Wednesday, July 29, 2009

How old does a mare need to be to get pregnant for the first time?

I am considering the purchase of an Arabian filly to breed with my Arabian stallion, but I am not sure if she is old enough to put into foal.
Answers:
2 years old is the youngest possible, but it's a bad idea to breed any mare under 5 years old. It's also a bad idea to be breeding horses without doing the basic reasearch to know what to expect.
4 or 5 is as early as i would start breeding a mare.
First of all..she isn't a mare until she has had her first foal. I personally wouldn't breed her until she was five. This gives her time to mature and it also should be plenty of time for you to be able to tell if she is breeding material. You need to have her trained to do whatever it is that you do with your horses.and see if putting her genes into your program is a wise decision. She and your stud both need to be proven before either is bred. I have been breeding, training and showing horses for about 20 years and have been around horses my whole life. Just breeding horses to breed them is bad for the breed itself.
I'd wait until she's at least 4. That way she's a full grown mare, so it shouldn't do any damage to her body.
they aren't officially a mare until they turn 4 or 5. i would wait until she was five, or maybe even six!
You CAN breed when they come into their first heat. I wouldnt breed anything younger then 2 for sure. Preferablly older just so you have time to break them before turning them into a broodmare.
a round 3 years old
I'm sorry I just have to comment on Holly's answer, which is incorrect:
"First of all..she isn't a mare until she has had her first foal. I have been breeding, training and showing horses for about 20 years and have been around horses my whole life."

A mare is an adult female horse. Regardless of whether or not she has offspring.
4 years old or older is safe
4 years old. But just to be safe do it at five.
your ? is confusing...is she a mare or a filly?
is she a maiden mare?
I prefer not to breed any mare till she is fully mature depending on the bloodlines of the horse some will mature faster early...and some bloodline i found are slower to mature
but for the most part a HORSE be it a mare, gelding or stallion what ever the case may be ...do not mature till the age of 5.I know many folks breed horses at 2 and up...but why would you want to take away from your horses level of maturity and breed it at an early age.
i would say around 4 or 5 because they are fully developed and physically mature by that age.
i believe 2 is the youngest... my horse is 2 years younger than her mother.. so i think 2 is the youngest..
As with everyone one else, I would at the very least not breed her now, and wait until she is at least 3 before you breed her. More ideally, 4 or older.
And, as with someone else who answered here, it doesn't sound from your question, as though you have too much experience with breeding at all - you really ought to know what you are doing before you get into it. Read book, talk to your vet, other breeders, and ask loads of questions! Babies are a handful and getting a mare through pregnancy is a long haul.
If you plan on buying a broodmare, the first thing you should do is vet her out for a breeding exam (and lameness exam if you intend on riding her, too). The vet will need to ultrasound her ovaries at the very least, and ideally take a uterine culture as well to make sure she is healthy and able to be bred. Just because she is yound does not mean she *can* have a foal.
Sounds like you plan on live covering - if you have never done this before, you really need to have professionals help you. If you plan on letting the mare run loose with the stallion, expect serious injuries to both horses. If you are going to hand breed them, you need experienced people handling both horses to prevent any injury to either horse or any person around -- live covering isn't just a one person deal.
There is just too much to list here regarding all the little things you need to do and know about breeding/pregnancy/and foaling - weaning, too.. baby-proofing the stalls, barn, and fencing- -- etc, etc, etc.
I may be jumping the gun here, but it just doesn't sound like you have a terrible amount of experience with these things. I sure hope you don't plan on going from nothing to a baby in 11 months without first finding out everything about the whole process.
Good luck.

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