Appaloosa breeding complications

Question
G'day,
I have an Appaloosa mare (age 11) who has not been in foal before.  I had her serviced last year of which I think was successful due to a much calmer temperament and some noticable hormonal changes such as a couple of new spots.  She missed a cycle and then when her next cycle was due, she came in heat again.  I am not 100% certain that she was pregnant but if she was, she obviously lost it.  I did ride her during this period (but not at all excessively or out of the ordinary).  I am now trying again with a proven stallion and have a number of questions:
1. Due to her age and breed, is it likely she will have trouble falling pregnant?  
2. If she does fall pregnant, is she at high risk of losing the foal?   If yes, why?
3. What can I do to help things along?
Looking forward to your advice :)

Answer
Hi Kathryn,

It has been said that once a mare hits the age of 10 yrs., their chances of conceiving and carrying a foal to term does lessen to a degree.  I do not know what the percentages are, but the chances do decrease.
If your mare is in good condition and good health, I see no reason to not attempt a breeding at 11 years of age.  Riding her during pregnancy is not a problem, so long as it isn't extreme riding, unless that is what the mare is used to.
A mare losing a pregnancy prior to 3 months gestation is not uncommon and actually happens quite frequently.  There are so many factors that can contribute to that happening that it would be difficult to pinpoint one.
One thing I have been told by my vet is to not introduce anything at all into the mare's body during the first 60 days... ie: deworming, shots etc.
Now, I know some people who would highly disagree with me on this point, but it has been found and I have had personal experience with this also, that the WNV vaccine has been contributing to mares not getting pregnant and mares losing their foals early on.
I would not at all say that the fact that your mare is 11 years old would be any reason for her to be at high risk of losing a foal.
There are a number of things you can do to try to help things along, just depending how much you want to put into getting your mare in foal.
1.  There is always a breeding soundness exam that can be done on your mare.  The vet can do a biopsy of your mare's uterus to determine whether or not it is capable of holding a pregnancy and to look for any pyometria or cysts.
2.  After breeding, like the day after your mare will no longer accept the stud, (if you're doing live cover) your mare can be taken to the vet and have her uterus flushed with antibiotics and she can be given a shot to help clear her uterus of any fluid.
3.  If you ultrasound at 16 days after breeding and there is a pregnancy detected, you could start a regimen of Regumate, which is used on mares to help them to retain a pregnancy... it is expensive and they do have to stay on it throughout the entire pregnancy.

Considering you have only tried one time with this mare, I would not give up hope.  If after the second try you still do not get a pregnancy, then I would at the very least get the breeding soundness exam done and your vet can give you recommendations from there on your mare's specific findings.

Best of luck!