Nikon Three-Day on YouTube
- Equine Experts Send Us Your Best Tip - Win $750 Worth of KAM’s Healthy Horse Products and More
- Mane Saving Ideas
- Horse Health Issues
- An Equine Electrolyte for All Seasons - Electro-Ryte™
- Keeping the Horse Replenished - Equine Electrolytes
- Horse Breeding: Covering a Mare
- Horse Training
- Why Making a Rope Halter Isn't as Easy as They Say
- Training Brasilia
- Starting Early: Training the Foal
- Horses & History
- Top 5 Strange and Unusual Horses
- The Feral Horse and Its Impact
- Equine Experts Send Us Your Best Tip - Win $750 Worth of KAM’s Healthy Horse Products and More
- Horses & Sports
- When Dealing With Horses Get It in Writing - Sign Up for May 16 FREE Webinar
- Cookies With a Clue For Your Horse
- ELITE DINING AND HOSPITALITY CLUB TO DEBUT AT 53rd WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW
Horse Breeding, Part 2: Breeding and Gestation
05/26/2008
When deciding on whether or not to begin breeding horses, whether for horse racing or for show, it is important to look at the basics. Our previous article started you with the estrous cycle of the mare.
When deciding on whether or not to begin breeding horses, whether for horse racing or for show, it is important to look at the basics. Our previous article started you with the estrous cycle of the mare. This article will focus on conception and pregnancy.
If a farmer is looking to breed a horse “off-season,” such as during a winter month like January, they will put a mare in a barn under lights, so as to simulate a longer day. This will then cause the mare to go into the estrous cycle. Mares signal this cycle to a stallion by urinating and showing its vulva. The stallion will nip at the mare and nudge her, and will then smell the urine to see if she is ready to mate.
The fertilized egg descends into the uterus after approximately 5 ˝ days, and the cell will be dividing. Gestation lasts for around 11 months. Early on, the embryo or fetus will be mobile – moving around the uterus until day 16, when fixation occurs. After around 35 days, true implantation occurs, and the placenta begins to form after 40-45 days. A heartbeat can be detected by 21 days, and gender can be determined in about 70 days. Sixty percent of fetal growth occurs in the final three months of pregnancy.
To ensure that the foal is and will be healthy, proper care and nutrition should be administered to the pregnant mare. Vaccinations must be given to protect from abortions, and pre-foaling vaccines should also be given 4-6 weeks before birth. Mares should also be dewormed, so as to not be a source of parasites for the foal.
Exercise for a pregnant mare is healthy and important, so riding is encouraged; however it should be done in moderation, especially during the later months of pregnancy. Excessive heat can hurt the foal, so exercise in high temperatures is not recommended.
The mare’s nutritional requirements increase throughout pregnancy, and the last few months are similar to that of a horse in full training. There is a high energy demand in a pregnant mare, and nutrition should be increased to accompany that – increased protein, calories, and vitamins and minerals. There are many feeds produced today that accompany these nutritional needs. These should only be fed to the mare during later months – overfeeding a pregnant mare early in pregnancy can cause birthing difficulties later on.
The next and final section on horse breeding will cover the birth of a foal and how to care for it.
