Breeding Basics:
More about timing
This is the end of your part of the timing game, but not the end of the breeder's. There can be a lot of uncertainty for the breeder in determining when to bring a mare to a stallion and some of this may end up presenting you with some choices to make.
When can a mare get pregnant? - Ovulation:
A Mare can get pregnant only if sperm is present to fertilize the egg at the time of gestation, or within a 24-48 hour period there-after. When a mare gestates, the egg is let loose from the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. It is during this traveling time (and only during this time) that it is able to come into contact with sperm. The mare cannot get pregnant before the egg is released (ovulation) or after the egg reaches the uterus. The travel time from the ovary to the uterus is somewhere between 24-48 hours.
Going into heat:
Mares go into heat just prior to ovulating. This happens about once per month during the warmer months of the year (though the heat cycle is actually triggered by increased hours of daylight, not temperatures). Generally, a mare begins to go into heat sometime in the spring and continues to do so about once a month until late fall.
A mare's heat cycle last anywhere from 3-7 days. It ends when the egg is released from the ovary and travels to the uterus. Thus, it is important to note that a mare can only get pregnant during one 24-48 hour period each month. The difficulty with this is that it is not possible to know for certain when that period will be. Because heat cycles can last anywhere from 3-7 days, we cannot know for certain when the egg is going to be released, until after it has already happened.
When to breed:
Given this difficulty, how does a breeder determine when to breed a mare?
Most mares wont let a stallion breed them until they are fully in heat (and often not until they are at the end of their heat cycle), so in part, a breeder relies on the mare's reaction to the stallion to help them know when the breeding time is right. Most mares will kick and fight if a stallion is brought to them too soon, but will willingly go to the stallion when the time is right. The problem with this is that it isn't true of all mares. Some mares are either frightened of or annoyed enough by the stallion to fight or at least act aggressively towards the stallion at any time. Thus, letting the mare totally dictate the breeding by her willingness means that some mares will never breed - or at least, that a heat cycle might be missed, causing more expense for the owner of the mare.
Because of this uncertainty, if a mare seems to be in heat but continually refuses the stallion, the breeder must decide whether to push the mare through the breeding or continue to wait for her to be receptive. With a particularly difficult mare, it is always possible that the heat cycle will end without the mare ever being willing to breed. Often, mares that are frightened of this experience at first are perfectly happy to go to the stallion once they understand what is going on and it isn't so new and strange to them. Thus, pushing a frightened mare through her first time is not always a bad thing and can end up being the right choice for that mare in the long run. However, for safety's sake, this is a last resort and sometimes is simply not the right choice for a given mare.
If the mare is refusing to breed even when in heat, or looks like she is going to do this, the breeder may contact you with some options. One option is that a vet can be brought in to ultrasound the mare and determine the size of her follicle. The mare's follicle (egg) gets bigger as the heat cycle progresses. Once it reaches optimum size, this triggers ovulation and the end of the heat cycle. This can give the breeder some idea if it is likely that this is just an unusually long heat cycle and the mare truly isn't ready yet, or if she is ready to get pregnant and will miss the chance if she is not pushed through the breeding. The problem with this is that follicle size is not an exact science. There is no single size which triggers ovulation, and no single rate of growth for the follicle. The vet can get a good idea if the follicle seems big enough that the mare is going to ovulate soon, but it is still always somewhat of a guessing game.
A Mare can get pregnant only if sperm is present to fertilize the egg at the time of gestation, or within a 24-48 hour period there-after. When a mare gestates, the egg is let loose from the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. It is during this traveling time (and only during this time) that it is able to come into contact with sperm. The mare cannot get pregnant before the egg is released (ovulation) or after the egg reaches the uterus. The travel time from the ovary to the uterus is somewhere between 24-48 hours.
Going into heat:
Mares go into heat just prior to ovulating. This happens about once per month during the warmer months of the year (though the heat cycle is actually triggered by increased hours of daylight, not temperatures). Generally, a mare begins to go into heat sometime in the spring and continues to do so about once a month until late fall.
A mare's heat cycle last anywhere from 3-7 days. It ends when the egg is released from the ovary and travels to the uterus. Thus, it is important to note that a mare can only get pregnant during one 24-48 hour period each month. The difficulty with this is that it is not possible to know for certain when that period will be. Because heat cycles can last anywhere from 3-7 days, we cannot know for certain when the egg is going to be released, until after it has already happened.
When to breed:
Given this difficulty, how does a breeder determine when to breed a mare?
Most mares wont let a stallion breed them until they are fully in heat (and often not until they are at the end of their heat cycle), so in part, a breeder relies on the mare's reaction to the stallion to help them know when the breeding time is right. Most mares will kick and fight if a stallion is brought to them too soon, but will willingly go to the stallion when the time is right. The problem with this is that it isn't true of all mares. Some mares are either frightened of or annoyed enough by the stallion to fight or at least act aggressively towards the stallion at any time. Thus, letting the mare totally dictate the breeding by her willingness means that some mares will never breed - or at least, that a heat cycle might be missed, causing more expense for the owner of the mare.
Because of this uncertainty, if a mare seems to be in heat but continually refuses the stallion, the breeder must decide whether to push the mare through the breeding or continue to wait for her to be receptive. With a particularly difficult mare, it is always possible that the heat cycle will end without the mare ever being willing to breed. Often, mares that are frightened of this experience at first are perfectly happy to go to the stallion once they understand what is going on and it isn't so new and strange to them. Thus, pushing a frightened mare through her first time is not always a bad thing and can end up being the right choice for that mare in the long run. However, for safety's sake, this is a last resort and sometimes is simply not the right choice for a given mare.
If the mare is refusing to breed even when in heat, or looks like she is going to do this, the breeder may contact you with some options. One option is that a vet can be brought in to ultrasound the mare and determine the size of her follicle. The mare's follicle (egg) gets bigger as the heat cycle progresses. Once it reaches optimum size, this triggers ovulation and the end of the heat cycle. This can give the breeder some idea if it is likely that this is just an unusually long heat cycle and the mare truly isn't ready yet, or if she is ready to get pregnant and will miss the chance if she is not pushed through the breeding. The problem with this is that follicle size is not an exact science. There is no single size which triggers ovulation, and no single rate of growth for the follicle. The vet can get a good idea if the follicle seems big enough that the mare is going to ovulate soon, but it is still always somewhat of a guessing game.
At Wild Mountain Farms, the breeding process generally goes like this:
- The mare arrives at the breeding center some days before she is expected to go into heat. She is housed in a small pasture, pen or stall. She has time to get use to her new surroundings and to the people caring for her before going into heat. Ideally, the stallion is housed near by, with at least one fence in common, so that she might get to know him across a fence (a double electric fence preventing the horses from getting too close to each other) before she comes into heat.
- We watch the mare through the days for signs of heat. These include an increased interest in the stallion, squatting and peeing whenever the stallion comes near and lifting her tail and peeing to get the stallion's attention. The stallion is often the first to alert us that a mare is coming into heat, as his interest in her will change markedly as he begins to catch the sent of her heat cycle beginning.
- Once we have indication of the heat cycle beginning, we spend time each day "teasing" the mare with the stallion. We put the mare into a teasing stall and bring the stallion to her. We let them sniff noses and meet each other face to face. The stallion makes it clear he is ready and willing to breed, and the mare sets her boundaries with him with kicks and squeals. When he gets too close to her she either gets angry and kicks out at him - refusing him - or turns and presents herself to him. At the beginning of her heat cycle, the mare may not be willing to breed. She will warn the stallion away in no uncertain terms. At that point we take the stallion back to his pasture and try again the next day. As the heat cycle progresses, the mare eventually becomes ready to breed and no longer rejects the stallion when he comes to her. At that point, we know it is time to breed.
- If the mare makes it clear she is ready to breed, we take the stallion away, wash him and wash the mare, bind up the mare's table and lubricate her opening. We put on our safety gear and bring the mare out to be bred. One person holds the mare while another brings the stallion to her. They may flirt a bit until both are ready, then the stallion mounts the mare. (The stallion often needs help from the handler to get inserted into the right place at the right time, so the breeder is really "hands on" at this point.)
- Once the stallion enters the mare, he ejaculates pretty quickly. (At that point, many stallions will go into such a daze that they actually fall off the mare.) Once he is done, the stallion is led away and returned to his pasture. The mare sometimes likes to stand still for a time, as if focusing inward, before she is led back to her stall.
- The next day (or, sometimes every two days) the teasing process is repeated. If the mare is still receptive, they breed again.
- Once she is no longer receptive (she squeals and kicks at the stallion when he shows interest in breeding) we assume her heat cycle has ended. We count her pregnancy date (if she ends up being pregnant) as the day before this and we either send her back to you or keep her for 19 days until she is ready to be ultrasounded by our vet and checked for pregnancy. At that point, if she is declared pregnant, she is ready to return home. If not, the client decides if they want to wait for her next natural cycle or "short cycle" her (give her a shot to help her come into heat early) and the breeding process starts all over again.