Anyone know anything about breeding?...

(...horses I mean.)

My mare Galila is a 15.2hh pure white Spanish Arabian. As posted elsewhere she cannot really be ridden anymore but she used to be a brood mare and at 15 I don't see why she can't have another foal. She would love one and she could keep it as I would not separate them except for weaning.

In the next door field is an absolutely lovely pure bred Hungarian Shagya stallion. He is just a georgous character and when I tickle his nose he licks and chews. He has won well as a riding horse and endurance (I think he won Normandy Riding Horse last year but don't have the details). The two horses are already in love, the covering price is right, so you are thinking - what's the problem?

Well the problem is that Galila has an over-large head for her body and this stallion, too, has an out-of-proportion wopper of a head! Am I going to produce a foal with a great big head? Not what you want really. Maybe temperament is far more important than quality, or looks? Help needed!

It all sounded wonderful Rona, and it still could be, but there's no garentee's the fact that you are in doubt says it all really, I would say, if in doubt, don't!!
pen

Have you got piccies of the beasties , they have both done very well it seems so their conformation can't be that bad ? sorry never bred a foal so can't help in depth except when my sisters mare foaled donkeys yrs ago

Yes the stallion is very well thought of. He's a super chap and done very well. It's only because they both happen to have big heads!!! Silly aren't I? Otherwise it would be great because the next door people are really experienced at breeding and could help in every way with the foaling and before and aftercare. Maybe will take a picture of lovely boy and post it!

yeh please or google his name , look at google images , he may be already there ?

[img][/img]Well I don't know if this is him but this is from the Shagya Arab website. Anyway he looks identical to this!

Haven't quite got the hang of this have I?! Sorry I've tried really hard to upload a photograph but everytime I select "host it" it gives me a new menu with 3 options and then I try and select one of them and then select upload I just go back to the original menu again. I think I might give up on that! But the Shagya Arab has it's own page on Facebook. This stallion is a typical dapple grey Shagya Arab. Sorry I'm so mutton headed.

As far as I know...!
the head size /shape is more often passed on by the stallion, and the body confirmation /bone is led more by the mare
but maybe other may disagree !
don't know if that will really help !

Soupdragon, yep I would go along with the head thing, but having 2 CBN X PRE fell bred sisters, one has the body and brain if the cob, the other has the body and brain of the PRE. Both have Spanish heads.

Here is a picture Rona has sent me of a stallion identical to the one next door to her ;

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i am not familiar with either breed but if your mare & the stallion have heads of a size acceptable for their respective breeds then maybe it is not a problem?

i was always taught to try to balance any weak point in 1 parent with a strong same point in the other, but to take into consideration where known how they bred out? for example a stallion i knew was 16.3hh but always threw small foals? i had a 1st time cobby mare only 15hh so this was an advantage i thought so we used him on 2 of my mares, a 16.3 tb & the 15hh multi-mix breed cobby mare both foals averaged out at 15.2hh, my tb mare (a rescue) had a deformed spine, not very bad & not hereditary, it was considered probably due to her being mal-nurished as a foal, none of her foals had the problem, the cobby mare had too upright a shoulder, the bit of draught horse in her, even bred twice to stallions with wonderfull shoulders it came out in her foals as more of mums shoulder than dads = pity .
could you get to see some pictures or even the real horses that the stallion has bred & any of past foals from your mare to see if they pass on the heads?

my vet back in the UK was of the opinion any mare in good health and good condition, with no hereditary problems of any age was ok to breed 'so long as the plumbing was in working order' he had attended several 1st timers in their 20's who were just fine, i would say at 15y she is barely past brand new breeding age wise if she is in good health,

a trotter mare once bred 2 champions 24 years apart! her last champion born when she was in her 30's.

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Thanks Salee that is a really helpful long reply. She actually was a brood mare before I got her so not exactly a virgin! All she wants is to have another baby and she drives the stallion mad with her cooing and teasing everytime she walks past him field on the way to her's. I've got a much better picture of the stallion and I am sure Karine won't mind if I post it because she is so proud of him. I agree with all you say - I have bred a foal before, an absolutely stunning boy by Catherston Dazzler. Those were the days when I cared about papers, breeding, competing and all that. Now all I care about is temperament and fit for purpose. Anyway I will try and post this pic - if I can't then I've got to try Callie's patience again!

I don't think he head looks overly big its nicely shaped he doesn't have a big block head from the looks of the photo

I agree nice shape , I'm no expert by a long stretch but he looks very nice to me with an intelligent head

Stunning..............put together far better than the one in the first photo in my humble opinion.
pen

I agree Pen, I would choose him any day. Love his head, it's a typical pear drop shape arabian head, gorgeous!!!

Yes agree but he is actually looking at the moment a little more like the one in the first photo as he hasn't done anything for a bit. I think the obvious difference is that the one in the first photograph must be out of work because he has no back end at all. Whereas Likovitch Du Fausset (found out his name now - he is on the internet!) has been doing long distance endurance.

As long as she's not a maiden mare I would not be overly worried. Were her previous foalings reasonably uncomplicated do you know?
He's a lovely stallion, very handsome. I need no encouragement whatsoever to start thinking about foals, still miss not having them everywhere on the NF in the spring. But I don't have a maternal bone in my body for babies of the human variety!!! Much to my MiL's frustration.
Let us know what you decide.

Lottie wrote:

But I don't have a maternal bone in my body for babies of the human variety!!!

Same here i don't "do" human babies foals on the other hand are completly different

Would love another foal. I had to put my beautiful black tb 3-year-old down with seedy toe. He had picked it up from fields at the stud he was living in where he was born. He had been treated for all his short life and it seemed under control but he got cast in the box one night and the x-rays showed that his pedal bones were so rotated that there wasn't any other choice - one year's box rest inc 3 months cross tying with not much hope at the end of it all isn't really an option for a baby that doesn't like being confined. Honestly broke my heart - can't think about it today without getting teary and it was years ago. The second foal I bred died at 9 months when my mare suffered a twisted gut and peritonitus which killed her. Third time lucky I suppose.

I would go along with Penny on the stallion, I didn't want to say that I didn't like the first one, he is just put together wrong. But the second one is lovely.


This is my boy by the way!



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Do also be aware that arab's are not easy to breed, the mares are prone to not wanting to feed the babies and the babies are prone to not latching on. And sometimes milk production problems. Not trying to put you off, just making you aware.

I have to say that I've not heard that Arabs are any worse mothers or have more problems raising their foals than other breeds,
I have never had those problems with my girls (touch wood !)
Though I can't say I'm a major breeder either !

Heres my boy (Arabian ......spanish of course !)

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ohhh I can so see why you want to keep that Spanish line - absolutely beautiful.

Can you do a side photo for me? Plleeaassee!

My info comes from the vet and the Maxwell's. I don't breed Arab's myself.

Well there's another couple of options for you Rona!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Oh they are both so BEAUTIFUL!!! And the your Spanish Arabian is really quite like Galila Soupdragon. I'll try and attach a picture of her... CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I've actually done it!! Flushed with success I'll try another one:

Well not in quite the order I wanted and no, she wasn't on that grass for long!!! Oh choices choices. I must say breeding with another Spanish Arabian is sensible as we will breed truer. And yes she was a very good mum indeed and looked after her foal very well we understand.