Stallion size for a first foal

[revelrat]

Hypothetically speaking, for a first foal I believe it's smaller the better to make it as easy as possible for the mare?

Is it true first foals are usually smaller than future foals?

How much of a no no would it be to put a mare to a stallion a hand bigger for a first foal?

Bearing in mind it's *usually* the mare that dictates foal size and if the above is true in that first foals are usually smaller anyway.

Thanks in advance if you understand my ramblings!

Sam

[Anna]

Its always said first foals are usually smaller than future foals but tbh we've never found it so, we've had several first foals here and they are just as strong and as big as their mums and subsequent foals. A lot of foal size is down to good nutrition rather than anything, if they get the right feeding in their first few years of life they will make proper height, lack of correct nutrtion can imo stunt growth and maturity a lot but thats further down the line than in-womb!

I would quite happily use a stallion a hand bigger if my mare was a nice roomy mare, I would think twice about going bigger than that but its generally an accepted and fine cross to do that.

It would be worth getting her MOT'ed before putting in foal just so you have peace of mind in that a) she can get in foal and b) everything is normal.

[Debbie]

I'm in absolutely no rush to put my own Blossom into foal, but I've worried about the same thing, mainly because she looks like she might top out at 13.1 or 13.2 when she's finished growing. I am concerned about putting her to a full up 14.2 stallion. I know many who pish posh the idea and say she'd do just fine, but you know....in the end, it is your pony. So if you feel more comfortable using a smaller stallion for the first mating, use one

[revelrat]

Thank you! It was just a musing as obviously Sable is a good few years off baby making yet lol. Should I decide to breed her first would be a Dales hopefully so I don't feel as bad about putting her to a non Dales for her second!

[Debbie]

I think all of us with dales mares have this crisis at some point, but at the end of the day she's your baby. And if you want to breed crosses only, then go for it, but me being me, I'd be making sure the foal wasn't going to be huge for her still.

...oh as an aside... and I'm not sure how to put this delicately, but someone who had a mare that was a different breed, he'd always bred the mare to the same stallion and she did fine. One year he decided to breed her to a different stallion but ...how to put this delicately? Ah his manly bits were bigger. So in the end his mare was in quite a bit of discomfort from the mating whereas she hadn't had troubles with the previous stallion. So checking manly equipment as it were might not be a bad idea either.

The mare was okay, and she did recover fine, foaled out fine, but she was sore for about a week. In the end the I think the vet put her on bute for about a week just to make her more comfortable. I never did hear about the follow up, but I wondered if she'd remember that particular stallion and kick the snot out of him for future matings?