1965-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1965 January Voice | Page 33

her home. Less than half an hour
is involved. Three weeks later, the
same process all over again,
throughout the breeding season
and then some. No luck yet. What
is the reason here?
ANSWER: This is one of the
more complex problems the owner
doesn’t understand and the BIG
trouble lies with the owner her­
self. Number one, she doesn’t want
to pay any board for the mare.
Number 2, she doesn’t want to have
to make a second trip to pick the
mare up. What she doesn’t realize
is this: a mare will be in season an
average of about 5 or 6 days. She
has only a few relatively short
hours during this period when she
is fertile and can get with foal.
Since the owner of the stallion has
no way of knowing just which day
this may be, he breeds the mare
about four times during her sea­
son, sometimes more if the mare is
in season longer than ordinary. It
is a rarity, indeed, if the mare
catches under these circumstances
with just one breeding. At this
rate, chances are good the girl will
never get her mare with foal if she
insists on running in and right back
out again.
EXAMPLE #7: Here we have a
man that takes his mare to have
her bred, he leaves her there
where she is checked back for 35
days. She shows no signs of com­
ing in. He takes her home confi­
dent she is with foal, and promptly
turns her loose. Six months later
she comes in season; however, the
owner pays no attention. When
time come to foal, nothing hap­
pens. He immediately gets mad.
blames the stallion and handler.
But what actually happened?
ANSWER: Here again, the blame
lies with the owner. He FORGOT
that the stallion owner said “Watch
her close for any signs of her com­
ing in. Get your vet to check her
and bring her back if she isn’t in
foal.” The owner didn’t. If he had
followed instructions, he could
have been a happy man. Because
he wanted to save a few dollars,
it actually cost him a good deal
more in the long run.
What are the things to remem­
ber when breeding a mare? Here
JANUARY, 1965
are several things the new breedei
may need to know. It may prevent
him from being hasty and giving
up on getting his mare with foal.
(1) A mare will generally come
in every 18 to 21 days, during the
normal breeding season and the
rest of the year. However, they are
known to go well over this period
before coming in again.
(2) It is wise to spend a few dol­
lars to have a good vet check the
mare BEFORE you breed. It may
save you a stud fee and board if
she is not physically capable of
conceiving at the time for any rea­
son.
(3) Leave your mare where the
stallion is AT LEAST as long as
her season lasts. Check back as
soon as the time comes for her to
be in season again. Most barns
where stallions are stabled prefer
that the mare remain for about 35
days. She is checked out constantly
and is not missed if she comes back
in.
(4) Be sure to have a vet check
the mare anytime after 35 days
to be sure she is with foal, rather
than leave it up to chance and be
disappointed. A mare is fully capa­
ble of going through a false preg­
nancy, and a qualified vet is the
only way to be absolutely sure.
(5) A vet can aid your mare if
she fails to come in season and yet
is not with foal. Shots are gen­
erally in order in this case.
(6) The right kind of a diet is
beneficial towards getting your
mare with foal.
(7) If your mare is used to a stall
only, don’t turn her out to pasture,
just because she is in foal, through
the winter. If you plan on turning
her out, let the change be gradual,
not sudden. In other words, con­
dition her to the cold weather by
letting her remain out as much
as possible through the fall. You
might cause her to lose the colt if
you just suddenly turn her out
when she is not used to it. A good
mare can also be lost this way.
Since the new breeder is going
to find many obstacles to hurdle,
some of the rarer, almost unknown,
but possible, situations should also
be explained. Mind you, these are
not common things, but have been
found over the years.
(1) A mare, safe with foal, CAN
come back in season and may even
take a stallion, but, before you
jump to the conclusion she has
lost her colt, call a vet. It has hap­
pened that a mare was taken to
the stallion first, which, in turn
caused the mare to abort. It is also
known that another mare, safe in
foal; was taken to a stallion under
similar circumstances, re-bred and
also became with foal a second
time. As you can imagine, she lost
both colts.
(2) DON’T PANIC if a mare goes
over her alloted time to foal. Mares
have been known to go over as
much as 60 days before foaling
without bad results. However, af­
ter about three weeks over, it may
be wise to call on the vet.
(3) Start watching your mare
about 2 months before her time
to foal. If she shows any signs o''
foaling ahead of time, or shows
signs of forced labor, here again it
is wise to call your vet.
(4) Twins are not common, there­
fore a mare carrying twins will
probably abort. A few do carry
them and give live births, but (1)
one colt is generally weaker and
may die, in all probability or (2)
one colt may be deformed and have
to be destroyed. Of course, some
twins will live and thrive with
care, but is a rarity.
(5) Moving a mare to a strange
place, even though she may be in
foal, can cause her to react as
though she were in season. Turn­
ing her out with strange horses,
or hauling her a long distance, can
also have the same effect.
For those of you who have had
bad luck in the past, perhaps you
will find that one or more of these
situations fit you. If so, and if this
information helps you, then I have
succeeded in accomplishing my
mission. Goodbye for now, and
Good Breeding to you with Many
Happy Returns!
MORE TOP WALKING HORSE
TRAINERS RELY ON THE
“VOICE" FOR INFORMATION,
NEWS AND VIEWS OF THEIR
BUSINESS THAN ON ANY
OTHER NATIONAL MAGAZINE.
33