The Stallion 319 



properly cared for. They will also appreciate courteous 

 treatment and will be especially pleased if the stallion 

 man keeps a close check on the time the mares are to be 

 tried or bred. Stallion men are notoriously slipshod in 

 their business dealings and a change from such methods 

 is good business. 



The young stallion at two years of age should not breed 

 more than eight or ten mares during the season, and the 

 mares should not come oftener than four or five days 

 apart. Well-developed three-year-old stallions may cover 

 twenty to thirty mares a season without injuring them- 

 selves, but should not be bred oftener than three times a 

 week. Forty to fifty mares may be bred by a four-year- 

 old. One mare a day, or perhaps three in two days is all 

 that he can cover. A mature stallion may make two 

 covers a day. If bred oftener, the semen frequently 

 contains very few spermatozoa and the stallion is sure 

 to be a better breeder if not used so often. The number 

 of mares that the mature stallion may breed will, there- 

 fore, depend largely on the length of the season. Artifi- 

 cial impregnation is increasing the number of mares that 

 the stallion may cover. In this method it is common for 

 the stallion man to announce that the mares will be bred 

 at eight o'clock in the morning, and have the mares 

 assembled at that time. Then the mares are tried and 

 those in heat assembled so that they may be bred artifi- 

 cially. A mare which is in good physical condition and 

 normal in every regard is used as the mare for breeding. 

 Part of the semen is then taken from her and used in the 

 other mares. 



BREEDING EQUIPMENT 



Every man who handles a stallion should have proper 

 equipment for safe breeding. This consists of a suitable 



