The Brood Mare 277 



tions, however, it Is usually advisable to breed the mare 

 so that she will foal after the spring weather has opened 

 up and the pastures and lots are accessible. The general 

 exceptions to this rule are due to mares being busy, and 

 to the inability to get them to breed at the proper time. 

 With the work mare the time of foaling may be adjusted 

 to the season when the least loss of work will result. It 

 must be borne in mind that while mares are pregnant 

 they can do more work than when suckling a colt. Es- 

 pecially is this true when the foal is only a few days or a 

 week old. If the heavy work of the farm comes in the 

 spring, therefore, the foal should not arrive until the rush 

 is over, so that the mare can be turned out to pasture 

 as soon as the foal is dropped. Generally speaking, fall 

 foals are not as desirable as spring foals, but with good feed 

 may be raised very successfully. The larger number 

 of colts throughout the West are dropped in April, May, 

 and June. Very few are dropped in March and July. 

 Early foals necessitate good barns. In breeding the mares 

 in the fall, it is often necessary to give more feed, prefer- 

 ably of a succulent nature, so as to start the mare picking 

 up a little and cause her to breed when she would not 

 otherwise do so. 



Heat and gestation period. 



In mares the period of heat usually occurs every eighteen 

 to twenty-one days, and lasts from three to five days. 

 The first period of heat after foaling occurs in nine days 

 or less if the mare is perfectly healthy, and received no 

 injury during parturition. The mare is usually bred 

 at this nine-day period if she is in good condition. 



The gestation period varies from 330 to 340 days, the 

 average usually given a§ 336 days. Most horse-men 



