Experts from the world of hunters, jumpers, and dressage all agree on following these breeding guidelines in order to maximise your chances of getting the foal you want.
Look Out for the Characteristics of Good Equine Athletes
As punters who enjoy watching the horse racing and accompanying NZ sports betting will know, there are a number of traits that excellent equine athletes all share. These include:
- A supple, powerful forward movement
- A clean and refined throat latch, and a jaw channel that is wide enough for your fist to fit into
- Withers that blend smoothly into the animal’s neck and back, but are also prominent enough to keep a saddle from slipping off
- A deep heart girth
- Feet that are big enough for the horse to be sound, stable, and bear the weight it needs to
- Front legs that are straight
- Hocks that are substantial
- Gaskins that are wide-looking, strong, and well-muscled from the rear and sides
Dominant Stallions are the Best Bet
It is advisable for you to seek out a dominant stallion with a record for always producing offspring that have the qualities you want: competitive foals that are sound, trainable and of good mind. Don’t rule out a stallion who is not perfect, however.
You are neither buying nor riding him, so you won’t be getting a clone. There is something to be said for selecting sires that possibly aren’t that much to look out as well: his strengths may well counterbalance your mare’s weaknesses.
Have a Plan in Place for Evaluating Stallions
You need to make sure you have a practical plan in place for evaluating various stallion prospects, otherwise you are in danger of making a faulty decision during casual or general observation.
Look Beyond Breeding Classes
Don’t make the mistake of fixating on breeding classes or futurities. Performance over the long-term and tractability are more important than good looks as a two- or three-year old stallion, and many futurity and champions on-the-line are never heard from again.
Keep your statistics in perspective as well: if two stallions are able to produce four good offspring each but one bred ten mares and the other bred 80, the question to ask yourself is which is the more consistent producer, and thus the better breeding prospect?
Seek Out Stallion Advertisement
I always advise prospective breeders to keep an eye on advertisements for stallions. This not only narrows the field, it sharpens your eye as well. But do not breed off of a photo, either.
While photos can reveal sickle hocks, or a head you don’t like, clever photography is more than capable of exaggerating an animal’s good qualities and concealing its faults. And no matter how good a photo is, it can’t show you the all-important movement of the animal. This will require your viewing videotapes or seeing the stallion in person.
While these tips will help you on your way, they do not begin to cover everything you need to know before you start your horse breeding journey. Seek out the help of professionals as and where you can until you are more confident that you know what you are doing.
The Emotional Life of Equines
When it comes to breeding horses, it is important to take the emotional aspect of these animals into account as well. Breeding viciousness and laziness out of horses is an accepted fact, but is it rooted in reality, or just a projection of our own emotional states?
While your mare, for example, may seem excited to see your face when you arrive at her stall, does she really have any kind of emotional attachment to you, or does she simply connect your presence to the treats you bring?
With horse racing being as popular as it is thanks to the online betting in Australia and the rest of the world, many punters have started wondering about this aspect of the horse as well -do they enjoy the races, do they know they have won?
A Question for the Ages
The question of whether or not animals have feelings is one that has perplexed both philosophers and animal behaviourists for centuries.
Rene Descartes argued that, since it could not be proven that they had any feelings, animals could and should be treated as automatons, subject to mechanical responses.
A couple of hundred years later, a student of Charles Darwin, a Mr George John Romanes, argued the opposite: he stated the fact of injective knowledge, whereby one could infer what was going on inside someone/something else by a careful observation of their reactions to certain stimuli, and comparing this to one’s own.
The Debate Still Rages On
The debate is far from resolved, and continues up until the present day. Behaviour science, however, is no longer subjective. When studying animal behaviour, scientists observe, quantify, and explain particular aspects of behaviour, and strive to steer clear of any personal interpretations.
Two different people, you see, can view the very same behaviour in their horse, and come up with two entirely different sets of interpretations to explain it, since these will always be based on individual life experiences and views of the world.
There’s the Rub for Behaviour Science
This fact, that outward behaviour is subject to individual perspectives, is both the strength and the shortcoming of behaviour science. Only motivations that are provable can be held as legitimate explanations for behaviour when it comes to science.
But while projecting emotional responses onto animals is mistaken, there is nothing to say that this is what is occurring. You may well be reading the situation perfectly correctly!
The Only Two Provable Drives
Thanks to this nebulousness, ascribing any kind of emotion to horses, or any animals for that matter, is considered to be unscientific, and those who accredit the world of science avoid it at all costs.
Most animals’ action is explained by two basic, provable, drives:
- Survival: to stay alive at any given moment, so doing things that will result in the animal surviving
- Reproduction: to breed and then nurture offspring, so as to ensure the survival of the species
Seeking food, water, shelter, and mates can all be ascribed to either one of these drives, either survival or reproduction.
On the other hand, there are unique behaviours in horses and other animals that seem not to be linked to either of these drives, but are not provable either. Since we neither whinny or nicker, and they have not grasped any human language, however, we must simply rely on our gut-feelings, and make up our own minds as best we can!
FAQs about Horse Breeding
The idea of breeding from their own mares has a lot of appeal for horse owners. The chance of producing a foal with qualities like its mother, or even better, has a number of attractions.
Horse owners who enjoy the races bookmakers who provide Australian sports betting make available will be particularly interested in this hobby, hoping to breed the next big winner, but prior knowledge about normal breeding behaviour, what to expect at foaling, and how newborn foals should develop and behave is vital.
It is thus best for novices to seek out professional help when mating and foaling from a stud.
When is Best to Breed?
Mares have a natural breeding season. Increases in daylight hours stimulate receptor centers in the mare’s brain, and this in turn triggers the production of the hormones in charge of reproduction. These initiate the patterns of the regularly spaced oestrus, or heat, periods, which characterise the breeding season each spring.
These oestrus periods will keep occurring throughout the summer, and cease when autumn/fall comes around.
Artificially increasing light, by means of electricity, for example, allows breeders to begin the season earlier if they wish to.
This is a prevalent practice in Thoroughbred studs, since breeders try to ensure that foals are born as close as possible to January 1st. In fact this is such common practice that January 1 is the official birthday of Thoroughbred racehorses!
Should You Breed from Your Mare?
Although breeding horses is commonly not too problematic, it is advisable for novices to think very carefully before putting their mares in foal. Rearing foals is additional work, which requires particular facilities, including different accommodation once it is weaned.
If the mare is a purebred horse, however, there may well be financial benefit from proper breeding. Breeding crossbred horses, however, is unlikely to result in financial gain just as real money casino games , and the additional outlay will generally outweigh any potential profit.
Is My Colt Worthy of Becoming a Stallion?
Probably not. Very few colts that have been bred at home are good enough to be used as stallions. There are a lot of excellent stallions available commercially, however, and it is always recommended that one of these is used.
Young colts are also difficult to handle, and usually it is a better idea to geld them as soon as possible.
Both stallions and colts need handling by experts, and it can be not only difficult but dangerous for amateurs to attempt to manage them alone.
Is My Mare the Right Age to Breed?
Mares will frequently continue breeding until late in their lives, and suffer no ill effects as a result.
This is even more true of animals that are regularly bred -it is difficult to get an old mare in foal if she has never undergone the process before.
Fillies reach sexual maturity at about 18 months, and can start foaling as soon as they reach two-years of age. However, you must remember that, at two, they are still growing, and it is possible that pregnancy can hinder their growth.
The ideal age for mares to breed is around four, so that they foal at five-years old, although some are put in foal at three-years old.
7 Cool Facts about Greyhounds
Dog lovers know that there is a great variety and number of different breeds, and each has its own singular history, distinctive personality traits, and unique physical characteristics.
Dog lovers who also enjoy online Crash games, however, will have particular interest in the greyhound. This breed has a number of surprising and uncommon attributes, all of which make them the perfect fit for the sport itself, and also a great option as a pet.
1. Greyhounds are a Breed Springing from Ancient Egypt
There are not many dog breeds that can trace their histories as far back as the greyhound: 3000 BC, to be exact. Sculptures in stone relief, statues, and paintings often depict these slender canines with their pointed ears and faces.
Greyhounds were linked to Anubis, the jackal god. As domesticated pets, they were frequently buried with the same solemn pageantry that their owners would one day receive, and it was believed that they spent the afterlife in the Field of Reeds, thereby living forever.
2. Greyhounds are the Fastest Dog Breed in the World
From the earliest accounts that we have of these dogs, they were known for their incredible speed.
When clocked against other dogs, greyhounds will almost always come out on top, thanks to their runs hitting 45 mi/72 km per hour.
Greyhounds were designed for speed: their long legs, smooth coats, and streamlined forms combine with a lean and lightweight build in order to get them to the finish line that much faster.
3. The 40 mph Couch Potato
As fast as these dogs are, when not engaged in racing activities they are very likely to lounge as much as the next lazy guy.
They are definitely not dogs that are overactive, and enjoy relaxing and resting quietly.
4. You Had to be a Noble to Own One
Back in the Middle Ages, greyhounds apparently almost became extinct, but the clergy is said to have been instrumental in the preservation of the breed.
These dogs were made mention of in England’s Canute Laws, in around the year 1014, and only the aristocracy were allowed to have them as pets. Additionally, anyone responsible for the death of one of these dogs was executed!
5. The Greyhound is Diana’s Dog
Diana, the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature, according to Roman mythology, is often pictured with a greyhound. They ostensibly provided her with both companionship and protection on her journeys.
6. The Bible Mentions Greyhounds
The greyhound is referenced in the Bible, although, depending on which scripture version of this book you are checking, the dog is sometimes substituted for a strutting rooster. They come up in Proverbs 30:29-31:
There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: a lion which is strongest among beasts and turneth not away for any, a greyhound; and the goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
7. They are Awkward When Sitting
Of course greyhounds are able to sit, but the structure of their muscles makes it difficult for them to appear comfortable doing so.
It is possible to train your greyhound to sit in a proper fashion, especially if you start the training early on, but be aware that it is an endeavour that he may well balk at. Most greyhounds prefer lying down or standing to sitting.