Truth or Myth - Mares needing a year off?

[EquusMagnificus]

I have a mare this year who is normally very fertile and so far, two tries (already not normal for her) and she is not in foal. We did the proper follow-up work and she just doesn't seem to want to cooperate. Both times, it looks like she took and lost it before the 14-day check (heat cycles were delayed and this is a fairly regular mare).

So I naturally thought perhaps she needs a year off but now I am wondering something, kind of like the so-called "stallion effect", do mares really need time off or is it always a matter of mismanagement (ie. requiring more diagnostic work, etc.?)?

I am just curious on the principle.

[TrueColours]

In my opinion - myth ;) but also stated with a caveat ...

IMO - Mare Owners that believe their mares need a year off to "rest" are totally incorrect, unless the mare has an actual physical/medical condition that requires her to not be bred that year

I believe that the mares will tell their owners quite clearly (as perhaps your mare is doing to you here) when they need time off to regroup and recover and then no matter how many tests you run and how perfect your timing is, or how wonderful the semen is, they will simply not conceive and/or carry that foal to term for you

My Puchi Trap mare has now caught 6 years in a row off the first cover, done at 20-21 days post foaling (actually this year we opted to breed on her foal heat for the first time ever as everything lined up so perfectly!). I dont know if in her case its because the stallion is right across the aisle from her in the barn and right beside her in her turn out paddock and they adore each other to bits, so anyone could tell 100% when she is ready to breed to literally the minute, because its live cover there is no excess fluid going in there that she then needs to expel (GG's ejaculate is in the 20-25ml range for the most part) as opposed to a typical 50-60 ml syringe of extended semen for AI breedings, and/or if because it is raw semen only, there is no possible reaction to any extenders being used???

I know that I keep hearing about some mares that are better candidates for LC rather than cooled semen because of the above factors - could some of these possibly be coming into play with your mare in this breeding season?

[Equine Reproduction]

So I naturally thought perhaps she needs a year off but now I am wondering something, kind of like the so-called "stallion effect", do mares really need time off or is it always a matter of mismanagement (ie. requiring more diagnostic work, etc.?)?

I am just curious on the principle.

A couple of things. The mare is meant to be pregnant, especially when older. Giving an older mare a year off can often lead up to never getting her pregnant again. If the mare is in good health, good weight and reproductively sound, there is no reason for a year off. Mother Nature is phenomenal at determining when a mare should not reproduce - the mare is really, really thin, feed is sparse, etc. Some mares will go into lactational anestrus and won't cycle when they have a foal afoot, but again, that's Mother Nature stepping up to the plate and saying "you've got enough sucking you down here, let's wait a bit". Typically, if you have a mare that is in good health, good weight and she's still not conceiving, time to do more diagnostics. Is the stallion fertile and have proven conception? What's the semen like that you are receiving? Have you done a culture and cytology on your mare? Have you done a uterine biopsy? Are you following the mare for ovulation? Fluid clearance? Are you following her with oxytocin? Etc.

Hope the above helps!

[Donella]

Equinereproduction,
I am curious what age you mean when you say "older" mare? I am always curious about this.