Think Before Breeding

Consider several factors before you decide to breed

by R. Paul Schwab, D.V.M., Kulshan Veterinary Hospital

Breeding horses, especially with artificial insemination, takes a fair amount of preplanning and organization. What stallion to breed to? Artificial or natural cover? How much does it cost? How old is the mare? What potential medical problems may come up when your mare gets close to foaling? Do you need to take on the responsibility of another horse? What about all the unwanted horses right now?

My original intention was to discuss the typical pre-breeding considerations, but then I started thinking about what is going on right now with the horse population and the economy, and I thought it better to step back and look at what we can do to address the unwanted horse issue.

There has been a growing concern to the point of epidemic about horses that are unwanted. Unwanted horses may be classified in several ways:
• Older “retired” horses that are healthy but need more care than the owner can give
• Unsafe horses with behavior issues
• Horses that have decreased use because of musculoskeletal issues or other medical problems
• Bureau of Land Management mustangs and burros that are not adopted out
• Perfectly normal horses, young and old, that cannot be cared for because of lack of room, money, food, or time

This last one is where I would like to focus some attention. The market is flooded with these horses, and they can be difficult to sell. Over the last year, feed costs and fuel costs have risen to an all-time high, and unfortunately the horses are the ones that suffer. Our clinic has definitely seen a rise in rescue horse farm visits this year, especially during the months when pasture was scarce. Reports are very common about abandoned horses left to scavenge on their own or dropped off into other people’s pastures. Basically, people can’t afford to raise the horses they already have, and the market is full of horses to sell.

Consider Before Breeding
The American Horse Council estimated that there may be 9.2 million horses in the U.S. right now. Approximately 90,000-100,000 horses were slaughtered annually before the slaughter ban in the US. What does this mean? There may be additional 90-100,000 horses per year in need of homes.

I don’t want to discourage all breeding. The horse industry needs the constant exchange of horses to stay alive, not to mention the genetics that can be improved annually by experienced breeders. A huge part of the equine economy is based on breeding horses and raising foals. My own job partly depends on the constant cycle of breeding and the prevention and treatment of diseases in the growing foal.

Just consider what is involved in breeding a mare, caring for and training a young horse, and what you will do with that horse when it has grown. It takes almost a year from breeding to the delivery of a foal and another two years to have a horse to ride. That's three years of breeding, training, feeding, and health care expenses. Ask yourself if you could adopt a horse and get the same results or find a horse at a reasonable price. Do you want to breed your mare because she is awesome and it would be cool to get a foal out of her, or is there some other reason? Are you contributing to the problem by over-breeding?

This is certainly a complicated and controversial issue, but it is one we should all be involved in. For more information on unwanted horses, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners both have sections on their websites with information and links. The Unwanted Horse Coalition (www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org) has a great website dedicated to this issue.