Acottongim, I am actually almost smach in the middle of north florida. Panhandle is a little far but I would still do it if my mare traveled well, she is very nervous and I am not risking the foal. I can wait, it will be hard but show season is starting soon so that will help occupy me. My mare is getting pampered beyond her belief, lol! She came from a typical broodie farm to where she is the only mare so she has even beaten my boys out in attention! I introduced her to cookies and butt scratches, she has her check list that I have to do before she will go out. Five minutes of scratching each side of butt, inner thighs and behind the ears, then she wants a cookie and then happily goes out to pasture! She has me well trained:lol:
Kathleen, I’m so sorry. I was really hoping hard for you.
I don’t breathe until the 60-65 day check. But that’s just me, i realize it’s probably only because i’ve had a healthy mare abort between the 30 and 60 day checks. Once that good-sized, 60-day healthy fetus is there i usually relax (to a point) until foaling. :lol:
Best of luck with your embryo flush, Suzanne. I’ll be thinking of you.
Kathleen, sometimes I think the mares just need time off. Winnie went two years - her choice, not mine, without a pregnancy. Then she got pregnant, took another year off, and now is pregnant again. As they get older, sometimes it becomes more difficult. With Winnie, we bred her early (a day or two prior to ovulation) with fresh cooled, and did the Oxytocin protocol - nothing else. And . . . this last breeding we only used 1/3 dose. That was purely by accident. The syringe was defective. The SO, my vet, and I never noticed the defect prior to breeding - it was hard to see, but enough to break the seal of the plunger. Only when the vet started inseminating, the semen was on the floor!! We stopped, and transferred the remainder of the syringe into a new syringe and that is all the mare got. Sometimes less is more. I really didn’t hold much hope that we would be successful.
[QUOTE=Sunnydays;5764407]
Well, I’m a little blue today. Espinette is not pregnant, after 4 tries this year (and 2 unsuccessful last year).
We pulled out all the stops, and the SO was, as always, helpful and encouraging, but Ellie has me and the vets stymied.
I know, sometimes it just happens this way, but disappointing nonetheless.
Best to just focus on the coming foals for 2012, and hi ope for safe landings.[/QUOTE]
I’m sorry Kathleen that really sucks. I hope she takes for you next year, as she’s a very nice mare! It’s just one of those years I think. My Donnerhall mare has not taken twice now with two different frozen stallions…bad year for breeding 
Kate, Michelle and Martha - thank you for your empathy, which I realize has its foundation in experience.
I recognize the temptation to want to “explain” why for everything … guess I need to become more zen-like, and able to go with the flow. 
Are any of you folks with the difficult mares using Immunall? I have heard some good things about it from friends who have used it on their “hard to catch” or “every other year” mares.
[QUOTE=Sunnydays;5764407]
Well, I’m a little blue today. Espinette is not pregnant, after 4 tries this year (and 2 unsuccessful last year).
We pulled out all the stops, and the SO was, as always, helpful and encouraging, but Ellie has me and the vets stymied.
I know, sometimes it just happens this way, but disappointing nonetheless.
Best to just focus on the coming foals for 2012, and hi ope for safe landings.[/QUOTE]
Bummer about Espinette Kathleen You have some really nice ones due for 2012 
As far as the Immunall, Cheryl from Hidden Acres uses it. She had all four of her mares take 1st try this year…I am buying that liquid gold for next year! Heck, I would swing crystals and dance naked around my mares if it would help!!!
I used the immunall, after the third try this year I was kinda getting to where I would try anything. I put her on it, didn’t even have the full two weeks and we re-bred and she took, and took with only one dose! Didn’t even get to do the second straw. After that I put everyone in my barn on it and holy moly that stuff is liquid gold! The nOcd is even better for any horse that has a lamness issue! My results are to much to list here if you want to pm me. Fully recommend especially for the price comes out way cheaper than all the vet bills and all the other supplements.
Ditto that, dressagedevon.
I will never breed again without Immunall. It is AWESOME stuff. :yes:
Please keep your fingers crossed for me. We just bred my two final mares for this year this morning.
My Cabaret Holsteiner mare has had a problem with fluid retention. I’ve switched vets (midstream) and I think we have done everything we can this time.
I had her on Immunal earlier without luck, but she is back on it too.
My pinto Dutch WBX TB mare who just came to me (she had a performance injury) was also bred this morning…she looks good.
I NEVER breed this late, but I thought I would give it one more try.
Good luck to everyone and huge hugs and sympathy to those who missed this year…
I tried Immunal last year on my older mare who had a foal by her side. After three tries, nada. Didn’t use it this year. . . still took three tries, but I have a pregnancy.
I have heard great things about Immunal, but I find for my older mare who is getting harder to catch, the best thing is putting her back to work to strengthen her dorsal muscles. That helps with the uterine clearing issues.
I’m going to hop on here as a nervous newbie breeder. Any encouragement (or hand holding) will be very welcome!
I bred my (Art Deco) former Prelim mare to Escudo II 3 weeks ago (used the most excellent ERC in Amissville VA., thanks to recommendations from COTHers on this forum :)), and she didn’t take. 13 year old maiden, in otherwise excellent, robust health, culture and cytology were done at ERC (they had a heck of a time determining where she was in her cycle, initially, since she had a huge follicle but no other indications that she was in season. She shows estrus to ONE old gelding at the boarding facility, but this is her “boyfriend”. She is turned out with him and one other geldings, is a HUGE Alpha Bossy Beeyotch Queen of Her Field, and has contempt for ALL Other Horses.) Anyway, they had to prosten her, and she came into season, finally (at least on ultrasound), despite turning her nose up at all 3 teaser stallions–she is a persnickity thing. She had good uterine edema, etc., all the signs were there, but she would NOT ovulate.
(I didn’t realize control freak tendencies could extend to reproductive receptivity :rolleyes: :lol:)
They gave her an inducer, finally (she wound up being there for 10 days), and ordered semen, inseminated her (they had inseminated her prior to this, based on the huge follicle she was growing that she didn’t ovulate from, hence the need for the inducing agent.) E2’s semen is apparently “as good as it gets”, even shipped from CA to VA, 45-50! :eek: I have had the opportunity to speak to Edgar several times, what a delightful gentleman, incredibly helpful and supportive, and a pleasure to do business with! He has bent over backwards to help with all of this, and clearly has a passion for his work, for horses, and for what he does, much like Gail
Anyway, I ordered some Immunall at the beginning of last week, but Paypal blocked my order (I have an account with them, but don’t use them after a bad experience with them, years ago); I had the outright GALL to attempt to use VISA instead!), so the order didn’t go through. Edgar helped me out with this, and shipped it out Priority Mail on Sat.
I plan to cancel my Paypal account, and if I am able to reach anyone over the phone (in management) there may be some profanity…
She was checked (open, damn and drat) last Friday, in spite of the fact that they inseminated her the last time 6 hours before she ovulated and again 6 hours after, with this great semen. Perhaps it was the ungodly heat (I was trying NOT to stress her during this precarious time, no riding, no pestering, put her on Regumate 5 days after ovulation, 2 fans in her stall), or the fact that she had just done a Horse Trial a couple of days before going to ERC (just Novice, with a student, she had 9 months off over the summer/winter/fall with a check injury, but was back in full work as of spring), so was relatively fit. I have heard that this can impact fertility…She was NOT thin, though, and not “fit to run Prelim.” (She has now had a full month off.) Fast forward, was coming into season at the check, I left her there, they monitored her, she has continued to show the “signs” of all systems GO, they got the semen in early this afternoon–again, excellent quality (induced her yesterday, she should ovulate overnight, presumably), and will check her for ovulation again tomorrow, and re-breed her with the rest of the sample. The Immunall should have gotten there today, and they will give it to her immediately (too little, too late?), so all I can do is hope. The vet said “you can do EVERYTHING right, but sometimes they don’t read the book”; in my mare’s case, she thinks she WROTE the book, and should be autographing it–along with calling all the shots. sigh
Sorry for the novel. Her dam had 5 foals in 7 years, no problems breeding that I know of (fresh cooled), and she has a full sister who has had two foals on back to back years, no issues. Is this hereditary, and should I consider it a good sign?
Too soon to throw in the towel, but I would REALLY like to get her settled this year, (please whatever Deity!), and I don’t care how late the foal is. Edgar will collect and ship whenever, so it just becomes a financial issue after multiple unsuccessful tries.)
I think I just need a pep talk! :winkgrin:
(The last time I did any breeding it was in the mid 70’s, my parents paid for everything because I was in college. My lovely TB mare, with whom I had done the hunters and evented, resorbed the first year in Sept. after being bred in June, left her at the farm. Next year delivered a healthy colt, the following two years, she aborted at 7 and 9 months, respectively–what a heartbreaker! We had sold her after she had the one foal, so the poor buyer had the worst of this nightmare. Breeding: not for the faint of heart, or pocketbook!)
Yes, I use and swear by immunal, but i follow the program all year round. My mares get the recommended dosage every day, 1 week out of every month and then 3 weeks straight before breeding. The intent is to boast their immunity, get them healthy and optimal condition. I swear by it. The only issues I have had since I started using it was bad semen on one mare. (my fault… not the mare’s).
I also use if if I see my gelding or weanies with snotty nose, or acting colicky, etc. Don’t ask me why but the stuff works! The only thing I have not done yet is drink it myself…and am seriously thinking about it :lol: oh… and no I don’t want to get pregnant… just be healthy:lol:
Okay, just a tiny pep talk. My mare was bred twice this season, because the first time she was bred she held onto a very large follicle for longer than deemed a good idea by my repro. vet after giving her her inducement to ovulate (HCG). Apparently the long pause can do not so good things to a potential conceptus. So, bred with two doses of frozen semen, which seemed to be good, no mare in foal. I took her back and she was rebred, this time ovulating in a timely fashion, and conceived with one dose of frozen semen. So I’m going to hope for you that your mare will do the same, assuming this cycle was better in terms of a timely ovulation.
[QUOTE=clint;5767234]
Okay, just a tiny pep talk. My mare was bred twice this season, because the first time she was bred she held onto a very large follicle for longer than deemed a good idea by my repro. vet after giving her her inducement to ovulate (HCG). Apparently the long pause can do not so good things to a potential conceptus. So, bred with two doses of frozen semen, which seemed to be good, no mare in foal. I took her back and she was rebred, this time ovulating in a timely fashion, and conceived with one dose of frozen semen. So I’m going to hope for you that your mare will do the same, assuming this cycle was better in terms of a timely ovulation.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, clint! Even the tiniest of pep talks, SO very much appreciated, especially for nervous wreck “grandma”, who is dealing with this first timer mare with no repro history. The “holding on to the very large follicle thing”, hopefully won’t happen this time (I think they are being proactive about inducing, after their last experience with her NOT coming into season, even though it had been well over a month since she had previously shown signs of estrus, prior to my taking her there!) The last time she was bred, she had regressed the giant “dummy”? (45) follicle that they thought she was going to ovulate from, and had grown another one, a 35+. That was the one they bred on, since it was the one that she ovulated from after inducement. I’m thinking it’s a GOOD thing that she came into heat on her own this time, exactly 21 days after the last time, and right on schedule? She is notoriously hard to predict, since she represses the signs of estrus most of the time (has for years!) Oy.
I wish I had started her on the Immunal sooner, when it works, it apparently really helps! She is so damned healthy, though, who knew that every little thing can make a difference, reproductively. :sigh:
Last try of the year, third attempt (first with prior owner)…:sigh: Diorella bred back to Benidetto.
[QUOTE=Hiddenacresmi;5767220]
I also use if if I see my gelding or weanies with snotty nose, or acting colicky, etc. Don’t ask me why but the stuff works! The only thing I have not done yet is drink it myself…and am seriously thinking about it :lol: oh… and no I don’t want to get pregnant… just be healthy:lol:[/QUOTE]
have to add to this that I also take it myself! The energy from it is unreal, I feel way better. My dd had a nasty chest cold and for once I actually didn’t come down with it full blast also, I started the immunall after I coul feel my chest getting tight. I figured it would be a good time to start then and it never came on at full strength. All seven of my horses are on it and everyone looks great!
yeah, my blob is still growing at 30 days!!!
Confirmed our second pregnancy yesterday (finally!!). Falen (Feiner Stern) is 18 days in foal to Sir Gregory. The only one of 4 to catch on the first try this year & oddly enough the only one I did not have on Immunall, though I’ve used it successfully in the past…just a weird year I guess…
Next preg check on Friday for Legacy bred to Don Alfredo.
