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  Discussion on Maiden mare will not stand for stud
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 14, 2001 - 9:06 pm:

I have a 4 year old maiden mare that I would like to get bred this summer. She is very nervous and scares rather easily. I have given her shots in order to try to catch her "in heat". The problem is that when she does show signs of heat, she is very discrete about it. And when a stud tries to mount her, she will kick adamantly. I have tried on 3 different cycles at various days in the cycle and am having absolutely no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions? I considered slightly sedating her before trying to breed to maybe relax her a little.

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2001 - 10:45 am:

Hi Paula,

I have a Friesian stallion that I breed with. His safety is very important to me ($$$). When I have a frightened, or even a cranky mare that wants to kick, I try using breeding hobbles, sometimes a twitch, and will occasionally resort to sedation (although I don't want my stallion to knock the mare over). My vet is usually in attendance with the sedation, and that gives me an extra pair of hands with the breeding as well.

If all else fails, I collect the stallion and inseminate (well, ok, the vet does!)

Dr. O, help me out here, my vet says that once a timid maiden mare has had a foal, she has a much better chance of being receptive to the stallion the next time around.

Of course, there are NEVER any guarantees! Sigh!

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2001 - 12:54 pm:

Hmmm...perhaps the extra year would help many but I can think of two mares that we sedate and twitch every year to breed.
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2001 - 4:27 pm:

Thanks for your responses. I did try to use breeding hobbles the last time that I attempted to breed her, and she bucked so much she finally got the hobbles off and then started kicking. Do you think that if I artificially inseminated her this year to get her bred that after she has a foal next year that she may actually be more receptive towards a stallion. I guess a better question would be: what would be the odds that she would be more receptive after foaling?

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2001 - 5:56 pm:

Paula,
Don't count on your mare getting more receptive to a stallion after she foals. I have a mare that is a real killer when she has a foal no matter how hot she is. I did hobble her and successfully breed her. I have bred her by AI for the past six years and she is a dream to handle that way.

She had been successfully pasture bred and I think the difference is that a pasture stallion has learned to court the mare and breeding is done when she decides she is ready. An experienced pasture stallion know not to rush a mare if he values his life and limbs.

Stallions kept in stalls and hand bred aren't always allowed the time to tease the mare from a safe place until the mare signals she is ready.
We always had the mare tied or held acress a barrier similiar to a hitching rack or a bar where she could whirl around and kick at the stallion. She sould be positioned parallel to the bar so the stallion can nuzzle and lightly nip and go through the process. It takes time and training to get a stallion to learn the courtship process and not expect to charge out and immediately breed the mare. Some mares don't care but those who do are dangerous to the stallion and to the stallion handler.

I wouldn't expect her to her to be more receptive after foaling because of the maternal protective instinct which kicks in with a foal.

This may not be reassuring but that has been my experience with mares in my 40 years of horses.

Elsie

Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2001 - 9:12 pm:

Elsie,
Thanks for your experienced opinion! Have you ever tried slightly sedating a mare to breed and if so, did it help matters any?

Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2001 - 7:59 am:

I have never seen any numbers to come up with such odds Paula. Sedation will aid in breeding many, but not all resistant or aggressive mares.
DrO
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