How horses breed: features of the process, terms of rut and pregnancy

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Horses are beautiful and proud animals. In order to get the perfect individual, you need to approach breeding correctly. Experienced breeders easily create pairs and prepare horses for mating. It will be difficult for a beginner without knowledge to get a foal that meets all his needs. How do horses breed? There are several ways of mating animals.

At what age can animals mate?

How do horses reproduce? Photos and videos of the process are not customary to demonstrate to the public. First of all, it is important not how the mating goes, but at what age horses can be allowed before it. Mares and stallions enter puberty by the age of 2, but they should not be allowed to mate at this age. A young horse may even keep the horse out of its own way. But you should not hope for this, therefore individuals of different sexes should be kept separately.

Horses are animals with late formation. Usually stallions and mares are allowed to mate at 3 years, since by this age they are completelyformed. But some individuals are better covered after 4 years. This applies to breeds of later development and to mares that, for some reason, were not sufficiently formed at 3 years old.

Horse breeding methods

How do horses reproduce? There are several methods: purebred breeding and crossbreeding. The first is more preferable, but not always possible. This method is popular with stud farms and purebred farmers.

In the villages, as a rule, there is cross-breeding. It is generally accepted that crossbreeds are more hardy and have better immunity. But experienced breeders can also engage in cross-breeding. This is done in order to get the perfect horse, for example for racing or for physical work. In order to succeed in interbreeding, you need to reliably know the ancestors of horses and have special skills. If you just cover the horse with a stallion just because he lives on the next street, then the result can be unpredictable.

Preservation of pure breed

This method is used in stud farms and private farms. With it, crossing occurs only within the same breed. The most worthy individuals who do not have common shortcomings are selected, and they start mating. If horses that have a high percentage of relatedness mate, then this is called inbreeding. This is done to consolidate the positive qualities of an outstanding ancestor. If horses that do not have common relatives are allowed to mate, then this is called outbreeding.

Most often in horse breeding, a linear breeding method is used. The purpose of this method is to keep the breed pure and to obtain the desired qualities in the offspring. A line in it is considered to be a group of animals that have one outstanding ancestor in their pedigree. Each individual should have similar conformation and performance.

Medification of breeds

This method in the hands of an experienced breeder can give excellent results, while beginners often get unproductive offspring. Crossbreeding is based on crossing animals of different breeds. This can be done to consolidate new qualities in descendants, to improve performance.

Separate several types of metization:

• interbreed;
• absorbent;
• introductory.

In interbreed mating, offspring obtained from animals are called crossbreeds. This method is used to obtain the desired qualities in born foals. It has been noticed that first-generation mestizos can noticeably surpass their ancestors in many respects.

Absorptive crossbreeding is used if they want to return to a pure breed. For example, a village family may not be able to afford to buy an elite stallion. In this case, they can take their mare to cover a thoroughbred horse. In each next generation, the percentage of bloodlines will increase. Thus, after a few years, you can get a purebred horse.

Introductory crossing is conceived to improve any quality of the local breed. In this casespend only one mating. If it was successful, then the breeders return to the usual purebred crossing.

Pair matching

How do horses reproduce? At home, it all starts with the right selection of a pair. In nature, stallions themselves stop at the mare they like. They instinctively feel what they must do. At home, the function of selecting manufacturers is taken over by a person. The breeder must understand that the future of the farm or farm depends on his work.

When choosing a pair, the working and exterior qualities of both the stallion and the mare are important. However, the horse must be superior to the female, so the offspring will be born more promising. Before the mating procedure, animals must be examined by a veterinarian. If they are he althy and in good condition, they are allowed to mate.

How are horses prepared for mating?

In some villages, people still believe that a horse and a mare should be well fattened before mating. It is absolutely impossible to do this. A fat stallion may be unable to cover. But even if mating has occurred, it will be more difficult for a fat mare to maintain and endure pregnancy. The body condition of selected individuals should be average and should not be confused with obesity.

Mare in preparation for mating will be checked for gynecological diseases. In stallions, the genitals are carefully examined. Shortly before mating, animals are transferred to an easy mode of operation. They must include vitamin supplements in their food.

Horses ready for mating

Mares can only be mated during the hunting period. How do horses breed? The process may occur in the winter-spring time, then you need to artificially increase daylight hours. Usually mares are inseminated in the first or second hunt after giving birth. This is due to the fact that horses bear offspring for a very long time.

You can determine the readiness for mating in a mare by her behavior and external signs. She begins to show interest in stallions, constantly whinnying, trying to get out of the stall. The genital loop becomes edematous, characteristic discharge appears. Hunting lasts from 3 to 5 days. But small deviations are possible, both up and down.

Types of cases

How do horses reproduce? The breeding methods are varied. There are 4 options:

• manual;
• mowing;
• cooking;
• artificial.

With all these methods, a person helps horses. For manual mating, after determining the hunt, the mare is led to a separate room. There she is led to a horse. If she is not yet ready to cover, then she will bite the stallion or kick him. If this does not happen, then the mare's tail is bandaged. They also put on a special harness that will protect the stallion. They are launched into the arena and control the progress of the process.

The mowing method of mating is used in large herds. There, 25 mares are distributed for each stallion. Mating occurs in much the same way as in the wild. When using the mowing method, the percentage of fertilization is very high.

The cooking method is similar tomowing. Under him, several mares are assigned to the stallion, who are with him during the entire breeding period. With artificial insemination, the horse is covered individually. This is done by a veterinarian. This method is very popular in stud farms, as it allows you to choose the seed of the most outstanding stallions.

Mating horses in nature

On farms, a man decides everything for the animals: he feeds them, loads them with work, picks up a couple. In the wild, horses live, guided only by their instincts. Usually in a herd there are 8-12 mares per stallion. How do horses reproduce naturally? During the hunting period up to 10-15 times per day.

In the wild, the stallion finds the mare himself. He spends some time courting. He makes a cage at the moment of the most intense hunting. The probability of getting offspring in such cases is very high, since the stallion himself instinctively determines the best time for mating.

Mating horses at home

On farms, mating is most often done by hand. How do horses breed? The mating process begins with the determination of the mare's heat. To do this, either use a probe horse or rectal examination. If the mare is on the hunt, then she is delivered to the stallion.

The horse is tied up, and the horse is led out on a long rein. People control the process and, if necessary, intervene in it. How do horses breed? Mating begins with the acquaintance of animals. After the stallion makes a cage, he ejaculates. If everyonewent well, the mare is likely to conceive.

Artificial insemination

In some farms it is not possible to keep stallions, but there is a way out in such cases. Mares can be artificially inseminated, as is done in most stud farms. This method has many advantages. For example, a breeder may select the seed of any outstanding stallion. Also, the mare in this case is protected from diseases that are sexually transmitted.

How do horses reproduce? Insemination in this case takes place without the participation of the stallion. A veterinarian injects semen into a mare's cervix during a hunt. First, the horse's genitals are washed, the tail is bandaged, and the hind legs are fixed.

Mare Pregnancy

A horse carries foals for 11 months. This is a very long time, throughout this period the mare needs to be looked after. Physical activity should be feasible, with an increase in the duration of pregnancy, they become less intense. Additional vitamin-mineral complexes are introduced into the animal's diet.

You can't give a mare ice water, it can lead to a miscarriage. Also, she is not driven out to pasture on frost or dew. 10-15 days before the birth, the mare is transferred to a specially equipped stall, where after she will stay with the foal.