Is the 30 day heat set in stone or is it like all other heats ie: mare dependent, so start checking a good week before?
TIA
Well, I had a mare this year, foaled normally and went normally on her foal heat. I brought her to the vet’s clinic at day 26 so I can breed her on the “30 day heat” plus or minus couple of days (mares aren’t that precise)… No heat at all!! Didn’t went into heat neither, happens she had an anovuatory follicle, and she’s at the vet for 2 weeks now, trying to get rid of this persistent follicle. She is not getting back to heat.
So… things can happens to make the 30 day heat rule go wrong.
Nope not set in stone…depends on when foal heat cycle started up…have had some mares going into foal heat as early as 4 days post delivery and others as late as 10-11 days (and one that failed for years to show any signs of foal heat but you could set your watch with her 30 day!..and she was penned right next to the stallion who she loved and even he never showed interest until that 30 day!). I start teasing (or at least carefully watching and smelling) at about 24-25 days post delivery (if I didn’t breed on foal heat) and go through about a week to 10 days of teasing so I have a good chance of catching her…second cycle (“30 day”) is like others…usually 21 days from first day of foal heat cycle but not all mares read the book on that either…some start showing at 20 days after the first cycle starts while others dawdle along until 23-24 days before showing. Nice having well behaved stallions around as the girls tend to talk to them before showing much to me (and one or two of my mares are pretty close to “silent heat” types…flaming “breed me NOW” is a single wink and a dribble).
Thanks!
[QUOTE=Molly Malone;5647117]
Is the 30 day heat set in stone or is it like all other heats ie: mare dependent, so start checking a good week before?
TIA[/QUOTE]
It’ll be approximately 21 days from her foal heat, give or take a day or two :D!
So, if she ovulates early on like day 6, she’ll come into estrus around day 21 or 22…or if she ovulates late like day 12…she’ll come in around day 27. Don’t ya just LOVE breeding horses???
Not really, no. :lol::lol::lol::lol:
but I’m addicted.
[QUOTE=Molly Malone;5647117]
Is the 30 day heat set in stone or is it like all other heats ie: mare dependent, so start checking a good week before?
TIA[/QUOTE]
Probably not an issue at this time of year but have foaled out mares in Jan and had them do a foal heat and then not cycle again until mid to late March (presumably due to short daylight hours…I have mares outside and no artificial light).
[QUOTE=coloredcowhorse;5647562]
Probably not an issue at this time of year but have foaled out mares in Jan and had them do a foal heat and then not cycle again until mid to late March (presumably due to short daylight hours…I have mares outside and no artificial light).[/QUOTE]
Yup…that’s an issue with mares that foal in the “winter”. They just go right from foal heat to winter anestrus unless you keep them under lights, as well.
My vet recommends checking them around 23 days or so post foaling. I have had some ready to breed on day 24 and others needing a bit more time. 30 days is just a ‘guideline’ I think.
I have checked at day 27 every year except when it was a weekend call, and I have never missed a mare.
Tim
My mare Ditana has been bred on her the 30 day heat the last two years. Last year she ovulated “Day 26” post foaling. This year she ovulated Day 26 again.
She went to my reprovet’s with another young mare who was bred day 33 post-foaling in 2010, and this year ovulated Day 29. (same day - they coordinated their cycles with another of my mares who was bred at home on Saturday, and ovulated yesterday too)
Only one showed signs of heat — so I’m inclined to check about day 24 to 27, depending on the mare.
They keep me on my toes.
[QUOTE=RyTimMick;5647988]
I have checked at day 27 every year except when it was a weekend call, and I have never missed a mare.
Tim[/QUOTE]
My therio. likes to see my mares at her place on day 25 post foaling. She checks them on day 26. I don’t send all my few mares to her, but the ones I have sent have been bred on about day 30. This year the mare I sent was checked on day 26 and had a big diestrus follicle. She reduced that follicle, came into heat, and still was bred around day 30. I didn’t think in a million years she would hold to that timeframe, so my mares must be like RyTimMick’s.:winkgrin:
What is a diestrus follicle?
A mid-cycle follicle. They usually regress, the mare comes into heat, and grows up another follicle. To me, the interesting thing about mid-cycle follicles is that they can ovulate on them, and if you give prostin to a mare sitting on one of those, you get instant heat and ovulation. Ask me how I know that? Fortunately that year I had booked to a local boy, and I actually got the mare bred and in foal. Pure luck.
So we checked on day 24 and she had a whopping 43 x 52 mm follicle ready to breed! Absolutely no chance of getting semen in time. So we will give estrumate next week and check her 5th July…
[QUOTE=Molly Malone;5679703]
So we checked on day 24 and she had a whopping 43 x 52 mm follicle ready to breed! Absolutely no chance of getting semen in time. So we will give estrumate next week and check her 5th July…[/QUOTE]
Breeding can give one such a headache.:yes: A surprising enormous follicle makes one glad you either booked to the stallion next door or else have frozen semen hanging about.
NOTHING is set in stone for mares. I missed ovulation by one day this year in one of my mares on the 30 day heat.
She’d showed strong heat for her foal heat, then nothing for the 30 day heat. But when we checked her (per calender) she was within 12 hrs. of ovulation. Too late to get semen. Grrrrrr
It will cost you more in ultrasounds & vet checks, but in my experience it’s ALWAYS better to check early than late…
