My mare Annie is due April 2006. I am wanting to breed to a stud in a locate about 30 miles from here. I would like to breed her on her foal heat cycle, but I don't want to have to take her and the foal away. The stud farm was going to breed her by live cover. The stud farm wanted to keep her a month or until she came back in heat. How often do you all breed live cover with a mare?When we breed her last year we breed her every other day.I am afraid to let them go out. Who knows the mare or foal could get hurt or sick? I was thinking of asking the stud farm if they could let the vet do AI for us.What day of her foal heat cycle would I take her to the farm or vet?Does vets come to your house to AI? If the stud farm agrees what do we do next?I also was thinking of maybe someone out of state. What would be better local stud farm most likely right?I could take my mare to the vet to breed, but it will cost more there.HELP ME WITH THIS!! Thanks MELISSA
You can do AI if the stud farm is set up for it. They would collect the stud on the day you want to breed your mare and have the cooled semen shipped to your place or the vet clinic and the vet will inseminate the mare for you. If thats what you want to do then you need to talk to your vet and talk over the details. If its a professional stud farm they should be set up to accomodate a mare with foal at the side however. I would go look at the place ahead of time and make sure that their facilities are safe. There is always a risk of a horse getting sick at a place where lots of horses come and go. If you dont feel comfortable sending your mare and baby off, then AI would be the way to go.
30 miles isn't too far, you can live cover on the foal heat --leave her there for that time, and then return to check her about at day 14 or so. You could also if the drive isn't a problem for you do the "drive in service" and just run her back every other day if they will allow it. That way you have her at home and don't have boarding cost. AI --I am not to date on everything with it , but I believe you will have to have dna done on the new baby if you cover your mare by AI... I believe that you will also need to have the mares dna done too if you don't already, depending on the registration of the horses--which would be additional costs to think about too. If weather is good and not a problem for travel, and you and the breeder don't have a problem it will surly get this years foal used to the trailer if you haul baby at tow.
Lots to consider. I like the "drive in" if it works with the stallion facility. If the stallion facility gives you grief about it , mention that they will not have to deal with a additional mare and baby for that time. Pros and cons to all options. Been on both sides of the fence before.
Alex, I spoke to the stud farm early today about AI. The stud farm does not do that. The stud we are looking at is 21 years old this might be his last foals. They said he might not do well trying to teach him to breed a dumb for the sperm. They told me if I want to leave her and the foal for just a week, then if she don't take bring her back I can. We saw the stud farm area where the foal and mare would be looks fine, but who knows. I told them I am worried about sickness as well. I told them when my mare I will see how many mares have come through there. How many mares and foals are there when I need to take them. The vet told me his has a gray and white overo stud at the vet clinic for breeding this season with good bloodlines. I wanted to breed my black and white tobiano mare to a palomino tobiano,so I might get a buckskin or palomino foal next time. If I was to breed to the gray and white overo what could we get? If I breed to the palomino and white tobiano what could I get? You can see my black and white on www.photobucket.com/albums/e329/MBhorses You can see one stud on www.horsetopia.com under studs in Madison, MS. sugarhills farm Stud name is Chiefs casanova they also have bay and white tobiano, black and white tobiano and sorrel and white tobiano. the other is www.mikehollowaypaints.com Mike stud name is Mckenzie's gallant jet Mike Holloway stud is the stud at the vet's office that is where I would take the mare and foal if breed to him.Both of this farms use my vet as well.The vet said both are good farms. Tell me which stud would be best bloodlines and color for my mare? Thanks MELISSA
Well, I cant tell you which stallion to breed to. Unless either your mare or the stallion is homozygous for the tobiano pattern, there is no guarantee for pattern as far as I know. I'm not sure what the possiblities are with a grey/tobiano and black/white tobiano. Last year we were breeding to a black and white tobiano stallion. He was homozygous for black and for tobiano so we knew we were going to get black/white tobiano babies even if the mare was pink. If either one of the stallions carries the "red gene" and your mare isnt homozygous for black then anything is possible. Although I am sure someone on this board knows more about the whole color genetics then I do and could help you out more. None of our mares are homozygous and we bred to an overo stallion this year, so there is no telling what we will get. The first baby was a solid black out of a black/white tobiano mare. If you want guaranteed color you need to breed to a homozygous stallion. As far as bloodlines are concerned, I dont really know much about the paint horses ( even though I work for a paint horse farm). I am more of a quarter horse person. Take your mare to the stallion that compliments her best and where you feel safe in leaving her there. Or do the drive-in like Kim mentioned above. It also depends on what you plan on doing with the baby and so forth. When breeding there are so many things to consider ( conformation, temperament, bloodlines, color etc etc )
Melissa, I don't follow to much on color genitics, altough I am learning. I do know that the grey stallion you have a good chance of getting a gray baby and if its a paint they tend to fade with age and become less desireable as you can't see the paint markings. But then again there are those that like the grey color and will tolerate the fading. Keep in mind the ai thing , i think there are extra costs in dna tests of babies and mares if they were covered by ai. I looked quickly at the grey fellow , he seemed pretty nice looking, havn't had a chance to look otherwise. Like Alex said , look for the things that will compliment your mare, make a baby better then her. Look for faults too in the stallions and if you can't get a good trait out of your mare to improve on his faults. Its all a gamble. Look at what your displines are, what your looking for in performace and halter. I believe that you need a well built horse(good halter horse) to equal a good performace horse. Not like some who what only halter(something to big and bulky that can't move smoothly with you on their back) or only performace. We strive for a nicely balanced horse.
Melissa, foal heats are normally short, like 3 days, each mare is a little different. Not all vets can do ai, I believe you have to be certified to do it, and normally for us in Northern Indiana, they will come to the farm. You have to have someone following the folicle closly to time everything correctly, which sometimes can get costly too as well as if you need more than one shipment of semen. Additional shipments can cost extra, depending on the contract from the stallion owners. Lots to consider and check out. Read contracts to know before you decide anything
Melissa, Look under hormonal manipulation and read about foalheat/delaying foalheat. This should help you if you are wanting to breed on this cycle. I get my semen from out of the country, fresh chilled, and my mare has taken every time. Have me vet over close to when she should be ready, he tells me when to order, next day run to the airport, and he meets me back at my place. Very simple. I have 2 TB mares I have to breed live cover, but I do basically the same thing. When they are near enough ready to be covered they are sent to stud. Uusally they are there max for a week. I don't worry about them because the farm the go to is phenomanal! I'm sure they'd rather stay there then come home. Anyway, they are well looked after. I would always check out the place they will be staying though. There are some places I just wouldn't leave a mare and foal. terri
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