Why it’s important to confirm pregnancy after breeding your mare.

I consider myself a planner. But impulse can get the better of the best of us. My journey into breeding was as quick as it took to buy a yearling mustang stud colt. Our herd of mares included a mustang, a Thoroughbred, an Arab, a pinto, and a Chincoteague pony. If you plan on giving me a lecture about breeding for the sake of breeding, you are about 18 years too late and I’ve changed my ways as I’ve become more knowledgeable! Anyway back to my point. Once my stud colt was 2+ years old, I bred my mares and started the countdown for spring babies. But when spring came I didn’t have one pregnant mare. Not even one foal to show for those 340 some days caring for them all. The Chincoteague even bagged up and looked pregnant! But not a single mare foaled. That was the last time I bred without a 14 – 16 day pregnancy check.

Time for a re-breed

The number one reason in my book to have your vet confirm the pregnancy is you still have time to breed again if your mare didn’t take. Mares cycle about every 21 days. If you verify pregnancy at 14 days and she is not pregnant, you should be right on schedule to hit her next heat cycle.

Avoiding Twins

You don’t want twins. I know the pictures of twin foals make them look so cute. But twin foals rarely make it the full gestation and mares are more likely to absorb the embryos or abort both foals before full gestation. It is estimated that twin pregnancies are aborted at least 90% of the time. If they do make it the full gestation, you can expect large vet bills for early care as both foals are usually born small and weak. Oftentimes they will also have deformities. If your mare is found to be in-foal to twins at the pregnancy check, your veterinarian can oftentimes terminate one of the fetuses. This gives the mare and remaining foal a much better chance at coming out of the pregnancy healthy and strong.

There is a running joke on your farm that there is something in the water. We no longer have a stallion. But breed with artificial insemination and it’s not uncommon for our broodmare to have twins present. Thoroughbreds actually have double-ovulation up to 30% of the time!

Sexing the Foal

Is your mare having a boy or girl?

Sexing is not possible at the ultrasound check at 14-16 days for pregnancy. But can be performed between 60 and 70 days of gestation or 110 and 140 days. At any other time, it is reported to be just about impossible. I’ve never had any of my foals sexed. By the time I’ve paid for the breed fees and vet bills for breeding I figure I’ve spent enough. It’s going to be whatever sex it’s going to be, right?

Are you breeding your mare?

If you are planning to breed, check out our Foal and Foaling resources.

Watch it!

This short video by Doc Jenni is fantastic to get a feel for what you can expect at a 14 – 16 day pregnancy check.