{"id":521,"date":"2022-01-21T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehorsesguide.com\/?p=521"},"modified":"2021-12-28T13:16:57","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T13:16:57","slug":"how-to-breed-horses-your-quick-care-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehorsesguide.com\/how-to-breed-horses-your-quick-care-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to BREED Horses-Your Quick Care Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Basics of Horse Breeding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you want to learn how to breed horses, you should learn that horse breeding is both a science and a business. You cannot successfully initiate how to breed horses in real life without incurring huge expenses. So, it is best to get very familiar with the horse breeding process before you pay for anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason that the process can cost a lot is that you will be paying the veterinarian for their time, effort, experience, and skills in how to breed horses. You will also have to compensate those assisting the vet during the initial mating attempts. Then there are the other necessary expenses that go into the process to consider, such as wages of farmhands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is that with the correct procedures in place, your veterinarian will be able to help your mare produce healthy foals. That way, your investment will be worth the time and effort to shell out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The Role of the Stallion in Equine Reproduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before you start the horse breeding process, the very first thing you should consider is choosing a stallion and a mare to mate together. When it comes to mating two horses, you should have the vet examine both stallion and mare to see if they’re healthy enough to mate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stallion horse, in particular, is a very important factor to consider because there is a time limit for any stallion to produce sufficient healthy sperm. Once the stallion is 20 years old, it usually cannot be relied upon for horse breeding anymore. Some male horses can also taper off, producing sufficient viable sperm before they reach 20 years of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stallion owner would have to find healthy mares for their male horse to breed with as soon as the stallion reaches two years of age. This would help the stallion owner maximize the profitability of horse breeding within the remaining 18 years of the stallion’s sperm viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should be stressed though, that a stallion that does breed foals isn’t automatically a keeper if the foals are not strong or healthy. The clients who would buy the foals would need proof that their money will not be wasted. That is why stallions that do produce strong foals are highly prized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Breeding Rates of Healthy Stallions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As you can imagine, a healthy stallion will be highly prized if successive mating produces strong and healthy foals. One stallion horse with a good breeding rate can be worth much since many generations of foals could be born and raised. So, if you are looking to mate your mare, always consider the breeding rate of the stallion first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a stallion has a low breeding rate, the vet may think it is necessary to administer semen tests. This would take into account the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Testicular Parameters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shape<\/li>
Size<\/li>
Total scrotal width<\/li>
Volume<\/li>
Ultrasonographic appearance<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Semen evaluation is another factor that can affect the breeding rate. To conduct semen evaluation, you should look for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Color<\/li>
Turbidity<\/li>
pH<\/li>
Presence of somatic cells or germ cells<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These would be part of the examination of seminal fluid features and sperm morphologic and movement patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some stallions may be infertile even after all these characteristics are uncovered during a semen test. That is also why a reputable veterinarian with much experience in horse fertility is in demand among horse breeding circles. First, a vet needs to check if the stallion has the following to be considered a contender for mating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Absence of genetic or physical defects that a foal could inherit.<\/li>
Lack of transmittable diseases (such as venereal disease).<\/li>
Absence of behavioral disorders.<\/li>
Lack of physical abnormalities that will obstruct the mating process.<\/li>
Possess sufficient output of normal sperm.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Based on these factors, the vet will classify a stallion horse as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unsatisfactory<\/li>
Questionable<\/li>
Satisfactory, with regards to its breeding prospects.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This classification will determine if the stallion can be “booked” for breeding with eligible mares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A stallion with a prolific breeding rate of over 135 to 150 days (the normal breeding cycle) can mate with 40 to 45 mares through natural service. However, if artificial breeding is done in that same cycle, the stallion horse may mate with 120 to 140 mares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the mares must be in good health and ready for mating when a stallion attempts to breed with them. So, it’s a 50\/50 situation since both stallion and mare have to be reasonably healthy to produce strong and healthy foals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeding and Management of Breeding Mares<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As previously mentioned, it is the veterinarian’s responsibility to determine if a mare is healthy enough to be subject to mating with a stallion horse. Once mating is consummated, the broodmare owner will wait to see if a pregnancy<\/a> follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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