Breeding Season is Coming!

Breeding Season Is Coming!

The weather is thinking about warming up and as it does, we here at Hayes Equine are getting more and more calls about how to get mares ready for breeding season. Here are a few things you need to know about getting ready to breed your mare:

Things you (the owner) are responsible for:

Before you bring your mare to the vet, you will need to have your stallion picked out. The more information you can provide for your veterinarian, the better. Be sure to have your contracts signed and any stud fees paid. Many stallions also have shipping or collection fees associated with cooled semen if you aren’t breeding live cover, so be sure the stallion station has your credit card information if this is the case. You don’t want to be scrambling last minute to get papers signed and payment arranged when your mare is about to ovulate. Information your veterinarian will need includes: stallion name, contact information (name, address, phone number) of the stallion owner or manager, what days the stallion collects, and when the stallion manager needs to know a shipment is needed. Bring this information with you to your mare’s first appointment.

Getting your mare ready to breed:

Unless a mare has been under lights since November or December, most mares will start cycling naturally around March or April, depending on the weather. A good indication that the mare will start cycling is when she starts shedding off for the spring. At the time of her first heat cycle for the year is when you will want to bring your mare in for her first ultrasound. A culture of her uterus may be indicated, especially if she has been bred or had a foal before. Occasionally, a biopsy will be needed to determine uterine viability. If a uterine infection is detected, this is also a good time to treat for the infection. Mares who aren’t good at showing signs of heat may need to be ultrasounded weekly to determine when heat occurs.

The breeding process:

Once your mare has been determined to be infection free and ready to breed is when the real work begins. A mare should be ultrasounded at her first sign of showing heat. Once heat has been established, she will be ultrasounded daily or every other day to monitor the growth of her follicle (which releases the egg). Once the follicle grows to a certain size, your veterinarian will call the stallion owner and request a shipment of semen. Semen must be ordered at a specific time so that it can arrive and be placed in the uterus JUST before ovulation. Putting semen in too early means the sperm dies before the egg is released, and putting it in too late means the egg dies before the semen arrives.

Hormones:

Many mares require hormonal manipulation in order to achieve the best results. Some of these will make your mare come into heat after she has had her first cycle of the year, some will make them ovulate, some will make them maintain a pregnancy, and some will help them clear fluid from the uterus. Your veterinarian will be able to better explain the use of hormones at the time of breeding.

Complications:

As always, mares don’t read the books when it comes to breeding. Many complications can arise that can add to the difficulty of getting your mare pregnant. This includes two developing follicles, leading to a double ovulation and the possibility of twins, the development of fluid during or after the heat cycle, follicles that don’t produce enough hormones, ovulating early or late, etc. Many times, these situations can be handled by your veterinarian, however it’s good to be aware of what can happen so you know what to expect if it does.

Cost:

It’s almost impossible to give an exact dollar sign to the cost of breeding your mare only because there are so many variables and complications that can arise. Breeding can unfortunately get very costly, very quickly. It is not a “one and done” kind of deal. Multiple ultrasounds, hormonal manipulation, and complications mean that prices vary from mare to mare. What you can expect is to spend AT LEAST several hundred dollars per cycle (not all mares catch on the first try) with JUST your veterinarian. Start adding dollar signs if complications start arising. Breeding is definitely not for the faint of heart. Be sure you’re ready before you start down the breeding path.