When breeding horses, the breeder must know the basics of their mating, as well as the types, timing of hunting and the correct selection of horse pairs. Otherwise, you can break the purebred breeds and reduce the increase in livestock. Further in the article, all these points are disclosed in detail.
How do horses breed in the wild?
In the wild, horses live in herds in the same territory and in the same conditions. Nature itself regulates the size of the horse family. Mating is carried out only for the purpose of procreation from spring to mid-summer.
The herd consists of a maximum of 12 mares, one of which is the so-called alpha female, and 1 stallion. The alpha mare leads the entire herd, chooses the pasture site, and enjoys absolute authority when the breeding season begins.
The horse performs a protective function in the herd, leads the whole herd behind him and covers the horses. He is ready to complete the mating process at any time, therefore he often covers horses in which sexual heat has not begun. In this case, fertilization is impossible, but the mare may start estrus ahead of time.
During the sexual hunt, the horse changes its behavior in relation to the horse:
- her tail is slightly raised;
- the head is slightly tilted to the ground;
- the hind legs are slightly apart;
- makes sounds similar to soft squeals.
The stallion shows interest in her, bites his neck, sniffs, etc.
The mating process can be repeated several times, which increases the chances of fertilization of the egg. A horse's pregnancy lasts an average of 342-345 days. But this period may come both earlier - prematurely, and later - when walking.
The natural breeding process of horses has its advantages and disadvantages. The pluses include:
- everything happens naturally;
- fertilization occurs at the peak of ovulation;
- the mare admits only strong, healthy stallions;
- offspring are distinguished by strong health and increased chances of survival;
- mass fertilization of mares in the herd.
The disadvantages of natural fertilization in the wild include:
- a young stallion can move away from the mare at the peak of the process, thereby ejaculation will not bring a positive result;
- there is a high probability of crossing individuals close in blood;
- the purity of the breed is lost.
Which is better: free mating or controlled mating?
Things are different on horse farms. The breeder is interested in maintaining the purebredness of the breed, increasing the number of livestock, improving the thoroughbred qualities, so he carefully monitors and controls the breeding process at all stages, selects pairs for mating and the mating method.
The controlled fertilization of horses has its advantages:
- conception occurs in 95% of cases;
- the possibility of preserving and restoring the breed;
- the stud stallion does not need to be constantly kept in the herd with all the horses;
- the possibility of forming breeds and tribes with the desired characteristics.
Preparing for mating
How the process and further development in case of conception depends on the condition of the female. The condition of the fetus directly depends on the well-being of the mother.
Preparing for mating involves creating a comfortable environment for the mare, ensuring peace of mind and good nutrition. Therefore, prepare a warm, dry, clean stable, brush and brush the hair of the animals more often, and provide an increased intake of the entire complex of nutrients, vitamins and minerals into the horses' body.
Nutrition plays an important role in preparation for mating. Be sure to feed them oats, legumes, vegetables.
The prospective pair should be examined by a veterinarian shortly before insemination. Semen samples are taken from the horse to check its quality, and the horse is checked for contraindications to pregnancy and other abnormalities.
Stallion semen collection
Selecting horses for mating
The stallion's characteristics are more important than the mare's. It is worth paying attention not only to health, pedigree, but also to the behavior and character of individuals.
The selection of individuals for mating is a crucial moment. The choice of a pair is based on several principles:
- the pair must be of the same height, or the mare is slightly taller than the horse, otherwise insemination may not take place;
- the foal takes a large part of the physical data from the dad, so a healthy, hardy, physically developed stallion is chosen for mating;
- the health of the animals must be excellent, the signs of behavior, appearance and purebredness must be in accordance with the relevant norms and standards.
Age
The physiological sexual maturity of a mare occurs at the age of 1.5 years. But do not rush and let the stallion near her. The onset of pregnancy is likely to be pathological, and the offspring - weak, with low viability. This is due to the immaturity of the reproductive system, the unpreparedness of the young organism for the heavy loads associated with pregnancy. Let the horse grow stronger and the systems fully mature.
The optimal age for mating and reproduction of healthy offspring begins for a mare at 3 years old. If you wait longer, hormonal disorders will cause various diseases of the female reproductive system - tumors and the development of cysts are possible.
Young stallions should not be chosen either. At such a crucial moment, which occurs for the first time, they jump onto the female from the side, or in the process they make many incorrect movements. However, experience comes to them already from 2-3 mating processes.
Breed
To maintain purebred mating, the pair must be of the same breed. It is desirable that the animals are elite, or close to it. Mating of a thoroughbred horse with an ordinary mare is possible, but the horses obtained as a result of such conception in the reproduction of the species do not participate in the future.
How do you know that a mare has started hunting?
Sexual heat is the period of ovulation in a horse, so mating occurs only at this time. The recovery of the cycle in the female after giving birth occurs on the 8-14th day. The first hunt lasts 4 days, and all the next ones last 5-7 days.
The onset of sexual heat in a mare can be determined by the following criteria:
- blood circulation to the vulva improves and it swells;
- the muscles of the vulva are in constant motion, which is why the genital gap either narrows or expands;
- the release of a large amount of mucus;
- the horse loses its peace, becomes disobedient, begins to neigh;
- at the beginning of the sexual hunt, the female calmly refers to the fact that the male is nearby;
- when the stallion approaches, she takes a posture approximate to the one that when emptying and can let out a small amount of urine.
Horse mating methods
When breeding horses, various mating methods are used. They depend on the pursued goals of the final result, on the number of livestock on the farm, on the condition of the horses, etc.
Manual
The manual mating method is identical to the natural mating method. The difference is the female's inability to reject the stallion. During the period of sexual hunt, the horse is fixed, and the horse fertilizes it without hindrance.
The breeder himself picks up the horses, notices the onset of heat and lets the stallion in. Before this, the animals are prepared, they are provided with a quiet, calm place. This can be a paddock, barn, or other secluded space.
Manual pairing steps:
- the mare is placed in a stall so that her butt is in a slightly raised position;
- the tail is wrapped in bandages and tied up;
- remove the horseshoes from the hind legs of the mare and the front legs of the stallion;
- put on a harness so that the horse cannot strike the stallion;
- bring the male down for fertilization.
Before mating, be sure to let the animals sniff, get to know and accept each other.
Mating can be repeated after a few days to increase the chance of fertilization. Knitting is possible several times a day. If the horse is not in heat in the next cycle, then it is foaming.
Varkovy
Cooking mating is used for keeping the herd. Several mares are assigned to a paddock (brew), where the stallion gradually covers everyone, revealing their sexual heat independently. At the end, the animals are returned to the herd.
With this mating method, it is important to fully feed the stud stallion so that its strength is restored and exhaustion does not occur.
Kosyachny
The mowing method of fertilization is very similar to the cooking method, but in this case the number of horses per stallion reaches 30 individuals. They are separated from the general herd, forming a shoal, and grazed on a separate pasture until the mares' mating season is over and all of them are covered.
Thus, the stallion chooses the female himself, determining her readiness, and it happens to her. At the end of the period, almost the entire school is fertilized.
Artificial insemination of mares
Artificial insemination of mares is considered the most effective method, giving 100% of the final result, but it requires considerable additional costs. This method is used in large stud farms and farms.
The essence of this method is to collect the stallion's semen, check it for quality and freeze it. Subsequently, the veterinarian enters the semen into the uterine cavity of the mare using special instruments.
How artificial insemination of a mare is performed is shown in the video below:
Stallion inspection
In artificial insemination, the condition of the stallion is of key importance. He is examined by specialist veterinarians. They check not only the appearance, the condition of the skin. Take blood tests. Observe his behavior. At the end of the examination, a decision is made on its use in the artificial method of fertilization and the time of collection of semen.
Semen collection
Seed material is collected using a dummy, which the male "fertilizes". A sterile disposable intake is installed inside it. Or with the help of a special container - an artificial vagina. All constituent instruments and reusable materials are disinfected before the procedure, and the receivers are replaced with disposable ones.
Before sampling, the dummies are heated to a comfortable temperature of 40 degrees, and the cavity, in order to avoid injury to the stallion, is lubricated with sterile petroleum jelly.
The amount of semen from one fence is enough for insemination of 150-200 mares. This economical use of material cannot be achieved with any other mating method.
Artificial insemination is possible with seminal fluid in various states:
- Fresh. The biomaterial in this state is of the highest quality, but insemination is possible only when a couple is in the same territory.
- Chilled. The semen is stored in special containers for 24 hours.
- Frozen.In liquid nitrogen, the biomaterial retains its properties for many years.
Method advantages
The positive aspects of horse artificial insemination include:
- With this method of fertilization, the horse is injected with semen in a diluted form. This makes it possible to save the seed of valuable inseminating horses. The seed is treated with liquid nitrogen, creating a sperm bank to preserve the genetics of the purebred handsome breeds.
- the method completely excludes exhaustion and injury to animals;
- achievement of insemination in almost 100% of cases;
- obtaining offspring from a male in his absence;
- it is impossible to infect a mare with an infection;
- there is the possibility of forming a tribe with the desired characteristics;
- there is no need to spend money on the purchase of inseminating stallions.
When breeding horses, each breeder has the right to choose the methods of breeding his wards. By varying and combining them, it is possible to find your ideal way that brings maximum benefit at minimum cost. This process must be approached with all responsibility, armed with knowledge, and with the help of specialists.