How old is too old to breed your horse?

Question

My mare will be 16 this year and I have never bred her. I am planning on breeding her this year. She is healthy and sound. She is a Paint and Im going to breed her to a paint.

Answer 1

At my ranch we usually stop breeding our horses before they turn 25. So 16 is perfectly fine. Although as a horse ages it is harder for them to become pregnant. With all the viruses and disease we now only provide shipped semen or artificial insemination, no live cover. This is because EHV is getting very bad and is very easily spread around to other equines. If you are wanting to breed your horse the safest thing you can do is consult your vet and have blood work done to make sure your horse is healthy enough to be bred and undergo the stress of pregnancy. All of my 23 brood mares go through this every year. also make sure your mares vaccinations are UTD. My mares get a series of 3 EHV shots when they are pregnant and 1 afterwards- one at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Depending on your location your vet may add or reduce shots needed.
Before breeding season be also put UV lights on our mares at night when they are brought in. This is because a lot of mares will not go into a heat cycle during the fall and winter months- we do this incase we AI early for an early foal or they are having trouble maintaining a heat cycle, many older horses may have problems.
We'll also add a little bit of weight on our mares before they get bred. Sometimes the stress of getting pregnant will make them shed a few pounds
What ever you choose- your mare be pregnant should be a happy time for you both so enjoy it. Good luck with little hoof beats.

Answer 2

As long as a vet say's she's breeding sound you should be good. At that age if they havn't been breed before it might be harder and take more trys for her to become in foal though, or she may take the first try. As they get older you do run more risks but at 16 she's still pretty young. I've seen plenty of mares over 20 have a foal with no problems what so ever. Good luck!

Answer 3

You are best to contact a vet that specializes in reproduction. He/she will exam your mare thoroughly, including ultrasound to make sure she's healthy and that there's nothing obvious that would making breeding her a bad idea.

15 is not too old, but she might be harder to get in foal and the risks will be higher. Again, discuss with the reproduction vet, as well as what will be the best method to breed her, whether live cover or AI with cooled semen, ect...

Answer 4

Some horses had a harder life and therefore they shouldnt be bred past a certain age due to health reasons.Mares that have unstable health are at a high risk of miscariges and death of both the mare and colt at birth. If the mare is nice and sound then she should be bred in to her later ages. But like mentioned before older mares will be harder to get to concieve and the risks at birth will be greater.Basicly use your better judgment. If she looks broken down then i would recoment not to put her through it. 16 is a good age but seeing as its her first time a watchful eye should be kept on her weeks near her due date. Good luck.

Answer 5

I knew a horse that was bred for the first time at the age of 20 then she was bred again for the second time at the age of 22 she was just fine. But i would suggest talking to a vet that specializes in reproduction. Make sure everything is good in there. Have fun.
:)
Good Luck

Answer 6

As long as she is healthy and sound, horse can breed safely at the age of 20 and beyond.

Horses compete at the olypmics when they are in the range of 10-13. So 15 or 16 is certainly not too old for breeding.

Check the site below - where this very subject was discussed at length.

Answer 7

u first need to have her checked out by a vet to see weather or not she is healthy enough to breed(check her girl parts). since she has never been breed this is something that needs to be oked with a vet. she is not to old but there is a risk since she has never been breed. i would advise a vet check her out before u breed her

Answer 8

Horses age at distinctive expenses, so it relatively is not any longer a very sparkling shrink answer. Your superb wager is to have the stallion proprietors have a semen pattern examined for viability at an equine vet health center. The pattern make it easier to be attentive to the way fertile the pony is in all probability to be. there are various stallions that stay fertile into their Nineteen Twenties. This stallion is getting near to 30, nonetheless, so i would not prefer to place the attempt and time right into a foal till he became into checked. i might additionally prefer to be attentive to if he sired any foals this 365 days, and if so how many mares caught out of those he bred. If he nonetheless threw foals this 365 days than i may be extra optomistic that he continues to be fertile. I assume which you're desirous to reproduce her next spring, and not now. If she became into bred immediantely she would not foal till mid July, that's getting slightly on the previous due area. Or if her warmth did no longer come till some extra weeks the foal might desire to certainly be born in August. that would not leave you many months in the previous the foal might could face wintry climate. If it became into me i might particularly no longer have a three month previous foal having to start an prolonged, chilly wintry climate, i might desire waiting till spring to reproduce my mare so the ensuing foal might have all spring and summer time to mature, strengthen, be weaned and halter broke in stable situations. This of direction relies upon on the place you're placed, and what form of centers you may shop weanlings. stable success.

Answer 9

i heard if they never been breed and u breed them at a old age they could have some problems. but i would call ur vet.

Answer 10

It would be fine to breed her. But I beleive 20 is to old to breed.