BREEDING YOUR FRIESIAN MARE

( Aust. & NZ )

It would be fair to say that the mare has as much or in some eyes more influence on the quality of the offspring than the stallion. When evaluating your mare from a breeding perspective you must look at her with an un-bias eye, noting the mare's good and bad points whilst keeping in mind what you are ultimately aiming for in type and quality in your foals and what steps you may need to take to achieve these results. You may have a very nice mare though even the best horse will have room for improvement in some areas. This is where a well thought out breeding program can be of immense help. If you have a clear vision of the type and quality of Friesian you eventually wish to achieve then you can make the most appropriate choices in stallion and mare pairing to reach your goal. You may have to accept that it will take a number of steps ( generations) in achieving this goal.  It is all about gradual and reproducible improvement whilst not loosing any desirable traits along the way. Sounds easy doesn't it  but be assured it is not an easy task selecting the right combination of mare and stallion and having the patience to accept that gradual and reproducible improvements will deliver the desired end result. It would give any breeder a great sense of pride to produce a quality Friesian but if the quality is not reproducible you have not really achieved much more than a one-off result which is of little benefit to your future breedings. Gradual improvements with reproducible results form the basis of all good breeding programs.

Your mare naturally should be a sufficient quality to begin with in order to warrant producing a foal. In saying that it is also worth noting that some of the best produces  (irrespective of breed or species) may not in themselves be the most exquisite examples of their breed just as the best examples of a breed may not produce the best offspring. 

It is also essential you give your mare the best chance of producing a healthy foal so you need to make sure your mare is in top physical condition before you breed her. It is also a good idea to refrain from giving any unnecessary medication, such as worming paste, tetanus and strangles shots etc. for the first 90 days of pregnancy as any toxins in the mares system has the potential to result in abortion. Make sure her worming and shots are up to date well before breeding and that she has sufficient condition but not overly fat. A mare carrying too much fat has significantly more trouble getting in foal than one of correct weight. Also, a thorough vet check prior to breeding is always a good idea.