First time covering mare

Question
I have a mare that's a maiden. Took her down on the 8th of July because that's when her next heat was counted to. The breeder didn't see any heat until the 15th that's when my mare showed her butt and did the heat pee thing. At that time, she's been trying to cover my mare but my mare will show her butt, then kick at the stud. The breeder does all in hand with the stud. They still have not covered her and I am wondering if I should go to a different breeder that knows how to cover a maiden mare like that. I know people use breeding hopples( sorry if i spelt that wrong) to keep one from kicking but this breeder i am at now has not tried that. I suggested it and have heard no response. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Laina,

What you're dealing with here is very difficult for both you and the breeder.

If your mare is indeed in full, strong heat and is not letting the stud mount, there are measures that can be taken, but I must tell you that even if the stud is finally able to mount her, there are no guarantees you're going to be able to get more than one cover on her, or that she will get pregnant.

I had a client's mare here several years ago who was a maiden and did this exact same thing.  The vet checked her and confirmed she was in full heat, but the mare would kick the snot out of my stud every time he attempted to mount.

We tried breeding hobbles several times with this mare and every time, she broke the hobbles by kicking so severely.  On the advice of my vet,(and the permission of the mare's owner) when the vet determined the optimum time for conception, we sedated her, hobbled her and twitched her just so the stud could mount.  He was able to get one cover on her and she did not get pregnant.

As a breeder and a stud owner, I will tell you that dealing with these type of mares is very frustrating and scary.  The stallion could get injured and so can the handlers.  Most maiden mares are willing to take a stud when they are in full heat and showing to the stallion.  They might not stand still and will move around a bit, but they should not be kicking.  In my 18 years of breeding horses, I've only had that one maiden that acted that way.

The best way to breed mares who act like that is through artificial insemination.  You're going to have a hard time finding a breeder who is willing to take a kicking mare who has to be hobbled or sedated for breeding.  You may find one who is willing to do it, but I would be worried at what kind of measures they're going to take to get her to accept the stud.  I personally feel that if a mare has to be hobbled, sedated and twitched for breeding, she isn't a good candidate for breeding, unless it is through artificial insemination.

I wish you the best of luck.