Some years ago I visited the Irish National Stud in Kildare, where you get amazing access to the horses - you can just walk around the pathways between the paddocks.  It was the height of foal season and while you couldn't see the very youngest ones, the 1-2 month olds were out in single or group pastures.  I ended up talking to some of the broodmare staff (grooms and trainers) while walking around and they said one of the "secrets" to good broodmare care was to treat them well - if the mare isn't happy, nobody is happy.  Sure, they said, the stallion is important, but he doesn't feed the foal or raise it or socialize it.  "The mares are gold to us, and that's how we treat them.  They're not all lovable, and they're not all sweet, but they are all gold."

I will probably never see it in my time and I am only 37 but maybe The Jockey Club should look at enforcing an every-other-year rule for the breeding of mares.  Coupled with the limiting of stallion books it would, hopefully, in the long run help take care of some of the over population we already have. It would go a long way to making the babies more marketable at the sales as a result and improve the quality of racing in general.  

As far as social skills, unfortunately, I have two 'alpha' mares so their babies get to play when they are weaned, which works out fine.

Good luck to everybody this year!

In addition to routine farrier services, extensive turnout (with shelter), a diet w/mineral & vitamin supplements, regular deworming; ALL horses need regular dental work.  

Signed:  Paying the bills

• Scot's reply:  Great point, Kat.  I wish more breeders had access to a trained equine dentist.  A regular float can mean the difference between thousands of pounds of feed either WASTED or DIGESTED every year.  One of the first things I do with a new broodmare is to have the dentist out to see her.  (And your points on nutrition and deworming are excellent.)

I've been in this business for nearly 50 yrs, and an avid reader

of horse-related topics. Must congratulate you on your exquisite piece. It's simply the best I've ever read on this very important subject. Anyone who owns, or plans to own a mare should read it. It will embolden us to speak up when, by their practices, those who care for our stock attempt to downplay your message. Sad to say, there are far too few who embrace your concerns. I hope that others here will offer additional insights in how we might better these horses' lives. Thank you, Scot.        

• Scot's reply:  Thanks, Sceptre.  I hope everyone reading will take your advice and ADD INSIGHTS HERE about improving equine welfare.  And the best advice I have for mare owners is to continue your education about horse health care -- a great place to start is TheHorse.com.

I agree 100% with all your ways to improve a broodmare's life. I hate seeing a 22 year old mare being bred for the 18th year in a row. Give her body a break. The vast majority of mares aren't producing stakes winners at 20 years old. Don't forget what happened to Lady's Secret. That great mare did not deserve to die like that. They race for 3-4 years, then get bred year after year, then they die foaling. Don't these poor mares deserve a few years of retirement???

Let's face it...anybody who has a lot of experience in the breeding industry here in KY knows that broodmares are NOT treated WELL.  They receive the most basic of care, which is fine for most, but god help the mare that is "high maintenance".  I think it's terrible the way they are left out in ALL weather conditions here.  Basically, their quality of life is no different than that of cattle.  There may be a few smaller farms that treat their mares as individuals, but most farms here don't even have stalls for every horse on the farm. Before I moved to KY I never realized that large groups of mares would be fed outside in a field and the pecking order would decide who gets what.  I really wonder if most owners know the true nature of the socalled care their mares get for apprx. $25 a day (and thats on the low side). It's a joke...but the mares aren't laughing.

A wonderful piece of information!  I am a new broodmare owner and will be printing this out to keep for many years.  Thank you!

In my experience as a breeding manager I have observed that usually mares will let you know when they need a break. Try giving an older mare a year off and you may never get her back in foal again. If she doesnt get in foal on a few heats or slipps, sure you wouldnt force the issue, but sometimes giving them a break shuts them down.

Excellent article! not in the business, but the only place I go to get a sporthorse is the track - since 1974, that's where they come from, so I know what it is like on the other side.

If people would just SIT ON THEM, and give them a little basic training, in case they don't make it as a broodmare.

We see too many run down, mid teen brood mares at the auctions being bought for kill.

Bringing attention to subjects like this is so important. It directs our focus, and forces us to evade less some realities. It has today solidified my belief that horse breedership is probably best left to either those of substantial wealth, or those who own proper farms and have the means to do it right. For the rest of us (myself included), the moral obligations would seem a bit overwhelming...On a somewhat unrelated point, I would appeciate hearing from others their opinions on weaning timing. In the past, I've often found myself at odds with farm managers ( and farm owners) when I felt my sucklings were weaned prematurely. As example, a "tenet" often heard is that often foals will do better if weaned earlier (expecially if they are to be marketed as weanlings).    

      I beleive that alot of breeding operations are run like "puppy mills " There are alot of responsible breeders who take care of their mares and take time with them and their matings ! There are some who are out to make a fast profit ! Not everyone can breed to an AP Indy or a Giants Causeway ! I just want to see breeders be responsible and choose Stallions that will bring the best results ! There are too many unwanted horses and beaten up claimers to break your heart !

All of these suggestions are common sense in how to humanely treat animals who are dependent on humans to care for them. When I was 12, I got a horse from my uncle for my birthday. I thought it was a gift straight from heaven - a 16 year old mare who had a year old colt still nursing, turned out in a pasture with no supplemental feed, had not had any maintenance for years, her hips stuck out and you could see every bone in her spine. I loved her. She had to have hooves trimmed drastically, her teeth floated because she was chewing up the side of her cheeks, worming, shots, etc. I'm sure my parents were thrilled with that 'gift'. She tested me the first time we met by stepping on my foot and seeing what I would do (I passed - I just stared at her until she moved it & we got along great after that). It took about 6 months of fussing over her to get her looking and feeling good again, but she was well worth the work. She was my best friend for years. I hate to think what might have happened to her, but the sad fact is that a lot of older mares are in that position and they don't have somewhere to go and they either were never ridden or it's been so long since they were that it would take a lot of work to make them suitable. Aren't there tax write-offs and insurance that would make it feasible for those in it as a business to do the right thing by the horse?

Thank you for this terrific piece in support of the broodmare.  Too often the stallion gets all the credit (or blame) for the foal that is the result of genes from both parents and the mare seems to be considered little more than an incubator for the stallion's get.  The stallion's semen may be worth its weight in platinum but it is the mare that is the foal's first contact with the world of humans s/he will have to function in and the mare's mental and physical condition has an often permanent impact on her baby.

Happy and healthy moms help make happy and healthy kids, whether human or horse.

I'm a show horse trainer and this is the first year that I managed my clients broodmares. Herd and especially broodmare mentality is a subject that sent me on a big learning curve. I found little information on mare behavior.  But it became clear that interacting with each one as an individual if not daily at least several times a week is very important to staying in charge of their behavior. That would include all of the things that you have noted.  I would be interested in reading more about the subject if anyone knows of any published material.  

I strongly disagree with LCM that broodmares here in central KY are not treated well.  In my experience, poorly treated mares are the exception rather than the rule.  I agree that there are a few places out there that have no business boarding mares, but these are few compared to the vast majority of farms that are dedicated to good mare care.

People keep horses outside because horses do better outside except in the most extreme heat or cold/wet conditions.  Locking a mare up in a stall is not the same thing as taking good care of her.  A well trained crew can easily handle feeding groups of horses outside so that each horse is allowed to eat, even the more timid members of the herd.  Feeding outside is also a good opportunity to observe the horses in motion, and in a herd setting.  Subtle lameness, mild neurological problems, lack of energy or appetite, and body condition are all easier to observe when you are out in the fields with the horses at a regular time every day watching how they move and act.  

There are hundreds of people on these farms dealing with hard labor, long hours, low pay, and managers with poor leadership skills.  These people work 6 or 7 days a week all year around usually with limited benefits, poor job training,  and little or no recognition when they do a good job.  They keep coming to work every day because they love these animals and they strive every day to take good care of them.  This industry is not a joke to them.  Your negative comments are unfair to all of these people who are so dedicated and give so much of themselves to this industry.  

AG - I agree, a pregnant uterus is a happy uterus - you can see the bloom on the mares when they are in foal.  When they want a year off, they let you know.

Its high time someone raised these important issues! Every year we read the obituaries of former racing stars who have died foaling, often at absurdly old ages. Even the best farms seem to have no qualms about breeding their mares literally to death, even the "blue hens." I wish every farm owner and manager would read your remarks and assume the responsibility for the humane care and retirement of their brood mares. Surely they deserve it.

"A pregnant uterus is a happy uterus????" I guess money will make  you say anything. Rationalize it all you want but maybe someone should tell that to all the mares that die of "foaling complications." Weekend Storm, Lady's Secret, Urban Sea, Meadow Star, Mackie, Got Koko,Relaxing, Weekend in Indy, and the list goes on and on. Carrying a foal is a taxing business not to mention that most mares are nursing a foal and growing a foal simultaneously, which is even more difficult. I applaud this author for offering these commonsense ideas for mare maintenance, but unfortunately, mares are often little more than ATM machines for the breeders. Our Mims Retirement Haven exists (and has a huge waiting list for admittance btw) because many owners do not take care of mares after their productive years are over. Seriously, retiring these mares around age 18 is the LEAST that owners can do for them. It may be politically incorrect to say, but I feel as if owners choose to breed mares to death because it provides them with one last paycheck AND it spares them from taking care of a retired broodmare.

EASYGOER: Your last sentence is right on the mark!

I cringe when I read of 20+ year old mares dying of foaling complications -- that's just too old to be having babies anymore.  Can't they be pensioned at the end of their teens?

GREAT ARTICLE; SPOT ON AND SO SIMPLE IT OUGHT TO MAKE EVERYONE SAY "WELL......OF COURSE!"

Again I'll say it, although most big breeders would rather I shut up and go away. NOT EVERY MARE SHOULD BE BRED; NOT EVERY STALLION SHOULD BREED. Careful evaluations of health, fitness, quality of anatomy, temperament, family history, racing history (if applicable), chronic problems with feet.... and the beat goes on..... should be considered before making that appointment in the breeding shed, and BOTH stallion and mare should be evaluated in the same light. A large number of points to be considered are directly related to genetics, although some aren't. If you come up with too many "maybe this won't be good" thoughts, then maybe the breeding should be reconsidered or dropped altogether. A good mare/mother is priceless and should be treated as gold; she does a lot to imprint her personality and attitude on her foal; I also think she has as much to do with the quality of the foal as the stallion ....... never mind how pedigrees are published: Suzi, by Sam out of a Fred mare ..... BLAH! Good mamas are hard to find and should be treasured, and whoever thinks "a pregnant uterus is a happy uterus" should try carrying a baby every 11 months for the next 20 years or so. Pregnancy is hard work, draining on every system in a female body, and BETWEEN pregnancies every female, be she horse or human, needs a break to recoup. AND, as an extra benefit, not so many foals would be produced that a good deal of the horse population ends up in a dog food can.

Basic premise: we must speak for those who cannot. This includes the mares who are literally bred to death, the foals who would much rather hang out under a tree than run like the wind, the racers who don't give a damn if they win and would rather be rolling in a sand pit, anyway, or even the ones with the not-so-straight legs. Basic health for our charges is OUR job; we have created them and we owe them care. The five suggestions in this article are simple, basic and obviously important to the health of a valuable animal ..... and I include in the term "valuable" the love they offer for no fee at all.

That's it; that's my snarky rant for Friday before the Preakness and while I love Rachel Alexandra, I'm rooting for the little horse in the "plain brown wrapper". I hope he blows their doors off!

Cheers to all................

easygoer what would you rather have them die of?  As a prey animal can you imagine how much anxiety and fear they must feel as they slowly reach a point where they can't see well, or walk well, or chew their food well?  Is it a kindness to these animals to keep them alive to suffer the ravages of old age?  Try walking a foal or a weanling past a field full of retired horses.  They all come running calling to the foal.  Most mares like to do stuff, they don't want to stand around with no job, they find it boring.

Having a foal every year is not a strain on most mares, if it was they wouldn't start cycling immediately after foaling.  An early pregnancy doesn't doesn't take much energy for a mare to maintain, and the increased blood flow and activity in the uterus helps her maintain her long term fertility.  Their nutritional needs do not even increase until well into the pregnancy, well after her foal is weaned.  Horses are not humans, they are a prey animal.  They survived in the wild long before they were domesticated because they have the ability to reproduce more quickly than predators can wipe them out.

The vast majority of mares thrive when they are pregnant.  You can usually pick out the barren mares in a group because they don't carry the bloom and the vitality that the pregnant mares have.  You can't make a mare carry a foal if she is physically unprepared.  She will be barren or she will slip.  She will take her year off when she wants to, no matter how much her "greedy breeder" wants another foal.  For some mares this may be every other year, or every 2 years, or every 3 or 5 years.  When they are ready to retire they should be retired, but each one has to be evaluated on how happy she is doing what she is doing.  I have seen mares perfectly happy to have and raise a foal at 20 years old, and I have seen them retired at 14 or 15 because they don't seem to thrive on it.

I agree that there may be a few unethical breeders out there, but they are not the majority.  Most owners and breeders are devoted to their horses and will do or spend whatever they can to make them happy and healthy.  Why do you people try to make it seem as if everyone out there involved with breeding horses is some kind villian?  It is not true and it is not fair to characterize the majority of these people this way.  Surely there is a more productive way to bring about positive change in this industry than to judge everyone with no evidence and to assume you know what is going on when you really don't.  Surely if you try you can find positive things to say about breeding horses, but you won't.  It is easy to find owners and breeders who do things right, who spend more on their horses than they ever expect to make back, and who would love to see someone aknowledge their efforts and their sacrifices and their dedication to this industry.  Not many really fit in your "greedy breeder" category.

Dear FILLYTIME,

Your post was exactly what this topic needed; a well thought out opposing view, from one with apparent experience. Too bad it arrived so late, as I fear the blog's topic will soon lose its position on the site.

Your take is similar to what I've heard for years, and had conveniently accepted for much of that time. Allow me to respond in the order given:

Your first few sentences suggest a fortuitous timing to fertility, life and death-that when the broodmare can no longer reproduce they are also in failed health, and better then that they die. Much later (in your reply), however, you appear to grant them the priviledge of retirement. Notice the contradiction?...You state-"Most mares like to do stuff, they don't want to stand around with no job, they find it boring". How often I've heard that one. You are presuming a lot here, wouldn't you say? I suppose your point is that mares are happier when they're pregnant. Human's have difficulty enough in trying to understand and interpret what is/causes human happiness. I suggest that the dilemma increases exponentially when attempting to discern happiness in other species. As far as their liking "to do stuff" and have a job, do you really believe that a mare consciously sees herself as doing stuff, having a job, while pregnant? It is likely that they do prefer to be stimulated (mentally), and diverse positive stimuli likely benefit them. I wouldn't characterize the mere state of pregnancy as a positive stimuli. Now, having, and caring for a foal by side could conceivabley be a positive stimuli for them. It does make for more activity. But, is this an indication of happiness? I doubt there have ever been any studies to confirm this. So, why are you so certain? Equine behaviourists contend that fear is the central driving force in the equine. Is it not rather likely that having a foal by side would further arouse that fear mechanism? I doubt that any would argue that fear is counterproductive to happiness. So, let's just at least say that the jury's out when it comes to the potential positive psychological effect of caring for a foal. Yes, caring for a foal is "conditioned" genetically, but it doesn't follow that relative happiness is part of that package...Are they healthier (as you allude) when they are pregnant and/or while nursing? I doubt also that this has been studied conclusively. Yes, often their coats appear to be more "in bloom" but, perhap, no moe than a hormonal manifestation. Does pregnancy exert a positive systemic effect-thus affording the mare a greater sense of well-being? Maybe. Is this potential positive enough to offset the inherent life-theatening risks when aged mares are bred? Do their lives have no value without their "job" to serve us?...My observations suggest that mares, in the later stage of pregnancy, do not "thrive". They are quite uncomfortable. Foaling, also, is often no picnic, and in the older mare this not uncommonly results in uterine artery rupture-death. Is this not worth avoiding? ...The fact that mares are capable of conceiving, and carrying a pregnancy, does not,in itself, suggest that they SHOULD become pregnant. If this were the case (and assuming you are a female) you SHOULD remain pregnant throughout all your reproductive years. Oh, do I hear you say-"but, I'm not a horse"?

As far as your assertion that the vast majority of mares are well cared for- This has not been my experience, and my reason for applauding Scot in bringing this issue to light. You state..."Not many really fit in your "greedy breeder" category". I subit that the vast majority of us (myself included) act, to some degree or another, as "greedy breeders". We place our own well-being far ahead of the horse. I firmly believe that we have largely overlooked our moral responsibilities to the broodmare. Their plight has gone unnoticed; and apparently many feel there is little to remedy.                            

Our broodmares, all 15 of them, are treated like royalty every day.  They are every bit as important as the stallions because they "house" the future!  They are spoiled rotten on a daily basis, BUT they do live outside in the elements.  They hate being in the barn, away from their friends.  They have shelter so it's not like they are left to fend for themselves.  They get the best hay and grain and when they have babies on them they are kept 5 moms and 5 kids to a pen.  We have one mare that is the local soda fountain.  She will nurse every baby in the pen, sometimes two at a time!  Tell me her life isn't a happy one!  She had her last foal this year due to having melanomas that we cannot stave off and she will live out her days on the farm knowing she is the Queen of all she surveys.  We love our mommas!

Who, exactly, are "you people", Fillytime? Are you referring to the ones who have increased the numbers of foals produced every year so that many more end up on kill trucks?  Do you mean the ones who see broodmares as walking ATMs? Do you mean the ones who breed every damned thing with four legs for the possibility of a big score at the sales ring? Or do you mean the ones who think that overproduction of foals leads to harm to racing in general? Do you mean the idiots, like me, who think we should be a touch more careful with the way we treat our charges? YUP, that's me ...... that crazy, tree-hugging, animal loving loony who thinks that our humanity is evaluated by the way we treat our animals. I agree, though, that there really are some breeders who try very hard to breed the best they own, and retire the not-so-good mares; at the very least they try to place the culls in other jobs which provide long and productive (NOT in the breeding sense) lives ...... trail horses, school horses, therapeutic riding horses, and so on .......... These folks exist and are examples for the rest; maybe when there are so many horses there are no more places to put them, people will learn, but until then,  the breeding practices of many are reprehensible and the mares are paying the price.

Too many horses are bad for everyone; mares, foals, breeders, buyers, and MOST IMPORTANT (she said sarcastically) the MARKET!!  Give the mares a rest and a year off, breed more selectively, have FEWER foals, have fewer horses to sell at the auctions and GUESS WHAT? Prices go up! It's the old "supply and demand" thing we learned in high school economics. Do yourselves and your mares a favor .......  think of those auction prices before you breed Old Suzie again. BUT IF YOU DO BREED SUZIE pay attention to the suggestions in this article; she deserves it.

So Dreamer's Mom, do you really believe that you are the norm? Glad to hear that your horses live such contented lives, but rather sure they're among the exceptions...BTW (just as an aside), re-the mare that is "the local soda fountain"-do you notice any lessened milk production from the other members of this herd?

(problems with my keyboard-hope not too many missing letters/noticed it occurred in earlier posts-sorry).  

      I have something to say about how broodmares are treated .My Grandfather owned a mare named "what a Friend " By Friends Choice,She was claimed then later bred to a horse that was from Argentina but cannot get the name ! Anyways I ran into a guy who had bought "What A Friends " foal for about 1200 dollars . Her foal a colt named Dirty Freddie won at Penn National  . His dam was sold for meat !!  I think she deserved alot better than that!!! She was a sweet kind mare ! I wish at the time,Icould have taken her !!!!

To DiAnn

On Horse and broodmare band behavior.

Suggest Google search on subject.

Also Monty Roberts at Flag is up Farm in California. Again a google search. He spent a lot of time as a very young man observing wild horse band behavior.

What type of show horses?

Right on Sceptre! Fillytime is confusing can with should. For example, physically many 13 year old human girls can have babies, but ethically they SHOULD not be having babies. Biology and ethics are totally different.

Also, I would like to add, mares do not choose to be bred. They are hobbled and twitched so they cannot reject the stallion. They are dependent on their owners to treat them with respect and ethics.

The number of recent posts on other blogs (Rachel Alexandra, etc.), as compared to the relative lack thereof here, speaks volumes (almost literally) about the mindset of most who inhabit this sport.

A recent study finds that one choice is better than the other for overall equine health.

"A PREGNANT MARE IS A HAPPY MARE"???  What about a mare who is suffering from founder and kept alive long enough just to get the foal out of her? It happens more than most will admit! Just another dirty secret. How happy is she?  I have to wonder if Fillytime is a man or woman? Curious...I don't know many women who would want to be pregnant every year into what would be the equivalent of their 80's!!!  And lets not forget, a good percentage of mares who "get in foal" do so only because of human intervention, progesterone shots, and other reproductive manipulation to ensure pregnancy.  I bred my "older" mare this year.  She got in foal on one cover but lost it around 30 days.  I could've bred her back and loaded her up with regumate, but I decided at her age, she was telling me she's "done".  I figure if she can't hold and maintain a pregnancy on her own...how confident can I be she's well enough to produce a healthy strong foal?  I'm bitterly disappointed, but feel I've made the best choice for HER...Not for my bank account.

Fewer off-the-track fillies are in demand as broodmare prospects in this down economy, and they join the thousands of retired Thoroughbred geldings that need new homes every year. How will the industry fund retirement for all of them?