Breeding horses is an exciting and rewarding endeavor, but it requires careful planning, expertise, and commitment. Whether you’re looking to produce a top-class performance horse, continue a cherished bloodline, or breed a single foal from your mare, ensuring the health and welfare of both the mare and foal should be the top priority.
Successful horse breeding involves much more than selecting a stallion and waiting for a foal. It requires financial investment, time, and expert veterinary support to maximise the chances of a safe pregnancy, healthy foaling, and a thriving foal. From fertility evaluations and artificial insemination (AI) to pregnancy monitoring and foaling assistance, veterinary care plays a crucial role at every stage of the process.
This guide will walk you through the key aspects of breeding horses, including important considerations before breeding, caring for the pregnant mare, foaling and newborn care, potential complications, and how veterinary support can make the process smoother and more successful. Whether you're a first-time breeder or an experienced horse owner, this resource will help you make informed decisions and understand the essential role that veterinary expertise plays in equine reproduction.
This guide will start by looking at the key factors to consider before breeding your horse.
Breeding from your mare can be an exciting prospect, and it can be hugely rewarding. However, there are several important considerations that you should take into account before you get started. As well as the financial costs of breeding a horse, you will need to think about the time commitment and any potential unexpected costs or complications.
The costs of breeding a horse can vary depending on several factors. For example, stud and artificial insemination (AI) fees will depend on your chosen stallion and whether you opt for a natural covering, frozen semen or chilled semen. The reliability of each method also varies, so you may need to invest in several cycles before your mare conceives.
You will also need to consider the costs of managing your pregnant mare. Whilst in foal, your mare will require vaccinations, routine check-ups, transport to and from the stud and / or your vet practice, dentistry, farrier appointments and specialist feed and supplements.
When your mare goes into labour, you will need to call your vet out to check on the mare and the newborn foal. Again, you can incur unforeseen costs for emergency veterinary treatment during or after foaling.
Breeding your mare will also require you to invest time and energy into caring for your mare and the foal. As well as caring for your mare whilst she is in foal, you will need to find the time to care for the newborn foal. Furthermore, the foal will require handling and training from a young age, so that it becomes acclimatised to being handled, travelling, the farrier and the vet. You may need to invest in working with a specialist.
Before breeding from your mare, you should think about whether she will pass on good qualities to the foal. Physical health, as well as behaviour and temperament, can be passed from the mare to the foal. Breeding from a mare because she can’t be ridden due to poor health or behavioural issues is not necessarily a wise thing to do.
Genetic diseases are another key consideration. You should always aim to avoid breeding from horses that carry genetic diseases, such as Hoof Wall Separation Disease. These diseases are a welfare issue, and they can also bar a horse from being registered with the relevant studbook, which is an important consideration if you intend to show or sell the foal.
Ensuring the health and well-being of a pregnant mare is essential for a successful pregnancy and a strong, healthy foal. From regular veterinary check-ups to proper nutrition and foaling preparation, careful management throughout the 11-month gestation period can help prevent complications and support both the mare and her developing foal.
Regular veterinary care is crucial to monitor the progress of the pregnancy and detect any potential issues early.
Key Milestones:
Pregnant mares require a carefully planned vaccination and worming schedule to protect both themselves and their unborn foals:
A mare’s dietary requirements change throughout pregnancy, and ensuring proper nutrition is key to supporting fetal development and maintaining the mare’s condition.
Most mares can be maintained on a high-quality forage-based diet that includes the right vitamins and minerals. As the foal grows, the mare will require increased protein, energy, and mineral intake. Finally, ensuring the mare is properly hydrated and has the right electrolyte balance is key for lactation.
Ensuring that your mare maintains a healthy weight throughout the pregnancy is also important. Avoid overfeeding, as obesity can lead to foaling complications. Ensure good-quality hay and access to grazing for steady weight maintenance. Provide additional calories through fat sources rather than excessive grains to reduce the risk of metabolic issues.
You can find out more about the stages of equine foetal development and gestation in our guide.
As the due date approaches, preparing a safe and comfortable foaling environment is essential for a smooth birth.
Knowing exactly when your mare is going to foal is very difficult. It is not uncommon for owners to monitor their mares constantly for weeks, only for them to foal very quickly when the owner isn’t looking!
Mares exhibit physical and behavioral changes as they near foaling:
For more information on the signs of imminent foaling, check out our guide.
Ensure the mare is comfortable, stress-free, and in good health. Keep a foaling kit ready, including clean towels, disinfectant, umbilical dip (chlorhexidine or iodine), gloves, and your vet’s emergency contact details. Foaling can happen quickly, so you may want to set up camera monitoring.
The first few hours of a foal’s life are crucial for its long-term health. The "1-2-3 Rule" is a useful guideline:
Whilst most foals are born healthy with no complications, some do require veterinary intervention. These complications may occur during or immediately after foaling, or they may be identified as part of routine veterinary check-ups during pregnancy or after foaling
Common breeding complications in horses can include:
Some of these complications are veterinary emergencies. In the event of any of the below, call your vet immediately:
One more example of a complication that can occur is a flexural limb deformity. This is when the tendons in the foals legs are either too tight or too lax. In severe cases the foal may not be able to stand. In less severe cases the foal may stand on tip toes (in the case of contracted tendons) or the fetlock may drop all the way to the floor (in the case of tendon laxity). Often a flexural limb deformity can be treated successfully when detected early. Read our case study to see how we helped a client’s newborn foal with a flexural limb deformity.
Breeding horses can be a complicated and sometimes challenging process, so our equine vets are here to help. From the initial conversations about how and whether to put your mare in foal, to care of the newborn foal, you will have a trusted, dedicated and experienced stud vet on-hand.
Avonvale Equine Vet Practice offers a range of equine reproduction services, including artificial insemination (AI). Whether you are a performance horse breeder or just want a foal from your mare, our experienced stud vets can help you. We work with horse breeders of all sizes, from thoroughbred stud farms to individual horse owners.
Call us on 01295 670 501 if you have any questions or would like to speak to an experienced stud vet.
