THE BROOD MARE 28I 



Some mares are shy breeders and are never observed 

 to be in breeding condition. If it is desired to breed such 

 a mare she can occasionally be brought around by hop- 

 piling her securely and then breeding her. In approx- 

 ii4pately three weeks from this service she may be ob- 

 seoirved to be in breeding condition, when she should be 

 baj-ed again. On the other hand, there are many mares 

 that will freely be served even when in foal, and in some 

 cases up to the- time of foaling. 



Barrenness in mares. — Some mares come into condition 

 and breed normally, but fail to conceive. While there 

 are many causes of barrenness, some of which are well 

 understood and easily prevented, there are other causes 

 not so well known and perhaps beyond the control of the 

 breeder. Chief among the known causes are : Late 

 breeding; lack of exercise; overfeeding and mares in too 

 fat a condition; underfeeding and mares in too thin a 

 condition ; lack of proper food and the like. Thus, mares 

 not bred until late in life are difficult to impregnate for 

 the first time. This is particularly true of hard-working 

 mares. This is due, no doubt, to the long inactivity of 

 the generative organs. 



Perhaps the most common cause of non-breeding 

 is the excessive feeding of foods too rich in carbo- 

 hydrates, particularly corn, which is very fattening. 

 This also increases the dangers attending parturition, 

 such as milk fever, difficulties in foaling, and the like. 

 Breeding animr.ls that are fed such rich ajid stimulating 

 foods should receive an abundance of exercise. The 

 other extreme — poor feeding and hard work — is equally 

 as likely to cause barrenness, as the system is weakened 

 by the lack of sufficient nutrition. On the other hand, 

 there is a long line of causes of barrenness over which 

 the breeder has little or no control, such as derangement 

 of the female organs, diseased ovaries, tumors, inflamma- 

 tion, and the like, v^hich lead to the destruction or expul- 



