# Idiots guide to getting the mare covered successfully



## FfionWinnie (26 June 2016)

I feel I should say I'm not a complete idiot however my breeding experience is mostly of an agricultural background and it's a lot simpler to buy your own bull, chuck him in with the cows for 6 weeks and watch for calves 9 months later. 

So. I have a maiden mare I want to take to a local stallion who does live coverings and the owner is suggesting I just tootle along with her when she's in season. Sounds great...but she isn't a flirty mare and I've no good looking geldings around at all so how will I know...

Should I buy her some new under garments, perhaps some bridlewear?!  

Serious answers on a postcard pls. Going to speak to the stud more and my vet of course but would like to have a bit more of a clue if possible.


----------



## AdorableAlice (26 June 2016)

You do need to know that she and the stallion are disease free.  I would be a bit concerned if a stallion owner just said bring her in.


----------



## FfionWinnie (26 June 2016)

No, they said get her swabbed. Didn't think it was necessary to mention that bit! It's a well known and well respected stud. 

They are very local hence the suggestion. 

I have lost two horses to EGS so not moving her off the premises would be my absolute preferred course of action as returning is always a risk.

Maybe I wasn't being clear in my opening jolly post but I'm not really an idiot and I would like advice about how to know when the mare is in season when she isn't one for squirting and throwing herself at anything or anyone, can I achieve this by scans via the vet or what would be the best course of action. I've ai'd cattle and been breeding livestock for nearly 20 years, I just don't know the specifics of how to do it successfully with my mare. I've also worked with broodmares and youngstock, broken and schooled many of my own horses and have my own land, funds and time to do it so no need to advise me on that bit either just to save anyone's time if that is where we are heading next.  Oh and the foal is for me to produce as my next horse, not to sell, incase that is deemed relevant too.


----------



## crabbymare (26 June 2016)

I would get a vet in to scan her and tell you what point she is at in her cycle. if she is in season he can do a swab and if not he may be able to inject her to bring her in season in  the next 3-5 days. it should be possible if he catches heras she comes in season to get the swab result back in time to have her covered a few days later but its best to talk to the vet about that. Otherwise its finding an obliging gelding to tease her or riding her to the stud every couple of days to be teased by the stallion until she shows interest


----------



## FfionWinnie (26 June 2016)

crabbymare said:



			I would get a vet in to scan her and tell you what point she is at in her cycle. if she is in season he can do a swab and if not he may be able to inject her to bring her in season in  the next 3-5 days. it should be possible if he catches heras she comes in season to get the swab result back in time to have her covered a few days later but its best to talk to the vet about that. Otherwise its finding an obliging gelding to tease her or riding her to the stud every couple of days to be teased by the stallion until she shows interest
		
Click to expand...

Thank you that is exactly what I need to know!


----------



## Fiona (26 June 2016)

Ohh FW you lucky thing..  Which of your mares are you breeding from??

I would so love to breed from our IDx mare, but she's 18 now, I should have pulled finger out a few years ago and gone for it 

Good luck 

Fiona


----------



## honetpot (27 June 2016)

crabbymare said:



			I would get a vet in to scan her and tell you what point she is at in her cycle. if she is in season he can do a swab and if not he may be able to inject her to bring her in season in  the next 3-5 days. it should be possible if he catches heras she comes in season to get the swab result back in time to have her covered a few days later but its best to talk to the vet about that. Otherwise its finding an obliging gelding to tease her or riding her to the stud every couple of days to be teased by the stallion until she shows interest
		
Click to expand...

 I did this. I had my maiden mare scanned and swabbed, the vet gave me a good idea when she was coming until season, the week before I took her to stud. She was covered naturally and came home after the 10 day scan. I had a 250 mile trip, and work so that's why I took the week before. 
  This year I gone for AI, 15 days on Friday, crossed fingers.


----------



## JanetGeorge (27 June 2016)

Yes, get her swabbed (check how long it will be for swab results - they might be able to scan the same day.)  A PG shot when she's in anoestrus will normally take 4 days to brin her in - but unless you want to take her a couple of times, I'd take her on day 5 or 6.  She needs to be wihin 24 hours of ovulating for best result.


----------



## Maesfen (27 June 2016)

Echo Crabbymare although I'm a lazy bird and take them to stud to sort out, mainly because I don't have the time to drop everything and do repeat journeys but as you can do that, if close enough, I'd ride her over every day.

When I first had Bea, a 'quiet' maiden too, I took her to OMT and she played hell even though she had been swabbed and scanned as ready by one of the most respected stud vets in the country, SHE most certainly wasn't having any of that nonsense, she tried to kill OMT.  Same again the next day; same again the next day but with a slightly less violent reaction from her so we tried her again later that afternoon and a little better so early the next morning, tried again the next morning, still going to kill poor Tiger but an hour later when he was led past her box for something quite different she was passion possessed.  You would never believe the difference if you hadn't seen it yourself.  She had gone from stroppy spinster to scarlet madam in that hour and then couldn't get enough of him.  She was covered three times before she went off.  
So she was covered naturally three days after the vet said she was ready but sadly didn't hold.  The next time, scanned, covered once before she went off and held.  
After that, we had to be very careful to try her as early as possible because she was only ever in for a short while each time.  If we got the timing right, she always held but it was hard pushing home to the scanning vets who should know better than you that they had to be early with her, they'd keep saying give it another day but that would be too late.  One year, she was ready for covering (AI) just five days after an easy foaling, that caught us out as by the time we had the semen 36 hours later she had gone off completely and that year put me off having to send away for semen completely, it was so frustrating - and expensive, £1200 down the drain and no foal to show for it.  
The majority of mares aren't so crucial with their timing arrangements but it is trial and error to get it right.


----------



## FfionWinnie (27 June 2016)

Thanks guys. That's all very helpful. She will be trailered back and forth rather than ridden but she's a good traveller and calm so think that will be ok. 

Fiona it's my Welsh D. It's something I was considering more for the future but since I've had my accident and won't be jumping or doing much with her probably for the rest of this year, it seemed like as good a time as any if I am going to do it.  It also fits in time wise with my daughter's planned take over bid of my coloured cob as well. 

I will be using an ID and hoping to get something a bit bigger, stockier and a little less prancy from the cross . I think it's a nice sports horse cross and beginners luck might get me a very pleasant horse, perhaps the last one I will need (scary thought!). However, if it's as super charged and "Welsh" as her, my daughter will be able to ride it by the time it's ready to ride!


----------



## cundlegreen (27 June 2016)

Agree totally with the scan, but take her there at least a week before she's due to come into season. Mares need time to settle in, be happy and accepting of the stallion before you get to the covering part. That's what I advise anybody who brings a mare here, and I've always got them in foal. You can force a mare, but are unlikely to get a result that way. I've never had to twitch a mare here, just lots of teasing and wait until they are completely happy. Maidens are a funny lot!


----------



## FfionWinnie (27 June 2016)

Trouble is if I take her off my place, bringing her back is a risk due to living in an EGS hotspot. I've lost two, one of those had been here for a year then away for a winter and when he came back died shortly after returning. I'd rather risk no foal than no mare or foal. Of course I could just buy in a youngster but that is even more of a risk so it is always a bit of a balancing act as to what I dare do. I might, if lucky, never see it again, but no one can say.  The fact the stud said I could just bring her to be covered rather than stay there seemed like a good choice in my situation but I realise it's not ideal.


----------



## Clodagh (27 June 2016)

If she is calm and easy I am sure you will be fine. Good luck and what fun!


----------



## PorkChop (27 June 2016)

I personally would have her AI'd at home if you don't want to leave her at the stud.

You could be lucky and she could take to it like a pro, however taking her every other the day to the stud for covering is not going to give you the best chance imho.


----------



## FfionWinnie (24 July 2016)

Well the vet held me up by being on holiday, then she took the swab with the wrong type of swab and didn't tell me for a week so we had to do it again then wait for the result however have now got her clean certificate. 

With all the delays I've decided I will have to take her and leave her at the stud so she should be going this week I hope. 

What is considered too late to cover her?  The mare (Welsh D) and potential foal (ID x) will winter outside with shelter.

Is it worth getting her scanned tomorrow then take her to the stud or just get her to the stud asap?  They will tease her every other day and she will be out on grass by herself the rest of the time.


----------



## crabbymare (24 July 2016)

this time of year I would consider getting her scanned and talk to the vet about giving her pgf to short cycle her if the scan results would allow it. that should bring her in season in a few days and by the time she gets to the stud and is settled she should be ready to be covered and close to ovulation. if she takes first time she should then foal around the end of june and if the foal is as hardy as it sounds like it will be then with shelter and good hay they should be ok living out for the winter. as the foal will be 5 months (the earliest I personally would consider weaning) in november then personally I would leave the foal on the mare until the following spring and wean then which would make them likely to come through the winter very much more easily


----------



## FfionWinnie (24 July 2016)

Yes thanks, I would be running the foal with the mare all winter on adlib hay and reasonably grassy field. 

I will speak to the vet tomorrow then about that, thank you!


----------



## FfionWinnie (26 July 2016)

Scanned today and two follicles at 35mm. Vet thinks she will be in season in 2-7 days so I took her to the stud tonight. We tried her with the stallion and the owner reckons it won't be long til she is in.  So fingers crossed!

Typical cob she was more interested in sampling their hay than their stallion


----------



## crabbymare (26 July 2016)

that sounds like perfect timing


----------



## FfionWinnie (26 July 2016)

crabbymare said:



			that sounds like perfect timing 

Click to expand...

Amazing given all the false starts!  Fingers crossed she's home soon and in foal. Stallion owner commented that I could get something rather nice from the x


----------

