Responsible, Purposeful Horse Breeding

Are you considering breeding your mare? Do your homework ahead of time to ensure it’s the right choice for you.
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responsible horse breeding
Do your homework ahead of time to help keep your foal on the right track throughout his life. | Photo: iStock
The words “responsible” and “breeding” should be an inseparable pairing in the horse industry. The successful future of a foal depends heavily on the breeder’s investment to:

  • Financially project costs from conception to sale or lifespan of the horse, if the foal is to be kept;
  • Research, research, research! The homework list is a long one including choosing a mare and stallion with great conformation and temperament; investigating their performance records; checking fertility rates, health records, and offspring records; and more; and
  • Educate themselves and plan ahead. Stable management skills and knowledge of genetics combined with understanding special nutrition and health care requirements for the broodmare, foal, and breeding stallion are all prerequisites to breeding horses responsibly.

Here, two experienced and successful horse breeders—Moira Gunn, DVM, of Paradox Farm, in Caledon East, Ontario, Canada. and Doug Nash, formerly from Glengate, in Campbellville, Ontario—share some of their vast knowledge.

Gunn had recent cause for celebration when Lexi Lou, a Thoroughbred racehorse bred by Paradox farm, received the 2014 Canadian Horse of the Year award after a string of wins including the Queen’s Plate and the Oaks.

Nash was farm manager at Glengate (formerly Cantario Farms), a Standardbred facility, for almost 30 years. Glengate consisted of three farms, housing 80 to 100 mares, eight stallions, and yearlings. In addition to servicing 1,200 mares annually with their own stallions, Glengate collected, shipped, froze, evaluated, imported, and exported semen for 125 to 140 stallions of all breeds and disciplines. Nash has also shared his knowledge as an instructor for Equine Guelph’s (the horse owners’ and caregivers’ center at the University of Guelph, in Ontario) online “Growth and Development” course

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Equine Guelph is the horse owners’ and caretakers’ center at the University of Guelph, supported and overseen by equine industry groups, and dedicated to improving the health and well-being of horses.

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