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Subject: some experiences Author: Mandi [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 18:53:08 02/08/02 Fri Author Host/IP: 63.15.99.19 Julia, I have to say that while I do agree that much of the temperament does have to do with a mare that you can have the sweetest mare in the world and breed her with a nasty stallion, the foal usually is not as bad as the stallion but not nice as the mare. There are times I think people need to be shot with the stallions that they keep for breeding. One stallion that I have been around, I won't get within 15 feet of as he will try to kill you if he can. I know one of his previous owners and she said that he once tried to attack her son and he was lucky to get out of the pen alive. Some people bought him (they knew full well what he was like as they owned part interest in him) and he ended up breaking the one guy's ribs when he attacked him. Despite this they continue to bred him to mares, including outside mares and the dispositions of the foals is not much better than the stallion's. This I have to say is a complete shame as it gives Arabs a bad name to have that sort of temperament. All of his foals that I have been around have such horrible temperaments and his owners seem to think that this is normal and the way horses are supposed to be. Now I could understand this if they had never been around any other type of horses but they have been. They own 4 full siblings that are different from the other horses as night and day. All of them have some of gentlest dispositions you could ever wish for. The sad part is that it's these ones that get neglected. I would agree with you and the breeding manager that you mentioned that it's best not to bred a mare on a foaling heat. I have seen several times that they seem more prone to aborting the foal if bred then. I remember the first time my mare foaled. She choose to foal at 1:30 am about 2 weeks late. Then the foal was twisted so that he wasn't coming out right. Luckily I had her at the breeding farm where I had bought her from and people were around who knew what to do. They pulled him out. The second time she foaled it went smoothly and she was nice enough to foal at 8pm so I wasn't even asleep yet. She was 20 when she had her last foal, which makes me wish I could have bred her again. Oh well. She was one of those exceptional broodmares that produced better than herself, at least in the 4 foals of her's that I have seen. I hope that her daughter that I have will do the same. Lorelei was always kinda a surprise. Her sire was known for siring horses that were always about 15 hands or taller. Not her. She was probably 14 hands maybe 14.1 if you pushed it. She was stocky and muscular but with these stick thin legs that looked like they would break any moment. Despite this she only went lame once in the 5 years I owned her. It was also interesting to find out that her dam had had 10 foals and out of all of them she was the only chestnut. It was even funnier knowing that her sire was a bay and her dam a grey, one of those things that isn't supposed to happen but does. Despite her short size, two of the offspring that I know were 15 hands or over. The one we will never know how tall he was going to be as he had to be put down at 9 weeks old. My bratty horse had to decide that she wasn't going to quite reach that 15 hand mark and is staying stubbornly at 14.3. I rode her all the way through both pregnancies, not hard but took her trail riding and everything. The one I rode her up until 3 days before she foaled and the other one up until the day before. She loved to be exercised and would rather be doing something rather than just standing around being pregnant. She couldn't wait for the last one to be weaned. She had this attitude that she knew she should be worried about the foal but she was so grateful to be away from her that she didn't seem to care. My mom's mare got stuck baby-sitting her after she was weaned and taught her how to escape. I think she did it just to get rid of her. The funny thing is that even now six years later, she still obeys my mom's mare eventhough she bosses other horses around. My mom's mare had five foals but only 3 are living as at one point she produced twins, but they didn't make it. The one son is so much like her it is unbelievable. He is actually half-Saddlbred. He doesn't look it at all. The other two I have never seen but I can tell you that I wish that the mare had a different sire as I would find her and buy her if she did. I don't care for the majority of Polish breeding, especially if the horse traces to Bask. Okay now on to some more questions. Would you breed a mare to a stallion that was not your own and have never produced a foal? Have you ever worked with mares that were bred as 2 year olds? Do you think that this causes too many problems? (I'm asking as I have worked with two of them and they both were torn up when they did foal and were basket cases afterwards.) Do you breed your mares yearly or do you give them time off in between foals? What do you find the most rewarding part of working with horses? What do you think of alternative treatments for horses (chiropractic, acupuncture, etc)? Have you ever had any done on any of your horses? What did you think of it, if you did? Well as much as I hate to I have to run. Mandi [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

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[> Subject: Re: some experiences Author: Julia [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 05:33:08 02/09/02 Sat Author Host/IP: 155.229.58.124 Hi Mandi, I don't like bad tempered stallions either!! And maybe that is the reason I like Pete so much... he is so very laid back and calm about everything. The only time he gets upset is if he thinks he is not getting his share of your attention...and that is all of your attention if he sees you, lol...or if he thinks he has been unfairly disciplined. He will pout if things are not going as good as he thinks they should..:) >Would you breed a mare to a stallion that was not your >own and have never produced a foal? Yes!, but with the reserve that its a one-time shot unless I get a really good foal! Pete has actually only got one foal on the ground right now, 2 more on the way, and I bought him even knowing his first foal, a huge filly had size and everything nice except temperament, was not one of my favorite arabians. I am waiting on 2, and am going to breed my mares to him this year. He is a young stallion who did not get a lot of breedings because he was in the same farm with Imperial Imdal and Hadaya El Tareef... hard to compete with that :) But he has everything I wanted... so he is mine and we will go for it :) >Have you ever worked with mares that were bred as 2 >year olds? I have seen one or two, never worked with any tho... >Do you think that this causes too many problems? (I'm >asking as I have worked with two of them and they both >were torn up when they did foal and were basket cases >afterwards.) I think the mare is not grown yet, and at least breeding at 3 gives her time to get most of her growth...I would not breed a 2 yr old... my 2 yr old filly is in no way ready to carry a foal and be a mother... >Do you breed your mares yearly or do you give them >time off in between foals? Yearly, because I have heard that giving older mares a rest might slow down them conceiving again.. and 2 or my 3 mares are 18+. >What do you find the most rewarding part of working >with horses? Gosh..that would take a book... they are wonderful creatures and lots of fun to watch them run and play, and the babies are adorable :) I love what I do...and have waited a lifetime to have what I have... so they are a dream come true!! >What do you think of alternative treatments for horses >(chiropractic, acupuncture, etc)? I used to not think about it at all... till I had a herbalist lady help a mare of mine that had a bad cough.. who also does chiropractic work, etc. I just had a horse orthodontist to Pete, and did him a world of good in his mouth too... so my opinion has changed for the better in a big way! >Have you ever had any done on any of your horses? See above... I am very pleased!! The coughing mare almost never coughs, the stallion's mouth is much better, etc. >Well as much as I hate to I have to run. >Mandi Talk with you again soon :) Julia [ Post a Reply to This Message ]