Foaling an older mare

Question
Hi,
I have a 14.2h mare Arab/cross welsh, she is between 23yrs-26yrs.  i have had her for 14years and as she came with no papers we have no guarantee of her age.  She is extremely fit and still a handful!! She has had 2 foals when she was nine, which I have been assured was an ok pregnancy.  Last year I decided to put her into foal at a local stud, unfortunately because she was in the field with the stallion they obviously did it a number of times, which lead to her getting an infection and loosing the foal.  The vet says she is fit and well to go ahead this year, aslong as I have her flushed out straight after the stallion, and only have her covered once at the peak of her season.  My question really is 'am I mad?' Because if anything happened to her I'd never forgive myself, but would really love to foal from her, what are the risks?? thanku

Answer
Hi Claire,
          The risks for breeding amre of her age are this. Older mares only have about a 30% chance of becoming pregnant  There is a greater risk that she will not carry the foal to term. She has less uterine tone. The nursing of the foal can take a greater toll on her then it would on a younger mare. Older mares are more likely to get Cushings Disease which can cause problems with the foal. There is also more likelihood of uterine hemorrhage in the older mare. There is also a greater risk of rupturing the middle uterine artery which can lead to death in most cases.

You need to decide why you want your mare to have a foal and do the risks out weigh the benefits.

Let me know what you decide.

Lisa