What age to breed horses?

Question

I have never done any breeding and don't really plan on doing it but i was just wondering what age most people start???

really just a question cus I'm curious.

Answer 1

It really depends on the horse itself. Some horses reach sexual maturity alot earlier then others. I would say that if your mare is 3 years old then she is fully capable of breeding and carrying the foal without ANY harm what so ever to the mare and the foal. Alot of people start at about that age. However be careful as horses reach sexual maturity alot sooner. Its very possible for a 11 month old filly to become pregnant. I know this happened to my mini filly. The lady i bought her from separated them a week later, she did;t think a 11 month old could go into heat. Anyways. NO ONE knew that she was pregnant. She did;t get an udder until a couple hours after the colt was born. So it shows that to separate them early. I have also heard of 6 month old colts successfully breeding a mare. However i suggest waiting till they are AT LEAST 2 years old (the stallion to breed) and then only do a couple mares. (no more then 4) and with the mares i suggest waiting till they are 3 years old

Answer 2

Youngest age is 3, I think

Answer 3

you can breed as young as 3 but as a breeder I prefer 7 and up. I end depending on the horse's health. I have excellent breeding mares up to 20 years old. And then those i felt where not cut out stop breeding at 10 and go on to compete or ride. But generaly by the twenties most want to stop breeding anyway. The health of the broodmare is always first and dictates how long she breeds.

As far as the stallion is concearned some start them as young as 2. But I prefer to see the stallion as a mature adult. This way I can better predict his progeny. At the earliest 3 years old but I prefer 5. I know of great breeding stallions going into their 30's. For the stallion fertility and health is a major concearn. He can be healthy enough to breed til he's 40, but if he is not producing enough sperm he is not fertile enough to even have a shot at breeding and impregnanting a mare. Most stallion owners test their studs about every year to two years.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 4

ummm age of the person or age of the horse? your question is a little confusing. anyway.. you never want to breed horses before they are physically mature... yes, people do it all the time but that doesnt make it right! mares shouldnt be bred until at least 5 years old... and 6 is better. stallions should not be allowed to breed mares until they're 4, but once again... 5 to 6 is better! you can't properly evaluated breeding stock before it's mature, i dont care what anyone tells you otherwise! a 3 year old might look quite different when it has finished growing and developing. also, mares bred at 2-4 are using nutrients for the foal, often compromising her own health and development. it's not fair to ask any growing horse to reproduce! reproduction on both the male and female side takes increased nutrition, and developing horses already have a higher than average need for nutrients. most people breeding 2 and 3 year olds are the exact same ones that think it's ok to ride 300 pound underweight broodmares, or 18 month old yearlings. they don't meet the nutritional requirements of their horses period.. much less have the ability to properly feed a pregnant 3 year old

Answer 5

You can breed a horse as young as two, but you have to supplement a lot.  It really depends on whether the mare will be ridden a lot or not.  If you want to breed a filly at two, you better not ever plan on riding her very much because the baby will rob calcium and other nutrients that the mare also needs.  If she's only going to be used for breeding you can start at two, but most people wait until the filly is three or four.  Wild mustangs will be bred as soon as they come into heat for the first time, usually around a year old, but in the wild most mustangs only live to age ten or twelve.