Tried to look for a previous thread on this but couldn’t find one. What success have other breeders had breeding on the foal heat? We have two mares due to foal end of May; breeding on the foal heat (for both) would be ideal as we’ll only be starting to breed end of June if we wait for the first true heat. It would be nice to get going earlier, especially since one of the mares is 19 this year.
Experiences/suggestions/words of encouragement (or discouragement) are welcome.
I’ve never been a fan as that is the cycle that allows them to “clean themselves out” so to speak. Let them get past that and short cycle them instead.
I agree with Vabred. It seems like even if you do get them in foal on the foal heat that they don’t carry to term. Better to wait and short cycle.
You can still move back the due date by more than a week if you short cycle and breed on first cycle.
I bred to Ralando last year on foal heat with my 14 year old mare. She took and is due mid March.
So all good on my side, but this is my only experience with it.
I have a VERY fertile mare who has had 11 foals, all conceived on the first cycle and I’d say that 1/3 of them were on the foal heat (mostly frozen semen). I tried the foal heat again this year with fresh and she didn’t get pregnant, for the first time ever. Short cycled her and bred again and she was pregnant. I may be done trying the foal heat with her.
The traits that I felt made her a good candidate for foal heat breedings were: 1) She always has smaller foals and never gets very big while pregnant. 2) She lies down and pops the foal out and about an hour later, you would never know she had foaled. No swelling, nothing! 3) She is not a prolific milker, so her body is not very taxed by lactation. 4) She’s very fertile in general.
We have never had much luck breeding on a foal heat. I don’t bother anymore. We breed TBs so the early they get in foal the better. If they don’t catch on a foal heat you end up loosing X amount more days. Not worth the risk.
A lot of Kentucky Stud farms wont’ book a mare on her foal heat especially to a popular stallion. They consider it a wasted cover and unnecessary extra work for the stallion.
Totally agree. First (and last) time I bred on foal heat the problem wasn’t getting the mare in foal, it was a red bag delivery. Turned out ok with my “escape specialist” Harry Houdini (self-named b/c of the danger associated w/red bag delivery) but was so nerve-wracking I’ve never done it again. In fact, if my mares foal late in the year, I’ll give them the year off rather than breed on foal heat. (Given the extreme heat we can get as early as late April/early May in TX, ideally like mine on the ground by 3rd week in March).
Totally agree w/Vabred. First (and last) time I bred on foal heat the problem wasn’t getting the mare in foal, it was a red bag delivery. Turned out ok with my “escape specialist” Harry Houdini (self-named b/c of the danger associated w/red bag delivery) but was so nerve-wracking I’ve never done it again. In fact, if my mares foal late in the year, I’ll give them the year off rather than breed on foal heat. (Given the extreme heat we can get as early as late April/early May in TX, ideally like mine on the ground by 3rd week in March).
[QUOTE=TwinGates;7428127]
Totally agree w/Vabred. First (and last) time I bred on foal heat the problem wasn’t getting the mare in foal, it was a red bag delivery. Turned out ok with my “escape specialist” Harry Houdini (self-named b/c of the danger associated w/red bag delivery) but was so nerve-wracking I’ve never done it again. In fact, if my mares foal late in the year, I’ll give them the year off rather than breed on foal heat. (Given the extreme heat we can get as early as late April/early May in TX, ideally like mine on the ground by 3rd week in March).[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have any evidence or educated guesses as to how foal heat breeding would be correlated with delivery complications? Either way, it sounds like short cycling is probably the way to go.
I think like most things you have to make assessments for each individual situation. I bred my 17 yr old mare on her foal heat and she caught. I was suprised, she carried and foaled out just fine.
You have to assess your mare after she has foaled to determine whether she would be a good candidate. If she cycles quickly 4-5 days after foaling I would avoid it. Some mares will cycle up to 7 days or longer, and tighten up quick, these types are more likely to succeed. If your mare has a difficult pregnancy and there is any swelling, or damage I would NOT breed on the foal heat. If your mare’s physical appearance is less than ideal I would not breed on the foal heat. I personally wouldn’t breed frozen on foal heat. (but I have had crummy luck with frozen at the best of times)
So if your mare is a fertile mertile, she has a smooth easy delivery with no tearing or damage to cervix, vagina, or vulvar lips, she is healthy then IMO there is just as good a chance for her to conceive.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;7425098]
It seems like even if you do get them in foal on the foal heat that they don’t carry to term. Better to wait and short cycle.[/QUOTE]
Nearly every year we’ve ever re-bred one of our mares, it’s been on a foal heat. Every year, we have healthy, full term foals. 
There are three key things though, that determine whether you can successfully breed on a foal heat (as noted by many repro specialists):
Equine-Reproduction.com’s article discusses the three points above. https://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/foalheat.htm
[QUOTE=Daventry;7439101]
Nearly every year we’ve ever re-bred one of our mares, it’s been on a foal heat. Every year, we have healthy, full term foals. There are three key things though, that determine whether you can successfully breed on a foal heat (as noted by many repro specialists):
Equine-Reproduction.com’s article discusses the three points above. https://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/foalheat.htm[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the link, Daventry!
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