why wont my stallion breed to my mare

Question
my quarter horse stallion is 7yrs old and has bred before and has 2 live foals I have him in the pasture with my quarter horse/appaloosa mare that also is 7yrs old she has never been bred and she is in heat.They don't act like the other horse is there but when one gets to close the stallion pushes my mare away from him and doesn't try to breed with her. so i don't know what to do and i wanted to know if you could help me please.

Answer
Hi Victoria,

I wouldn't consider a 7 year old stallion with only 2 foals on the ground to be a very experienced breeder.

If he is constantly in a pasture with mares or even with mares and geldings, the natural herd instinct to be the head of the herd is going to take over.  It is sometimes difficult to get stallions to breed mares that they are allowed to run with.  Considering the age of your stallion and the fact that he is not very experienced, it's a very good possibility that he is being intimidated by the other horse and thinking he needs to protect himself rather than breed.

The best advice I could give you would be to separate your stallion from the herd and when the mare comes into heat, hand breed them or put them into a corral by themselves so there is no interference from other horses.

I know most people think of stallions as being big and tough, but they actually are quite sensitive.  Circumstances have to be to their liking for them to feel comfortable with breeding.

Best of luck to you.