Breeding Season!

Breeding Season Is Upon Us

It’s about the time to be thinking about your broodmares for the coming breeding season if you haven’t already. Open mares should be under lights to stimulate them to begin cycling earlier than they normally would. If they failed to conceive last year, a uterine culture should be done now to rule out infection or direct treatment if needed. If you are planning to ship semen or flush an embryo, we recommend a uterine culture as insurance against repeated breeding’s because of an unknown infection. A mare that had a difficult foaling the previous year may need an examination to be sure the cervix and uterus are undamaged. We like to get any needed dental work out of the way at this time so that she is able to efficiently use her feed and grow a nice foal.

Make Your Breeding Selection Early

Every year there is at least one owner who has trouble making a stallion selection, and once they do they find that his book is full or they are low on the priority list when it comes to splitting collections. I would encourage you to do your research, make your selection, and get your breeding contract in early. It is not in your best interest to make unreasonable demands on the stallion people if you want the shipping experience to go smoothly! If we are handling the mare for you, we will be certain all your paperwork is in order and take care of the ordering and container returns for you.

The Horse Breeding Process

If you are new to breeding, the usual plan is to bring the mare to us for an ultrasound when you see her in heat. We will evaluate the ovaries and measure follicles. The follicles are fluid-filled structures that expand from the ovary. The largest, the “primary follicle” is the one which contains the egg. When it becomes large enough, approximately 45mm, it will rupture (“ovulate”), releasing the egg to be fertilized. Just before ovulation is when we plan to breed. We will ultrasound after breeding to be sure this mare read the book and ovulated when expected, and also did not have any fluid accumulation in her uterus from the breeding that should be controlled. After this, it is fourteen days until we check for an embryo. We evaluate the embryo via ultrasound a few more times during her pregnancy, see to the proper vaccines and nutrition, and expect a healthy foal eleven months later.