THE BREEDING OF HORSES 107 



Breeders of race and show horses take every advantage of the 

 age Hmit, and therefore favor early foaling. There are also un- 

 questionable benefits to be derived from the life in the open, and 

 the new grass, to commend springtime for foaling, but the 

 prejudice against fall colts is not altogether warranted, and cir- 

 cumstances may be such as to make it most advantageous. 



According to the table (p. 108), a mare bred on January 1 

 should foal on December 6 ; one bred on March 27 should foal 

 on March 1 the following year. 



When mares should be tried. — There is great diversity of 

 opinion as to when and how often a mare should be tried after 

 she has been served by the stallion. It can be accepted as a 

 general rule that if the mare is perfectly normal and healthy, 

 she will conceive. If she is not normal or is unhealthy, she 

 either will not conceive at all or only occasionally at best, and 

 even then there is likely to be difficulty. We should see to it 

 that her organs are perfectly normal and that she is in good 

 health. We should not change her diet or her mode of life so 

 suddenly as to upset her general health. 



Some mares are shy breeders. If a mare is unwilling and it 

 is desired to breed her, she can occasionally be brought about 

 by hobbling her securely and then breeding her. Then she 

 will behave more or less peaceably for eighteen to twenty-one 

 days, when she may be bred again. There are other mares, and 

 they are numerous, that will freely be served when they are in 

 foal, in some cases almost up to the time of foaling. 



A mare will almost invariably breed on the ninth day, or 

 thereabouts, after foaling, and if she is healthy and has received 

 no injuries in giving birth, it is the practice to breed her at this 

 time. Just when mares should be returned to see whether 

 they have conceived is a much discussed question. Mares differ 

 greatly in the recurrence of their periods. It is best for each 

 breeder to study the individual differences among his mares. 

 The common practice is to return them fourteen to eighteen 



