Broodmares
Scroll down
Your Questions Answered
- Are mares stressed by the breeding process?
- How often are Thoroughbred mares bred? And is it safe for them?
- What are the risks involved with foaling? How often do mares die?
- How is the health of older mares managed in breeding programs?
- Is laminitis a common problem for broodmares? How is it handled?
- Are racehorses pushed into breeding too quickly after retiring?
- What happens to thoroughbred mares when they can't breed anymore?
Still don’t have the answers you’re looking for?
In Industry
Mares give birth in safe environments during the breeding season with a number of people watching them 24/7 including vets to give each mare and their foal the best chance of achieving optimal health
In the Wild
Wild mares give birth in isolation without human intervention, increasing risks of injury or foal mortality due to predation or environmental factors.
NATURE VS NURTURE
Are mares stressed by the breeding process?
In the wild, mares breed naturally, typically choosing their stallion within the herd, and mating follows natural cycles. However, stallion competition, herd dynamics, and environmental pressures cause stress, especially if multiple stallions challenge for a mare or resources are scarce. Mares will also experience multiple covers each cycle.
Thoroughbred mares may experience some stress during a short cover by a stallion, but proper management minimises it including making sure the mare is well in season with the aim of only one cover per year (average 2-3 per year).
“You can’t put a limit on how many foals a mare produces, you might in a factory but this is nature. Some mares might only have one or two foals and others eight or nine.”
NATURE VS NURTURE
How often are Thoroughbred mares bred? And is it safe for them?
In the wild, mares typically produce one foal per year, with foaling rates between 60-75% in unmanaged populations. However, they face challenges like repeated matings (up to 10 per cycle), which cause physical strain, and environmental stress from food scarcity, predators, and harsh conditions, leading to pregnancy loss or failed conception.
A mare will typically be covered once per cycle, averaging 2-3 times a year, with the goal of producing one foal annually. Thoroughbred breeding practices are safe and prioritise the mare’s welfare at every stage. Farms have a vested interest in maintaining the health of their mares because stress or poor health can lead to pregnancy loss or failure to conceive.
How often are thoroughbred mares bred? Is It safe for them?
Are mares overbred?
"We're there all the time so when issues do go wrong we're able to help. Those dystocias, if we're not there chances are mare and foal both die."
NATURE VS NURTURE
What are the risks involved with foaling? How often do mares die?
In the wild, foaling is unassisted, with mares relying on instinct. While complications like dystocia, hemorrhage, and retained placenta still occur, there’s no veterinary intervention, leading to higher mortality rates. Survival depends on the mare’s health, foal positioning, and environmental factors like predators and food availability.
Foaling is natural but carries risks for Thoroughbred mares, including dystocia, hemorrhage, and retained placenta. Mortality is low (1-2%), but complications can be severe. Vigilant monitoring and expert care help ensure mare and foal safety.
"There's plenty of mares that we've retired quite young. They might have had a hard foaling and you say 'well that's them', some have easy foalings and can go longer but it's horse dependent."
NATURE VS NURTURE
How is the health of older mares managed in breeding programs?
Mares in the wild don’t benefit from veterinary support, tailored diets, or regular monitoring and their health often declines rapidly as a result. Unlike managed mares, who are retired when it’s in their best interest, wild mares are often bred until their bodies can no longer cope, with no safety net in place. While nature may seem more “natural,” it’s rarely kinder.
Managing the health of older Thoroughbred mares in breeding programs requires a multifaceted approach that combines advanced veterinary care, tailored nutrition, and close monitoring. By prioritising their health and well-being, breeders can maximise the reproductive potential and quality of life of these valuable mares.
” As fertility declines, their breeders in general will also give this mare a retirement. If she’s not conceiving, that might be due to other reasons. With age, obviously you have other age related illnesses that can affect fertility.
We do a lot of preventative health measures like dental care and hoof care. We do a fecal egg count. So we check that we haven’t got a too high worm burden. We keep our horses really healthy.”
NATURE VS NURTURE
Is laminitis a common problem for broodmares? How is it handled?
Laminitis is uncommon in the wild however, if a wild mare does develop laminitis, there’s no intervention, and survival depends on the severity. Mild cases may resolve as the mare instinctively adjusts movement and diet, but severe cases lead to lameness, vulnerability to predators, and eventual death if she cannot keep up with the herd.
Laminitis is not exceedingly common in broodmares but remains a serious risk under certain circumstances, such as post-foaling complications, obesity, or metabolic disorders. Prompt recognition and treatment, combined with preventive management strategies, can significantly reduce the impact of this condition on broodmares.
If we’re going to draw comparisons between the ones that we manage in this environment to the wild horse, there’s a lot of horses in the wild that meet unfortunate ends because their feet are not cared for in the same way that we do.”
NATURE VS NURTURE
Are racehorses pushed into breeding too quickly after retiring?
The Thoroughbred industry takes significant steps to ensure a balanced transition. Horses are typically given adequate time to mature, recover, and adapt before entering breeding programs with most mares given 12 months after racing to transition into a broodmare and stallions at least 4 months.
"I find if they have a good 12 months after racing they tend to be a little bit more fertile, go in foal a lot easier, which I think is an indication that they're actually ready to have a foal."
NATURE VS NURTURE
What happens to thoroughbred mares when they can't breed anymore?
When they can no longer reproduce, mares lose their place in the herd hierarchy and often struggle to compete for food and shelter. With age and declining health, they’re more vulnerable to injury, illness, and predation
Mares retiring from breeding are generally in their senior years and, therefore, no longer suitable for any other activities. In these instances, they see their retirement on the stud farms that they bred from becoming nannies for weanlings or there are dedicated retirement farms and in some cases their original owner will take them onto their own farm.
"There's plenty of mares that we've retired quite young. They might have had a hard foaling and you say 'well that's them', some have easy foalings and can go longer but it's horse dependant."
Discover another life stage
Cut through the noise and get the facts. The Kick Up Breeding Hub is your go-to source for myth-busting and horse-first insights into the world of Thoroughbred breeding. Whether you’re a racing fan, a curious critic, or just want to understand how breeding actually works it’s all here, explained in plain language with scientific backing.
