Heat after foal is born?

[iJump]

I have a mare with a foal due in July. If possible I would like to rebreed her for the following year.

What are the chances that she will come into heat soon after her foal is born?

I’m newer at the breeding thing, I only have one homebred on the ground and I didn’t rebreed right after that one.

[Scribbler]

Mares typically go into heat about a month after the foal is born. This can also give the foal diarrhea from the changes to the mare’s milk when she is in heat. Look up “foal heat.”

[risingstarfarm]

Mares typically go back into “foal heat” anywhere from 7 to 10 or so days following delivery. As a rule of thumb, it’s not worth breeding on the foal heat unless the mare waits about 10 days post delivery. Anything earlier and the uterus isn’t really ready for implantation of a subsequent pregnancy. The next heat is generally about 30 days post delivery.

[Scribbler]

Ah OK I stand corrected on the foal heat timeline!

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

@risingstarfarm

Mares typically go back into “foal heat” anywhere from 7 to 10 or so days following delivery. As a rule of thumb, it’s not worth breeding on the foal heat unless the mare waits about 10 days post delivery. Anything earlier and the uterus isn’t really ready for implantation of a subsequent pregnancy. The next heat is generally about 30 days post delivery.

This!

[candyappy]

You also want to give her a bit of time before rebreeding. It takes a lot out of her with the 11 months of pregnancy, foaling and then nursing etc… Wait a heat or 2 before trying again.

[gumtree]

@risingstarfarm

Mares typically go back into “foal heat” anywhere from 7 to 10 or so days following delivery. As a rule of thumb, it’s not worth breeding on the foal heat unless the mare waits about 10 days post delivery. Anything earlier and the uterus isn’t really ready for implantation of a subsequent pregnancy. The next heat is generally about 30 days post delivery.

Exactly. I only bred TBs where it is important to get them back in foal asap. Never had much luck breeding on a foal heat. We just let them go though and then short cycle.

Most if not all big TB stallion farms, esp in KY won’t let you breed on a foal heat. Waste of a cover, esp on stallion’s with a full book. Stats are kept on how many repeat covers that a stallion had in any given season. Mare owners like to see a low number. Not really fair to the stallion. Repeat covers are usually the mare’s and or the mare owner’s fault.

[NancyM]

It takes less time to wait for the 30 day heat than to try to rebreed on the foal heat, fail, and have to clean the mare up before attempting to rebreed. Let the foal heat clean the mare up, let the reproductive system snap back into shape, regain it’s composure, by waiting for the 30 day heat. More likely to catch on the 30 day heat.

If you are not breeding racehorses, a late foal is not a problem.

[Daventry]

For what it’s worth, we almost always breed on foal heat and have had great success in doing so over the years. There are four key factors that need to be considered before deciding to breed a mare on foal heat:

1. Ovulation should not occur any earlier than Day 10.
2. The mare must have had an easy foaling with no dystocia, bruising or tearing.
3. A healthy looking placenta.
4. No abnormal discharge by Day 7.

For most mares, I believe foal heat occurs anywhere from Day 6 to Day 14 post-foaling. We start ultrasounding on Day 9 and go from there. As long as the above four factors are good, we will go ahead and breed. If any of the above four factors are present, we always wait until the mare has her next regular heat cycle. If the above four factors are not taken into consideration, the success rate of breeding on foal heat decreases.

[iJump]

Thanks for all the info. I didn’t think about short cycling!

I like babies born earlier in the year because my mare is somewhere that it’s cold and damp from the fall onward. Would like to have them on the ground for a bit before the cool weather sets in.

[gumtree]

@Daventry

For what it’s worth, we almost always breed on foal heat and have had great success in doing so over the years. There are four key factors that need to be considered before deciding to breed a mare on foal heat:

1. Ovulation should not occur any earlier than Day 10.
2. The mare must have had an easy foaling with no dystocia, bruising or tearing.
3. A healthy looking placenta.
4. No abnormal discharge by Day 7.

For most mares, I believe foal heat occurs anywhere from Day 6 to Day 14 post-foaling. We start ultrasounding on Day 9 and go from there. As long as the above four factors are good, we will go ahead and breed. If any of the above four factors are present, we always wait until the mare has her next regular heat cycle. If the above four factors are not taken into consideration, the success rate of breeding on foal heat decreases.

I assume you are breeding AI? If so you should qualify your experience giving a bit more detail. Are you collecting from your own stallion or one in your area? If not fresh or frozen? How many mare are you breeding in any given season?

All of your points are a given even if not intending on breed on the mare’s foal heat. Other then #1 which none of the mares I manages, as many as 30+ foaling mares ever went into foal earlier than 10 days. If any of the mares the other 3 points we knew were would be up against on their “normal” cycle. A lot of the times we would let them go through this cycle and then short. Can add almost 2 months at times. But the success rate was much better. Beats taking a chance of going more than 3 months getting them in foal very late for a TB. Late May esp June covers for any mare intended on selling are heavily discounted in the the TB market.

The KY vets I work with, talk to are some of the best repro vets there are in the world. The majority of the most valuable mares and stallions in the world bar none are in Lexington. They are under a lot of pressure to get mares in foal. They are paid very well for this. All the major clinics keep extensive records going back decades. The odds are very low getting a mare in foal on a foal heat. But there are always exceptions. Well done.

[BeeHoney]

I’m with gumtree here… generally speaking, it’s best to avoid re-breeding on the foal heat. For a person new to breeding with one mare, your wisest bet would be to NOT waste time and money trying to rebreed on the foal heat.

[tanderson]

@Daventry

For what it’s worth, we almost always breed on foal heat and have had great success in doing so over the years. There are four key factors that need to be considered before deciding to breed a mare on foal heat:

1. Ovulation should not occur any earlier than Day 10.
2. The mare must have had an easy foaling with no dystocia, bruising or tearing.
3. A healthy looking placenta.
4. No abnormal discharge by Day 7.

For most mares, I believe foal heat occurs anywhere from Day 6 to Day 14 post-foaling. We start ultrasounding on Day 9 and go from there. As long as the above four factors are good, we will go ahead and breed. If any of the above four factors are present, we always wait until the mare has her next regular heat cycle. If the above four factors are not taken into consideration, the success rate of breeding on foal heat decreases.

This! I always have the greatest success on foal heat! Especially with silent mares, which most of mine are with a foal at foot. Except I have the vet out at day 8 to ultrasound, to give time to order semen.

[Sugarbrook]

Interesting!!! I must be doing something wrong all these years.