Older horse

hummingbird42256 · 11-08-07, 06:41 AM

What would you say is the age that you would stop breding a horse. We had our TWH bred I think she was 21 .She did not carry .The vet did an ultrasound and said she was pregnant but nothing ever came of it. I was thinking she was just to old. We never tried again. How old is to old to breed?

horsegurl03801 · 11-08-07, 12:04 PM

How old is to old to safely carry a foal? Its going to vary from animal to animal based on their unique conditions. Some horses might be safe to breed in their twenties, stallions are definitely bred when older. Mares on the other hand tend to take it harder the older they get. They may not get back to peak condition as quickly or at all after birth and this needs to be factored into breeding plans.

SaddleSore · 11-08-07, 09:28 PM

I am curious as to what happened to your mare? You said that she was pregnant but nothing came of it-did she abort that you know of? I'd have been worried about infection.

hummingbird42256 · 11-09-07, 06:18 AM

Well the vet checked her out and said ,yes, she was pregnant. But she never had a foal. We never knew what happened to it.Guess she must have absorbed it ,if thats what they do.

Buckskin · 11-11-07, 04:29 PM

If she was pregnant, she may have lost the embryo very early and reabsorbed it, which is common if the embryo has a major defect, or she may have aborted around the middle of gestation and something ate the foetus.

As for age, is really depends on the mare's conformation. Older mares that have lots of foals tend to have their uterus drop, and the conformation of their vulva changes. This means it's harder to give birth, and urine and poo are likely to pool in the birth canal, making it very likely that she gets an infection in the uterus.

For a stallion, it depends on whether he has arthritis or not.

BornintheSaddle · 11-13-07, 02:19 PM

Something ATE the fetus? What do you mean-when when it was still in the uterus, or after she birthed the aborted fetus? I could understand the latter a lot more.

11-08-07, 06:41 AM	#1 (permalink)
hummingbird42256 Member Join Date: 11-05-07 Posts: 26	Older horse What would you say is the age that you would stop breding a horse. We had our TWH bred I think she was 21 .She did not carry .The vet did an ultrasound and said she was pregnant but nothing ever came of it. I was thinking she was just to old. We never tried again. How old is to old to breed?

11-11-07, 04:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
Buckskin Member Join Date: 11-05-07 Location: Australia Posts: 125	If she was pregnant, she may have lost the embryo very early and reabsorbed it, which is common if the embryo has a major defect, or she may have aborted around the middle of gestation and something ate the foetus. As for age, is really depends on the mare's conformation. Older mares that have lots of foals tend to have their uterus drop, and the conformation of their vulva changes. This means it's harder to give birth, and urine and poo are likely to pool in the birth canal, making it very likely that she gets an infection in the uterus. For a stallion, it depends on whether he has arthritis or not. __________________ Got carrots?

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11-08-07, 12:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
horsegurl03801 Member Join Date: 11-01-07 Posts: 25	How old is to old to safely carry a foal? Its going to vary from animal to animal based on their unique conditions. Some horses might be safe to breed in their twenties, stallions are definitely bred when older. Mares on the other hand tend to take it harder the older they get. They may not get back to peak condition as quickly or at all after birth and this needs to be factored into breeding plans.

11-08-07, 09:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
SaddleSore Member Join Date: 10-12-07 Posts: 233	I am curious as to what happened to your mare? You said that she was pregnant but nothing came of it-did she abort that you know of? I'd have been worried about infection.

11-09-07, 06:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
hummingbird42256 Member Join Date: 11-05-07 Posts: 26	Well the vet checked her out and said ,yes, she was pregnant. But she never had a foal. We never knew what happened to it.Guess she must have absorbed it ,if thats what they do.

11-13-07, 02:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
BornintheSaddle Member Join Date: 11-01-07 Posts: 25	Something ATE the fetus? What do you mean-when when it was still in the uterus, or after she birthed the aborted fetus? I could understand the latter a lot more.