MANAGEMENT OF THE BROOD MARE 
43 
come when the flies are so cruelly annoying. To encourage the mare 
to breed, she should be fed an abundance of nutritious food which should 
be of a laxative nature. She should be blanketed and regularly exercised 
or moderately worked. Her physical condition can be much improved 
by feeding a moderate amount of succulent food, the object being to 
make the condition as spring-like as possible. 
“If the foal comes in the winter it will need extra warm quarters and 
extra attention. The dam will need milk-producing foods such as clover 
or alfalfa hay, oats, bran, and a few carrots if possible . . . The win¬ 
ter colt has one advantage over the spring colt in that he is weaned in 
the spring of the year and may be turned to pasture where he should 
thrive, particularly if given a small allowance of grain.” 
Van Alstyne 81 advises that fall foaling should be so timed that it 
comes between early September and November. In this way “The mare 
will do much of the fall plowing, work on the drill, make a third horse 
on the corn harvester, or help to haul silage corn if the road is hard 
and level.” 
Van Alstyne 81 cites the case of the best fall colt he ever reared. This 
colt was foaled on the last day of August. According to him, “By select¬ 
ing her work the mare put in full time through harvest. She helped 
with the plowing, which that year was done early, and she had a chance 
to lie idle for ten days after the colt was born, before sowing and silo 
filling. After that she was free until winter. Then the colt was four 
months old and eating like a horse. The mare made one of a necessary 
team to be kept up and fed grain to draw out manure and do other 
winter work. Very little more feed kept her with plenty of milk for the 
colt. Separated from the colt the last of March she was in as good 
condition for the spring’s work as her mate which had no colt.” 
Van Alstyne 81 is further quoted to say: “The second spring when my 
fall colts are 18 months old they have been as large and well-developed 
as the spring colt at two years. This means that at three and a half 
years a fall colt will do as much work as a 4-year-old; thus subtracting 
six months from the maintenance of the colt before he can earn his keep. 
For this there are three reasons: the colts get a good start on grass 
in the fall when the weather is warm and there are no flies; by winter 
it is eating freely and with a little selected silage and roots in a com¬ 
fortable stall it is easily kept growing instead of being weaned when 
flies are at their worst, and the best of the summer feed is gone and it 
must subsist on dry food until spring; the fall colt soon gets grass after 
weaning and never stops growing. 
“Colts usually shed their incissor teeth about three months before the 
end of their second, third, and fourth year. Fall colts therefore shed 
their teeth when grass is abundant—an important reason for their 
more rapid growth. 
“It is of great benefit to the colt to be handled when young. The farm 
is a very busy place after April 1st, and however good the intent, little 
time can be given to such training after spring work sets in. In winter 
there is time for this training without neglecting the putting in or 
harvesting of the crops.” 
Roberts 59 in supporting the idea of fall foaling contends that with this 
practice the colts will have all of its incissor milk teeth by the time 
they are weaned in the middle of May or before so that on being turned 
to pasture their growth will be rapid even without the use of con¬ 
centrates. 
6. Other Breeding Considerations 
Gelder 8 states that a good breeding time is in the afternoon. It is also 
pointed out that even slight cold or excitement nrght prove detrimental 
