Breeding a 16 yr old mare?

[RealityCheck]

How common, and more importantly how safe, is breeding a 16 year old? I do know it depends on if they're a maiden mom or not, however in my mare's case we don't know her full history. Are there tests the vet can do to determine the mare's "reproductive health" and chance of a successful pregnancy? (Don't worry, I sound like a total newbie to breeding because I am, but I am purely in the speculation stages right now and have access to great repro vets if I do decide to go through with it!) Also, if it means anything she's a 15.2 TB, very petite and light boned although I doubt this makes a bit of difference.

[Jaegermonster]

Your vet can do a breeding soundness exam to check everything and make sure that there aren't any uterine infections or anything like that.
My 17 yo TB mare is out now for breeding. She had a foal when she was 11 and one when she was 4. I think they are like people, things slow down as you get older but as long as she is healthy there is no reason why not.

[sfstable]

My 19 year old is due in 2 weeks. But she does not look her age :) She still looks like a young mare. I am planning on breeding her this year and maybe next year if her health is good. Then she will be retired.

[trakehner013]

My 17 year old mare had a foal last year and is getting bred again this year.

[STF]

There are mares at the clinic that are in their 20s who are getting rebred and some of the breeders (lots of QH and TB breeders) look at that as "their job". Its not uncommon to have older mares bred and some breed till mid 20s.
I dont think there is any more worries in breeding a young mare than an older mare with the excpetion to a possible lack of fertility and issues of not taking due to the mares age, but otherwise, honestly the risk is the same as breeding a younger mare when it comes to mares health.
JMO

[Jesse'sMom]

i never worry about age.. what is more of a concern is how much use the uterus has had.
some 16 yr olds have never had a foal, and are perfectly sound to reproduce for many years. i have had some well into their 20's. never a worry. i tend to lean more towards the older mares. they know their job.

on the other hand
by 16, some mares have already has 12 foals & to me thats more of a risk factor.
but this an opinion and my personal experience.

[SmokenMirrors]

Great question OP! I was thinking this today as I am seriously considering breeding my now 16 year old draft mare next spring...she has had two foals, one was a full term still born and the other they had to pull from her and they almost lost her. I tried to get why on both but at the time she belonged to an Amish man and he was not very forthcoming with information so I am very hesitant to do so. Like you, I have a great repro vet and she said that they can do the tests and checks to make sure all is in order.

[Equilibrium]

Age outside may not be what the inside says! Get your vet to do a BSE which will tell you what you have.

My 17 yo is off at stud now!

Terri

[Juniberry]

Cheet and use Embryo trnasfer. My TB mare is amazing fully garded Hanovarian, raced, riding club and natioanl level dressage. But two goes at AI when she was 16 and pregnacy. Now 19 she has just produced an embryo (with some help from San Amour) and the recipients had her 15 day pregnacy scan confirmed. I am not meant to get excited till 25 days but I am bouncingaround the place.
I bought my mare as a 4 year old as she has done everything I have ever asked of her. She was my first horse but also a horse of a life time.
So I have nearly got perfection so I have tried everything to reproduce this.
If I get a live foal next year I may try again when my mare is 20. Not carying the pregnacy is got to make a big diffrence to a maiden older mare

[Maddie]

We bred our 16 year old maiden, she caught first cycle bred and had an uneventful pregnancy and foaling. She's had 2 foals since then as well with no issues.

[krfarms]

I know you are "suppose" to breed mares young. Being a small breeder, my mares are show horses, it takes a long time to produce a good quality show horse and I hate to stop their career to start popping out foals. Embryo transfer is not in my pocket book. That being said, my current broodmares are 17 and 18, both had successful hunter/jumper show careers and the TB mare was a successful racehorse before that. I am no scientist, but since they have always been in good nutrition, weight and fitness, carrying foals at their age is no problem. Last week the night before my WB mare foaled, she was out in her pen, running around and rearing when I pulled up with some of her buddies in the trailer. Fitness, as in everything else, plays a big part in how long they can be successfully bred and how quickly they recover from foaling.

[Kyzteke]

The poster who said look at the inside, not the outside, is correct.

I have a good friend whose 19 yr. old maiden caught first cycle & produced a healthy foal without a problem.

Meanwhile I have a 16 yr. old mare who has had 7 foals and I think she's done. Would not conceive in repeated attempts, then did conceive, but lost the pregnancy sometime past 90 days. Her biopsy score is a Kenny IIB -- gives her a 10-50% chance of conceiving & producing a live foal.

So have a good breeding soundness eval done with uterine biopsy -- that will give you the info you need to make an informed decision.