STUD WORK, MARES AND FOALS
Breeding horses
Breeding is eleven months of waiting built on a handful of days that matter enormously. Getting the timing right, catching problems early, and being there when the foal arrives — that's most of the job, and it's why we work to the mare's calendar rather than ours.
From decision to foal
Roughly how a breeding year runs. Every mare is different, and plenty need more visits than this — but it gives you the shape of it.
Is she ready?
Pre-breeding examination, swabs and bloods. Better to find a problem now than three cycles in.
BEFORE
THE CYCLE
Timing
Scanning to track follicles so we inseminate or cover at the right moment, not the convenient one.
DAYS 14-45
Confirming
Early scan for twins, then a heartbeat, then a later scan to confirm it's progressing.
11 MONTHS
Carrying
Mostly leaving her alone — with vaccination, monitoring, and closer attention if she's had trouble before.
Arrival
Attendance if you want us there, and a check on mare and foal within the first day either way.ts.
FOALING
The things breeders tell us
"when should I scan?"
Fourteen to sixteen days for the first scan. Early enough to find twins while something can still be done about them.
"Frozen or chilled?"
Frozen needs tighter timing and more visits. Chilled is more forgiving. The stallion often decides for you.
"She's got a caslick's"
Then it must be opened before she foals. Tell every vet who sees her — this is the detail most often forgotten.
"She's not holding"
Usually a reason, often a treatable one. Swabs, a biopsy and a proper look are worth more than another cycle of hoping.
"She's not holding"
Usually a reason, often a treatable one. Swabs, a biopsy and a proper look are worth more than another cycle of hoping.
"She's not holding"
Usually a reason, often a treatable one. Swabs, a biopsy and a proper look are worth more than another cycle of hoping.
"Do I need to be there for foaling?"
Most mares foal alone at night without trouble. But when it goes wrong it goes wrong in minutes, so know what you're watching for.
"Should I breed from her?"
Sometimes the honest answer is no — for her sake, or because the foal market is what it is. We'll say so.
What we do
Getting her in foal
Timing is nearly everything, and it needs someone who'll come when the mare says so.
-
Pre-breeding examination
-
Pre-breeding swabs and bloods (CEM, EVA, EIA)
-
Uterine and ovarian scanning
-
Ovulation monitoring and follicle tracking
-
Artificial insemination — chilled, frozen and fresh
-
Hormone treatment to bring her into season
When she isn't holding
A methodical look at why, rather than another season of guessing.
-
Mare infertility investigation
-
Endometrial swab and biopsy
-
Uterine lavage and treatment
-
Caslick's placement and opening
-
Stallion breeding examination
-
Semen evaluation
Confirming and carrying
These are the scans that matter, and the mares who need watching most closely.
-
Pregnancy scan at 14 to 16 days
-
Heartbeat scan at around 28 days
-
Later scan at 40 to 45 days
-
Twin reduction
-
Foetal sexing
-
High-risk pregnancy management
If you're selling
The most important veterinary visit of a horse's life happens in its first twenty-four hours.
-
Foaling attendance
-
Examination of mare and foal after foaling
-
Newborn foal examination
-
Foal IgG test
-
Plasma transfusion if colostrum wasn't enough
-
Foal microchipping and passport
When we say don't
Not every mare should be bred from. Age, conformation, temperament, a history of losing pregnancies, or simply a foal that would be hard to place — these are welfare questions as much as commercial ones, and we'd rather have that conversation before the stud fee than after the foal.
Every horse we help bring into the world is one we've decided is a good idea.