How old is too old to breed?

Question

im NOT going to breed my horse, i dont want a foal, one horse is enough.

im just seeing, would 16-18 years old be too old for a horse to get pregnant?

now, ill say it one more time, IM NOT GOING TO BREED MY HORSE

Answer 1

A vet would have to determine the health of the mares breeding soundness.  16 to 18 years old is a bit old to be asking a mare to breed, carry, and safely deliver a foal if it is her first one.  

That is like asking a 70 year old women to become pregnant, carry, safely deliver the baby, and still have the energy to look after it.

Unless a mare has been pregnant before and has had multiple foals the old adage holds true for animals too....if you don't use it.....you will lose it.  Tissues don't stretch like they used to, hormones don't quite work right, recovery isn't as fast.

But should a mare find herself pregnant at that age really good nutrition, good exercise, not letting her get too fat, and regular exams by a vet would be advisable.

The oldest mare I have had foal was 26 years old.  This one was her last foal I did not rebreed her and this was her 20th foal and her first for me.  She passed away when she was 28 yrs old and I still miss her and wish I had a 100 more like her.

Answer 2

Not sure if this is supposed to be answered from a moral or technical standpoint. Mares generally lose fertility after age 23 but from a 'moral' standpoint I don't have a clear answer for that. My miniature mare's dam was 36 when she was born. Sire was a showjumping miniature who cleared a four foot fence to get to her. She's 39 now and as far as I know is still cycling (although will not be bred again).

Answer 3

it depends more on whether or not the horse has been bred before. if the mare is a maiden it will be hard to get her to catch  (get pregnant) much past age 15. if she did catch chances are 50/50 that she would not carry the foal to term or she would give birth to a dead foal. now, if the mare has been used as a broodmare from a young age and has no problems carrying or delivering foals, and is in good condition herself 16-18 would be perfectly ok to breed. there are some successful broodmares well into their 20's but personally i wouldnt breed much past age 20, simply becase the poor mare needs at least a few years of just being a horse and getting a break before she dies

Answer 4

For a healthy mare, the teens are not usually too old  I have seen maiden mares successfully conceive a first foal at age 15 and 16.  The older they get obviously the more difficult it can theoretically be, (I've also seen mares in their teens fail to conceive, some a maiden,some not)  but I have no problem with attempting to breed a healthy mare up to the age of 20.  After that, it's a case-by-case decision to be made with the assistance of a good veterinarian.

I own a young mare now who was out of a mare that was 19 at the time she foaled my horse.

I chose not to breed a mare that was 23 and developing arthritis, I felt it would be too hard on her.  Had she not had physical problems, I would have considered the possibility, for one foal.  But I doubt I'd breed a mare older than 25 even if she was healthy.

Answer 5

a mare is too young before the age of three for breeding and too old after the age of 15 for breeding. http://tonyonehorse.weebly.com

Answer 6

I think 16yrs & older is too old.