When a mare and a stallion meet, love might
be in the air...but there's the potential for danger, too.
Particularly when humans get in the middle of it all. In our
efforts to orchestrate the best possible combinations of
conformation, temperament, and talent, we long ago became
involved in the process of equine matchmaking--and in doing so,
we put ourselves on the front lines of the stormy process of
breeding. As a result, every breeding manager must make safety a
first priority for all the parties involved--the handlers', the
stallion, and the mare.
Stallions can be formidable, especially
when in the presence of an ovulating mare; their aggressive
behavior is a risk factor in itself. And while a mare in season
is generally in a receptive mood, that doesn't mean she is not
capable of aiming a good kick in her suitor's direction--or her
handlers'. If you are breeding by live cover, it's important to
understand the risks, and to take appropriate action to make
breeding as safe a process as possible. The use of a few
judicious restraint techniques can go a long way toward ensuring
that safety.
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Anne M. Eberhardt
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Advice From The Pros
Advice on breeding horses by live cover can
come from no better place than the Thoroughbred industry, where,
because of The Jockey Club regulations, artificial insemination
of any kind is not permitted. Many Thoroughbred operations stand
several stallions and see hundreds of mares bred every year, so
their stallion managers are experts in reducing the risk.
Bernard McCormick, long-time general
manager at Windfields Farm, once one of Canada's premier racing
stables and breeding operations (and producer of the legendary
Northern Dancer, among others), says that even at his farm's
currently downscaled status, after the death of owner Charles
Taylor earlier this year, six stallions still call Windfields
home. It's safe to say that his staff has the breeding shed
routine down to a science.
"The routine is key when you're handling
stallions," he says. "We've had the same stallion manager for 25
years. And we try to have the same staff handling the same
horses throughout the season. An experienced crew can make the
whole process practically trouble-free.
"Most in-season mares, " McCormick
continues, "are pretty cooperative, but the priority in the
breeding shed is always to do things safely. We have to factor
in the safety of the people and the stallion, as well as the
mare. One of the most important things we do is have two
handlers at the mare's head, one on either side. Between them,
they can curtail any sideways movement and keep her straight;
the person on the right is critical for this.
"Usually, we let (the mare) look a little
to the left so that she can see the stallion and anticipate him.
But a twitch on her lip helps keep her attention on her handlers
a little, and we'll also put a chain over her nose as a rule. I
generally don't use lip chains, as I find most mares react to
them by throwing their heads up and backing up, which is not
what you want."
If a mare is particularly nervous or
uncooperative, McCormick says that it's crucial to keep her
close to the wall so that she can't jump forward (on top of her
handlers).
"A breeding shed shouldn't be a crowded,
small place," he adds. "There has to be room for four to five
people to maneuver. We've equipped ours with vulcanized rubber
mats, as well, to give the horses good, non-slip footing, which
is really important. Some farms use shavings or tanbark, but we
find the mats work very well, and clean up quickly."
McCormick says that his farm has never
considered breeding hobbles to be useful (which restrict the
motion of a mare's back legs and make it difficult for her to
kick).
"I find that hobbles introduce a level of
restriction that can cause serious injury to the mare."
Instead, he advocates the use of a leather
leg strap, which is placed around the mare's left front leg to
hold her foot off the ground (a doubled stirrup leather can be
used in a pinch). Once the stallion has moved to mount the mare,
the leg strap is released so that the mare can bear weight on
that leg and support the weight of the stallion.
"It's in that moment when the stallion is
mounting that some mares may get the notion to kick; once we're
past that, we release her leg."
Dan Hall, farm manager of Frank Stronach's
Adena Springs Farm in Kentucky, also finds a leg strap a useful
restraint for the mares he handles. Often, he notes, it can be
removed once the stallion has entered the shed and the mare's
reaction has been gauged to be favorable. But, he adds that if
he is dealing with a really tough mare, he might even keep the
leg strap on while breeding takes place.
"I don't do that often, but if worst comes
to worst, the mare can still stand up with the strap on. If
she's really a lot of trouble, though, she's probably not ready
to be bred. We have sent the odd mare home without breeding
her."
Like McCormick, Hall feels breeding hobbles
can do more harm than good.
"I know some farms that do use them, but I
don't. I find that mares may fight the hobbles--even if they're
introduced to them beforehand--and become a danger to themselves
and their handlers. I certainly don't think they should be used
routinely."
Instead, Adena Springs occasionally makes
use of an injectable tranquilizer for the mare.
"If we haven't been successful with the
twitch and the leg strap, we may sometimes tranquilize," says
Hall. "Tranquilizing can be a great asset in certain
circumstances, though of course, it doesn't always work,
either!" (Before considering the use of a tranquilizer or
sedative for the purpose of getting your mare bred, seek the
advice of your veterinarian.)
When the Windfields staff is faced with a
mare which has a reputation as a kicker, they sometimes will
take measures to protect their stallion by outfitting the mare
with kicking boots, which are thick, felt-lined leather boots
that buckle over the hind hooves and somewhat resemble boxing
gloves, according to McCormick. The idea is to soften the blow
if the mare should kick, and the boots do a good job, although
McCormick remarks that they occasionally distract the mare from
the job at hand, making her more unpredictable to handle.
"We don't use them routinely if we know the
mare. Apart from anything else, they're a bit risky for the
handlers to put on and take off. But if we have a really tough
mare, we'll put them on. I find it helpful to have her wear them
beforehand and get accustomed to the feel; then she usually
doesn't object as much."
It goes without saying that under most
circumstances, broodmares should be barefoot behind to minimize
the risk to the stallion if she should land a blow despite all
precautions.
Distractions that upset the mare can boost
the risk quotient considerably. The breeding shed is no place
for a foal, for example, because if the mare has a foal at foot,
she might be more concerned with calling for the offspring from
which she is separated than with the stallion approaching her.
At most Kentucky farms, including Adena Springs, foals are
routinely left at home (out of earshot) when the mare is bred,
but the Windfields approach is to provide a babysitter (usually
an older mare or gelding) for the foal while his mother is led
to the shed.
"Once the mare sees the stallion, she is
usually fine," says McCormick.
Maiden mares, because they have no
experience in the breeding shed and don't know what to expect,
might be confused and thus cause more problems. Both McCormick
and Hall feel that it is important for such a mare to be
introduced to a teaser stallion, who should be allowed to mount
(but not cover) the maiden mare before her first real session in
the breeding shed.
"It is our farm policy," says Hall, "that
she has been jumped by a teaser at least once before she comes
to be bred--though we're not always sure the owner has taken
care of that!"
It's also helpful, according to McCormick,
to let mares, especially maidens, have a few minutes to meet the
stallion to which they're about to be bred over a teasing board,
prior to their "appointment" in the breeding shed.
"We let them have a few quiet moments--it
does seem to make a difference in the shed. And it lets you know
what sort of behavior to expect from each of them."
Restraint options for a stallion are
limited, since he must be able to move unrestricted in order to
mount and breed mares. In addition, many farms feel that a
stallion's aggressive tendencies should not be discouraged too
actively, since they are part of what makes him a good breeder.
But Pat Meyers, DVM, whose Guelph, Ontario-based practice
focuses on reproductive work, notes that there is a distinction
between healthy libido (which should not be discouraged) and
rank aggressiveness, which can endanger both mares and handlers.
There's no evidence, he points out, that well-mannered stallions
have lower conception rates!
The ideal scenario is to be able to train a
young stallion from the start of his stud career to respect his
handlers and develop gentlemanly ways with his mares.
"There are stallions who break all the
rules, of course," McCormick says, "but fortunately we don't
have any of those! Generally, stallions who are breeding on a
daily, or near-daily, basis, are better behaved; if we are
working with one who hasn't been bred for a while, we expect
more difficulty."
The use of a snaffle bit and bridle (rather
than a halter), with a noseband that buckles under the chin to
help keep the mouth closed, affords more control of the
Windfields stallions and minimizes the chance that a mare will
get a damaging bite to the neck. Adena Springs also makes
occasional use of a leather neck shield, which buckles to the
crownpiece of the mare's halter and protects her from a stallion
which might want to sink his teeth in her neck. Most mares, Hall
notes, are comfortable with this equipment and don't need to get
accustomed to it beforehand. Another option is to muzzle the
stallion, a practice some farms do routinely.
For Adena Springs, currently standing the
Thoroughbred stallions Wild Zone and Lit de Justice (and adding
El Prado and Alphabet Soup this coming season), the breeding
routine doesn't vary much from year to year, or farm to farm
(Adena Springs is one of three breeding operations owned by
Austrian magnate Stronach; the other two are in Florida and
Ontario).
"I think our methods in the breeding shed
are pretty much the same as those all over Kentucky," says Hall.
"It doesn't vary a lot--the experienced people know what's
safe."
AI Considerations
Are there any special safety considerations
when a mare is being bred by artificial insemination? Meyers,
who works extensively with shipped semen on Standardbred and
performance horse farms, says his job is simplified when there
is a set of stocks available on-farm. Stocks, usually
constructed of metal pipe with padding in the appropriate spots,
are designed to keep mares straight and relatively immobile; a
kickboard at the back, at about mid-gaskin level, helps protect
the veterinarian who must stand almost directly behind a mare
when palpating or inseminating her.
Many larger Standardbred farms have a set
of stocks, but they are relatively rare elsewhere, says Meyers;
so when he is called upon to inseminate a mare without the use
of stocks, he suggests that the owner or handler of the mare
position her in her stall with her quarters in the open doorway.
This will limit the mare's sideways movements as much as is
possible, and a familiar presence at her head will help reassure
her.
"Most mares in estrous are pretty
receptive," says Meyers, so he rarely encounters major
difficulties with this approach, but he does recommend the use
of a chain over the mare's nose, and possibly a lip twitch, to
help keep the mare's attention on her handler. If he is dealing
with a mare he suspects might kick, he often positions a couple
of straw bales between her hindquarters and himself. In a
situation where a mare might be less than cooperative (but is
physiologically ready for breeding), the judicious use of a
tranquilizer, or a set of breeding hobbles, might be in order,
Meyers says. (If you do try using breeding hobbles, however, he
emphasizes that they should be equipped with a quick-release
feature so that they can be removed in an instant if the mare
should panic or fight.)
Collecting a stallion for AI requires much
the same attention to safety that live cover does, and the same
good manners should be insisted on. Meyers points out that too
much aggression is never productive, even if the stallion is
only savaging the cover of a phantom mare. It's particularly
important that an experienced handler be at the helm to ensure
that the stallion mounts when he is asked, rather than lunging
forward and taking charge of the situation. Consistency and
attention to detail are key to making breeding a safe and
successful process.
