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RE: [RC] Old mares and their foals - heidiI'm curious about this too. My best broodmare is 18 now. This spring she had the best and biggest foal she's ever had. My understanding is that as the mare ages and the uterus has accomodated more foals, the foals get bigger in utero because they have more room not less. Chris and Jonni, I'll try to answer both of you in one post. First of all, when comparing foals out of the same mare, it isn't about "space." "Space" is an issue when comparing a Shetland Pony mare to a big roomy TB mare. The baby out of a maiden mare has the same "space" as his younger sibling 10 years later. What it IS about is uterine circulation and the ability to transfer nutrients across the placenta. This CAN be an issue in maiden mares, but not usually to a big extent, and it CAN be an issue in geriatric mares, but certainly isn't always. What happens sometimes in old mares is that they get thicker uterine walls and a less-than-admirable endometrium (the lining of the uterus) and all this makes it more difficult for nutrients to reach the foal. There are some strategies that one can use in at-risk mares, including giving more vitamins and minerals, feeding top-quality feeds, ensuring that the mare has good dentition so her food is optimally chewed, and adding MSM to the diet to help to improve uterine circulation. I do have an example in my herd of a foal from a geriatric mare that is a big improvement on the foal before, just due to nutritional changes. Muferra (RT Muffin's mother) had her 17th foal at age 23. He was badly windswept, tall enough, but a bit on the scrawny side, and the mare was not able to present the foal on her own--had to pull him. Two years later, she had a huge strapping filly, in good flesh, who is now a huge and healthy mare. I've not ridden her--she is one of the real queen bees in my brood band--but you couldn't ask for a nicer mare. Not only was this mare not windswept at birth, her dam was able to have her almost unassisted. So in response to the original poster, I'd say that yes, there is more risk of problems due to uterine environment in older mares, but the odds are still in your favor, particularly if the mare has had good care during the latter trimester of her pregnancy. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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