Should I breed my mare someday?

Don't breed her. There are already too many horses in the world that can't find good homes. Even though your mare sounds like a great riding horse, that alone is not a good enough reason to breed her: she should also have stellar conformation and be a near-perfect example of her breed. And as "Hairy Hotdogs" said, if you wouldn't have the necessary time (and finances) for such an undertaking till you're out of college, it really would be too late for her then anyway. While career brood mares do sometimes continue to produce foals into their late teens, the risks to a MAIDEN mare of that age are not worth the gamble. Treasure your mare while you have her, but when it's time for her to retire, buy or adopt a young prospect you can finish yourself and keep her as a companion.

I bred my maiden mare at age 19 and it barely took. She would not breed back. So at 24 years, she is likely way too old to conceive. If you do want a foal, I'd suggest starting before age 20 and only under the approval of your vet. My vet was heavily involved even to the point of picking the stud. It was a phenomenally rewarding experience. Since then I've helped out at my aunt's breeding farm and have one of her foals I use as my current competitive horse. It's special when you know a horse their whole life long and have been a part of their life from day 1. Not many people get this opportunity. I've been so lucky in many ways.

On the flip side..... You take a big chance when you breed. Not all foals turn out the way you think they will. It is safer to buy a 4 month old colt and raise it up yourself. Not only do you know the breeding, but also, you can see the results and obvious defects. On my aunts farm for example there were horses with way short backs, funky pasterns, very clubbed feet and other things I would not wish to have. The other thing you risk with breeding yourself is financial security. What if something goes wrong and it gets expensive? Can you afford 2 horses while you go through college and are starting a career and potentially moving? What will you do with mom and foal? These are hard combos to place if you are boarding.

These are the things to think about.

24 is too old for most mares, and especially a maiden mare, to foal.

That said, WHY do you want to breed her? Do you have a goal for the resulting foal? Are you educated in breeding and foaling? Problems do occur during foaling, especially in older maiden mares. Do you have enough money to invest in breeding fees, vet checks, and training? Do you have the TIME to train the resulting foal? You'll be in college... there's not a lot of spare time for horses in college (at least not if you want to do very, very well).

There are a lot of really phenomenal horses out there that need homes, so why not find one that's suited to you and your needs? We have an overabundance of horses and nowhere for them to go. Adoption is a good path to take if you want another horse later on down the road.

I have a lovely Elite eligible WB mare. She's bred out the wazzoo (all German, all Hano until 6 generations back, bred by one of the most respected Hano breeders in the biz), has a beautiful temperament, is extremely gentle with children, can jump the moon, and is naturally gifted in dressage with a pretty decent show record in multiple disciplines - she's even been team penning. She's been sound her whole life, never so much as a runny nose. Her sister sold for six figures a few years ago and is showing (and winning) at some of the biggest shows on the east coast. Even with all of that, I still don't want to breed her. Partially, I'm scared of the prospect of birthing and raising my own foal (despite the fact that I've done it for years for OTHER people...), but also because I don't know what my future holds. I don't want to add ANOTHER foal to the world, never mind how fancy it may turn out.

To be clear, I'm not trying to brag on my mare. I'm trying to point out that even a mare as nice as this doesn't need to have a baby unless there's a plan for said baby.

You may love your mare, but there's going to be another amazing horse out there that you're going to love down the line.

Chloe, waiting until your mare is 24 years old to breed her is just NOT SMART. Mares that age who are maidens can actually DIE during or following delivery, assuming, that is, that you could even get the mare to conceive and carry the foal to term at all. Older mares are like older women, Chloe. Their fertility and ability to conceive and have a healthy baby goes DOWN the older they get. You also don't know what your mare's genetic history is, from the sound of it. And without knowing that, you aren't going to know what to avoid when it comes to choosing a suitable stallion to breed with.

But apart from this, breeding a mare and raising a baby is a time consuming, costly endeavour. The mare cannot be ridden from about the last trimester of her pregnancy clear through until the baby is old enough to leave her and be weaned, a period which can last anywhere from 9 months to as long as a year.Maiden mares sometimes have problems with delivery, and they also have twice or three times the risk of rejecting their foals as older, more experienced broodmares do. Are you prepared to deal with raising an orphaned foal, Chloe? Are you emotionally strong enough to deal with the chance that your mare might die during or following delivery? Do you know about nutrition, genetics, first aid, and how to handle foaling related emergencies? If the answer to any of these questions I'm asking is NO, then take a piece of sage advice and don't breed your mare, either now or in the future.

24 is way way to old to start breeding a mare. Most mares have a hard time with pregnancies after 18 or 20 or so.

I'm not going to discourage you from breeding your horse, just do it now or while she's youngish.

Everyone on here is going to say "too many horses in the world" but frankly, it's your animal and if you're able to keep the baby for ever and ever amen, then go for it.

Are you insane?

You cannot breed a horse at 24 you could cripple/kill her if she is even capable of having a foal at all by this age. Many horses, especially thoroughbreds, do not live past 25. Many crossbred or heavier horses live 30-40 years. This would equate to your mare having a baby at around 70 years old.

If this mare is to be bred from it needs to be done very soon. The longer you leave it the higher the risks.

Generally it's best not to have a maiden mare foaling as they get older. If you want to breed her then it would have to be soon. It can happen, but there's more chance of complications the longer you leave it.

What bothers me is you so flippantly saying that you would just put her down when she's outlived her usefulness. Whiles she's healthy then she should just be left to live out her retirement..