How old is too old to breed?

[mustangtrailrider]

In your opinion, what is too old for a broodmare? I am contemplating breeding my older OTTB. She is tattooed at 17. Her teeth indicate she is in her 20's.

Would you breed her? She is in great health otherwise...great confirmation and tempermant.

Thank you very much.

[AMDressage]

Most of the breeders I know dont breed past 18-20, and that's with their proven broodies that have had in upwards of 8+ foals.

[Fairview Horse Center]

I would take a biopsy to see how likely she is to carry a foal to term. 17 is not old, and many get pregnant at that age. 20 would be a real risky investment for a maiden mare. Mares that are regularly bred can continue to produce into their early twenties, with an occasional mare going to 25+. It totally depends on the mare, and her condition.

[Kyzteke]

As in all horse things, "it depends."

I had a friend who bred her 19 yr. old maiden appie mare. She caught first time (live cover) and had a wonderful foal.

Two years ago I sent semen to a 22 yr. old mare who'd had several foals over the years, but this was her first time with shipped semen. Caught first cycle and had a stunning filly last year.

[camohn]

another vote for It Depends. I have old mares. 2 are 17 and one is 22. The 22 YO has always caught on her first try but is starting to have uterine quality issues so this will be her last foal and she will be retired. One 17 yo has only had 1 foal and the other 17 YO now in foal is on her 4th foal. 2 other old ladies I had and bred until they has a reason not to were both were retired at the age of 21 when they developed age realted health issues.

[Sugarbrook]

Some of my brood mares are getting older. In their late teens. My tried and true brood mare has had 9 foals and I didnt breed her last year. She is 22. We bred her last week and we shall see.

Others have heard me tell this story, but here it is again. When I got Private Collection (Green Valley's April Velvet) pure bred welsh, to take care of I did not know her registered name nor her birthdate. She was bred to Blue Rain. I found out, by detective work, both age and breeding. YIKES. She was 24 when she delivered her one and only BLUE WHO for me.

So, as others are saying IT ALL DEPENDS.

[BREEDINGMANIAC]

I try not to breed after 20, I also found a lot of mares are hard to catch after 20 as well.

[Peg]

Gee, for what it could cost you, find a good broodmare to lease or buy a foal. The vet fees really pile up, especially if you have to try more than once. Heaven knows there are a ton of foals out there! Good luck, Peg:) I posted this on the wrong thread! So I will answer- It all depends! Good luck Peg

[Luckydonkey]

I am breeding one mare this year- an 18 yr old appy mare. I asked my vet if he should do a breeding soundness exam on her first- and he said- If she is healthy, coming into heat regularly, and her vulva is not tipped- then to give it a whirl- He said he would rather come out to check and see if she was in foal, than do a breeding soundness exam.Also, we had a mare deliver a healthy foal at age 25- and it was a surprise baby at that....so yeah, older mares can do fine being bred.

[avezan]

My 24 year old mare just foaled a lovely filly last week. But in hindsight, I'm not sure if I would have done it again. My mare was very healthy and sound and in great body condition. I bred her one time and she took. This was her 6th foal and her last one had been in 2005. Without going into the long story, around the 7th month I followed some very bad advice from my now former vet and the mare became very ill and stressed. Her age was an additional stressor that I wished was not there. Luckily, we had a good outcome with the foaling. Hopefully with the stress of being in foal gone, the mare can concentrate her body more on recovering. We'll see.
Anyway,
It is quite possible for a mare in her late teens early 20s to get in foal and have a healthy pregnancy. However, it may be more difficult and costly to get her in foal. Also, it seems like you do not have this mare's papers, so you would be breeding an unregistered foal. I just had this discussion with my sister, who said she would be breeding for herself, and didn't care about papers. But it is in the foal's best interest to be registered. You just never know what will happen down the road. Best wishes in your decision!

[Daydream Believer]

My clients are trying to breed a 24 year old pure Polish Arab daughter of Barbary (a famous Arab stallion long dead) to their pure Polish Arab stallion, Europia. We just inseminated her a few days ago and had to use Oxytocin to get fluid out of her uterus. Her uterus is full of cysts and her cervix is not the best. The mare had a foal at 22 apparently, skipped a year, and she was given to these people who pursued embryo transfer at first but then balked at the cost after one failed cycle of trying to get her and a recipient mare in sync. Otherwise she is in really good condition but I can't help but feel she should be enjoying her retirement somewhere. The vet is not very hopeful that she will get in foal or be able to hold a pregnancy to term.

[VirginiaBred]

I don't think it's fair to breed a mare that late in her life if she's never had foals or had not had one for some time.

Now, if she's been having them up to this year, and is in good health, I'd probably go ahead.

[ashmotter]

I agree with it depends...lots of things to consider. All mares are different, and some more expensive than others. For example, I bred my OTTB mare when she was 15 (maiden, too) and boy was she trouble! We sent her down to Anoka Equine as they have an amazing facility, and I don't even want to mention the vet bills! First time they inseminated her, she didn't take. They checked her hormone levels and they were not good, so they started her on Regu-Mate. They bred her a second time...twins! They pinched the one, and the other one absorbed, too. We tried one more time and, as they say, third time is a charm! However, that was only the start! Anoka advised to keep her on Regu-Mate for the pregnancy, and I sent her out to a foaling facility due to her age and, being bred to Contango, I didn't want to take the chance on me making a mistake! She had a really hard time foaling...the mare got agitated and upset at not knowing what was going one, and the assistant ended up having to pull the foal. Once the foal was out, she wanted to kill it! It took two more hours for her to realize it was HER baby! Then she was great, healthy, and happy. However, the foal is another, longer story that I won't get into!

Try your mare...she will let you know yes or no:)

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I wouldn't have a problem breeding a 20 year old mare if she was in otherwise good health, has something significant to contribute to the gene pool, and had been a good mother before. I have mares that look longingly at other mares' foals and will try to steal them if in the same pasture. This leads me to believe that those mares really enjoy being mothers. Many mares want to be mothers, it gives them a job and many aren't doing much else at 20. I'm not saying all 20 year old mares are pasture ornaments but I'd say there are a larger portion of 20 year old pasture ornament mares than there are 20 year old working mares.

But just because a mare isn't doing anything doesn't mean she should be bred. There are a lot of geldings doing nothing. :yes: If you don't have her papers and can't register her foal then I would reconsider the breeding at all or consider a breeding where the foal can be registered...like to an approved Irish Draught stallion.

[BREEDINGMANIAC]

I personally think 24 is too old, especially if she has cysts and what not. Just my opinion!

[Katy9532]

+1 on the it depends. I think if you do a culture and the unterus looks healthy enough, and the mare is healthy enough you should go for it, IF it is not her first foal. If it is her first (or even her first in a while) you might still try, but be prepared for large cost, and possible failure.

That being said, I have 2 22 yr old mares, one that is in better body shape that the other that I cannot get pregnat because her uterus is so bad, and the other that just had a baby last week that does not "look" as good but produces AMAZING babys. I will try to rebred the new mommy one more time, and if she does not take this year, that is it, she gets to retire along side my other mare and get fat and happy on grain, grass, and hay.

[BelladonnaLily]

My old mare had her last foal at age 24. She got in foal easily on one live cover and had absolutely no problems. But, raising the foal was very hard on her and I weaned a little early to give her time to pick back up before winter. Once weaned, she quickly regained her weight and 2 years later, is fat and happy enjoying her retirement. This was also a mare that I had owned at an earlier point in her life and was told by a vet that I would "never get a foal from her". Two others did get foals and I finally got mine too. So, I wouldn't necessarily discount an older mare if they aren't a maiden.

[Astraled]

I expect my mares will produce into their early to mid-twenties. The oldest mare I've bred was 23 when she had her first (and only) foal.

There was a mare called Cara Glory who had her last foal at 30.

These are Arabians so they do last longer than many other breeds. I've known many Arab broodmares who foal into their late twenties.

[aspenlucas]

I had a pony mare that was 22 when she had her first foal. We live covered one time. Her foal just turned 17 and she just turned 39! She was and still is an amazing old girl. My four year old rides and shows her still. Some of my mares are getting up there 18, 19 years old. As long as they are in good body condition I will breed them, but it depends on the mare. If any mare has a bad year, doesn't look as good I give her a year off. We breed hunter ponies and Cleveland Bay crosses.

[mustangtrailrider]

Thanks to everyone who responded. You have definitely given me something to consider. I have just acquired this mare. She is absolutely delightful. I will keep her regardless if she produces a baby for us or not. I have always wanted to raise a mule foal. Yes, I will keep the baby. It is a "cross" that will always have a place. LOL. I know some of you will flame me for that comment.

I hope she stays healthy this year. If she does, I may look into breeding her next spring. I have been told that she has been used as a broodmare in the past.

Thank you every one. I will probably not breed her. I guess I am mainly wishing and dreaming. My other option is to lease a twh mare for a gaited mule foal. I know of a possible mare and jack. It would be a great cross. Thank you every one.

[Kyzteke]

Thanks to everyone who responded. You have definitely given me something to consider. I have just acquired this mare. She is absolutely delightful. I will keep her regardless if she produces a baby for us or not. I have always wanted to raise a mule foal. Yes, I will keep the baby. It is a "cross" that will always have a place. LOL. I know some of you will flame me for that comment.

I hope she stays healthy this year. If she does, I may look into breeding her next spring. I have been told that she has been used as a broodmare in the past.

Thank you every one. I will probably not breed her. I guess I am mainly wishing and dreaming. My other option is to lease a twh mare for a gaited mule foal. I know of a possible mare and jack. It would be a great cross. Thank you every one.

I've often yearned for a mule o/o a TB mare and I thought about breeding my own. But for the most part it's cheaper to buy -- I've been browsing the ads and you can buy yearling mules for under $2500...sometimes ALOT cheaper.

My advise (and I've bred quite afew foals) -- in the long run it's just cheaper to go out and buy what you want -- especially today -- it really is a buyers market.

Check out the mules for sale at Equine.com, Dreamhorse and AgDirect or GOOGLE "Mules' for Sale." Some pretty good deals out there.

[mustangtrailrider]

Thank you for your kind suggestions. I have had mules in the past. I have had to give two up and put down a third. All of them had issues due to the way they were handled/trained.

I am hoping to raise my own from the ground up....without any major issues, but my own. I like my gal. I doubt I will ever breed her.....just dreaming for my own right mule foal.

Thank you.