By Johan Dreyer
#MFTTFE BSF UIF #SPPENBSFT It’s
a beautiful dream to collect a stud of gorgeous mares, breed them to as perfect a stallion as but perfect foals. Reality is rough own type but has a great probability manipulating statistics in order to rate on such dreams.
Not all mares are broodmares, very few are good broodmares. Not all great mares (in terms of individual performance) prove to be great broodmares (that is, produce a topclass horse); to the contrary there are numerous examples of poor performers that turned out to be exceptional broodmares. A good broodmare then might be a good performer, but most importantly produces great foals whatever stallion they are bred to, is unequivocally sound and even tempered. They are invaluable and take a great deal of guesswork out of the breeding business. A broodmare has to have a superior gene pool, which implies that she can at least reproduce her
of producing a horse even better than herself. Genetically that means excellence in the individual concerned.
the performance of the protĂŠgĂŠ of a dam to be able to rate her potential as a broodmare as soon as possible.
One of the oldest rules in breeding “Regardless of the considerations of matings that the breeder uses, you need far fewer males. The fame his ultimate success depends on and fortune of a sire is made and the quality of the gene pool with sustained by good broodmares. It’s which he works and not how he the quantity of good broodmares manipulates it� . Therefore the quest that facilitates the quality of a sire’s is to identify the gene pool and rate progeny. But what then is a good
broodmare as they do not have and its rating can only be done via the luxury of quantity? In drawing the conquests of a mare’s progeny, statistical conclusions on the merits which make such a mare expensive of a mare, you have to allow for the and old or dead. It’s terrible and time intervals that are mostly short ironic but the saying: “the good die young� holds true. Consequently, in than in the case of sires: selection our exercises are aimed at
- Firstly, in statistical terms, with a production ratio of 1:40 (for every foal a mare produces, a sire can produce up to 40 a year), mares that produce a good foal every year have superior gene pools. (In fact, this is reduced still further by barrenness, still birth or a foal dying).
inbreeding (for example, in racing The Tetrarch and Barcaldine). Unfortunately uterine inbreeding of this type is rare and few horses are bred this way, which undermines statistical conclusions. To inbreed to a mare she must have produced two top-class horses, at a tempo of one ! - Secondly, if she throws three horses to put it mildly. This may force you to go good enough to win at National level then to a second generation to achieve your objective of uterine inbreeding. Because 40% success with her produce. This must of the quantity of offspring it is easier to place her and her daughters above the inbreed to a sire, which tends to be the rest. Her daughters got included because: norm. o The most successful sires of dams are usually the progeny of exceptional Due to the unpredictability of breeding broodmares. in general, it makes sense to eliminate o But even more importantly: there pondering the genetic potential of a mare pass on individual performance if the (if she doesn’t breed there is no need to dam of the mare concerned was an try and establish her genetic potential). A exceptional broodmare and a good stallion is not a gynaecologist or a magician; individual performer. This seems to be he cannot get a mare not in estrus, or enhanced if the exceptional broodmare in that is cystic or infertile, to conceive. It question is from a lineage of exceptional is your responsibility as the breeder to broodmares. solve that riddle for him. In nature there is a strong evolutionary elimination of - Thirdly, a study of breeding patterns of the less fertile – they do not propagate. exceptional horses in the past indicates " # that in selecting broodmares it is a sound by intervening, leaving a legacy of mares policy to choose mares that are inbred to a great mare. By inbreeding I mean in order to breed. It may sound obvious, that the great mare’s name appears but it is too frequent an obstacle not to twice, preferably in the third or fourth $ &
generations or closer, hopefully retaining is that she must be able to breed. The and concentrating her superior gene pool. factors determining this are numerous, In spite of its rarity, some of the greatest with the most common obstacles being: horses of all time were bred by uterine
A term of endearment used by the Arabian family breeders of old; a family would own a horse, usually a mare, and their livelihood depended on her ability to produce quality horses. Because of this emphasis on broodmares, Arabian horse families were often Joe Thomas – The Blood Horse
- Age. Some of the all-time great broodmares successfully breed until they are quite advanced in years. However, this is generally not accepted as a norm as progeny mostly deteriorates with age. Furthermore, a lot of breeding problems either in conception, carriage of the foal or delivery have some connection with the mare’s age. -Temperament.A great broodmare is even # can mostly be seen in:
# factor in the success or failure of a mare to conceive, carry to full term and deliver successfully. Most breeding problems are related to tension, thus most successful recipes to get a mare to breed rely on getting her to relax. o Dominance. Dominant mares seldom turn out to be that great mare we are all looking for. This most probably has a twofold origin. Dominance is a testosterone induced characteristic, therefore a dominant mare most probably has a weaker estrogen balance implying reproductive complications. Secondly, being dominant creates by its very nature a lot more tension. oAdaptability. Some mares develop tension or related behaviour as soon as there is a change in their habitat, surroundings or daily routine. Because of their character some mares never adapt to a “herd�, which is the circumstance of most broodmares.
- Hormone levels. There is a closely linked feedback system between most of the hormones present in the mare, and these are what control her productive cycle.
single hormone will likely have an effect on one or more other hormones. Therefore in breeding, one can avoid a myriad complications by selecting a mare with a “normal� hormone balance. o The mare is a “seasonally polyestrous� animal, meaning that she undergoes regular estrus cycles during a portion of the year. The start of these cycles is determined by the pineal gland, as is hair shedding. Mares that start shedding their hair early and easily can be construed as having an active pineal gland. It is possible, for different reasons, # ' the precarious balance of hormones in some animals, this should be done with circumspect only. o Horses produce both estrogen and testosterone in their bodies. It is the balance between these two that, among other factors, determines a mare’s fertility. (For instance, one of the richest sources of natural estrogen is in a stallion’s urine.) " testosterone are only a reliable indicator male pregnancy will alter her hormone balance and with it the indicators. Hormone # by testosterone indicate possible problems during a pregnancy:
* + at the time when the mare’s body starts to prepare for delivery (approximately eight months), which will mean the end of the pregnancy. * / mare’s body that usually ends up in a rapture of the genitalia or a lack of milk, especially at birth. Suckling by the foal on its own will produce milk, but milk production before suckling is indicative of the prevailing hormone balance. * the usual result of a testosterone hormone balance is either inactive or cystic ovaries. o Testosterone production inhibits estrogen production in most mammals; the degree
# is at best rather precarious. It’s usually not a problem as such, but something to keep in mind.
# " in the genital track. This in turn has an # of the egg and sperm. A low pH also opens the door for opportunistic pathogens like E.coli and Staphylococcus and is also a predisposing factor for venereal pathogens like Klebsiella and Pseudomonas. o There is evidence that feeding raw oats increases testosterone production.
- Status of reproductive organs. o They should be healthy, well developed and the mare active and ovulating. The status of internal reproductive organs has internal investigation. Be on the lookout for both infections and injuries (old and new), it is cause for concern and will increase the likelihood of infertility or at least the cost of reproduction. Mares sometimes need to get stitched in order to have them carry to - History in feeding. full term. This leaves scars on the inside of o Fat accumulation in the udder, on the the vulva, so be on the lookout, especially internal genital organs and inside the in older mares. o Mares have the ability to clean their fat and overfed stabled horses. These genital tract within 24 hours after mating, but sometimes they lose that ability due overturn.The direct effect is a restriction of to injuries, age, infection, etc. This largely
# $ increases the possibility for metritis, which that happens such a mare will be close to complicates preparations and procedures infertile with very little milk production (and increases costs) to get that mare and possibly problem deliveries. in foal and successfully completing a o Stabled horses are usually fed lots of pregnancy. This is usually visible as a concentrates. Because the pH value of coloured discharge, but sometimes you will these is normally low, horses stabled over a long time tend to have a low pH which has fossas on the clitoris.
selecting broodmares not only with superior gene pools but ones that will be able to perpetuate their superiority.
o The vulva opening in a normal horse lies vertical. Due to conformation, injuries or age, the anus moves forward and pulls the vulva along which forces the vulva to slant forward towards the horizontal line. This causes wind sucking and if the ring muscle that keeps the vulva tightly closed is relaxed, foreign material will enter and with it infections. o Vestibule is the area from the vulva to the mucosal fold of the urethral opening. Where the vestibule and vagina meet there is another circular muscle sphincter. This also aids in preventing foreign material entering the genital tract. This sphincter loses its ability to close the faulty conformation or infections and is a predisposing factor for pneumo- and urovagina. This is prohibitive to pregnancy and will largely increase your costs.
seen too many mares with raptures in their genitals to ignore this as a selection point. Ease of delivery is in nature associated with sloping rumps and sickle hocks. That does not dictate selecting for sloping rumps and sickle hocks, but keep in mind that the
Once you’ve sorted out the physical criteria for selecting a mare with a reasonable probability to breed successfully, the next step is to develop a breeding plan. This should detail how you are going to go about breeding, selecting broodmares not only with superior gene pools but ones that will be able to perpetuate their superiority. - Physical status and condition. There is a Allow me to relate an experience: I had the natural rhythm in condition that greatly honour of attending lectures given by one of the world’s leading animal husbandry conceive. In nature animals conceive at the scientists, Professor Jan Bonsma. He used dawn of spring when they are increasing to give extremely interesting lectures in condition and get a lot of young growth abounding with knowledge and concise full of vitamins A, D and E. Simulating truths. Most of which unfortunately got lost this greatly increases their chances of in time, but one thing I do remember was conception. However, on fat or over-fat his constant reminder to his students to mares you will have a hard time increasing be honest. At that time it did not seem like their condition, adding to the problems that much of a discovery to me and it was already explained. The effect of vitamins only many years later that I understood A, D and E is not the same if a stabled the full implication of what the good horse is fed a balanced ration containing professor had said. In breeding, if you want 3 / + these vitamins throughout the year. The to make progress you have to be honest more not an estrogen characteristic but mare must be in a positive physical state – brutally honest, honest past sentiment, # to make use of these aids; if she is barely past beautiful dreams until you actually see way implies the mare to be a problematic hanging on you are wasting your time and only the animal in front of you. Only then breeder. In racehorses it has been recorded money. will you be able to make a viable decision 5 6 in breeding. 7 - History of breeding. If it is available, study ! of a successful pregnancy, secondly on the production. successes of her progeny thus far, because the genetic value of a dam only becomes - Conformation. As a rule horses are not visible in her progeny. 8 ' References Previous editions of SA SHOWHORSE Joe Thomas – The Blood Horse
(Johan can be reached at: dreyerjohan@yahoo.com)