In hand covering or au natural?

[Deleted]

I am toying with the idea of getting Blossom put in foal (now we have definately decided she's not for sale at last
as I won't be doing much with her this year and she's well grown and lookin good!
I sort of think that as it will be her first foal that she'd be better running with a stallion for a while rather than going to be covered in hand?, as she was purchased the next stage beyond the 'twinkle' in her mums eye, we haven't experience of 'that' side of things ;D, so are not sure which would be more suitable for her.
Any advice would be welcome.

Now we just have to find the nearest suitable stallion in Derbyshire......?

[cassey1988]

Well, Dales stallions are usually quite gentle. So maybe it would be nice (especially since she's a maiden) if they could get some quality time together.

[Deleted]

my thoughts too, If she's having an 'arranged marriage ', I'm sure she'd rather get to know him first!

[cadeby]

I second every thing that Heather has said above. Speaking as the owner of 2 Dales stallions, I would PERSONALLY always prefer to cover a maiden mare inhand. Some maidens are very frightened by their first experience of a stallion and no matter how gentle the stallion is, if the mare refuses to stand properly for any reason, the stallion may become frustrated and try to "force the issue". If the covering is happening inhand, the handlers are in the right place to assist and hopefully prevent any injury to mare or stallion and increase the chances of a successful covering.
If the ponies are running loose in a field there is the risk of serious injury to either/both horses and any handler who tries to intervene to remove one of the ponies from the situation.

It's nice to assume that everything will go smoothly with a little "romance" during a natural covering, but sadly that is not always the case, particularly with a maiden mare. I would always err on the side of caution with safety of mare, stallion and humans the uppermost concern.

As Heather says, I would also be prepared to travel my mare to a stallion that best suits her in terms of conformation, temperament, action, bloodlines etc.. always keeping in mind what activities you hope to do with your foal (although breeding is a gamble and you don't always get what you planned for ).
I wouldn't necessarily just choose the stallion that is closest to me, but I do accept that everyone's circumstances are different so it may not be logistically feasible to venture further afield.

At the end of the day, choose a stallion you like, speak to the stud and discuss the breeding options. Make sure you get a contract in writing that you fully understand. Good studs will not mind how many questions you ask! Don't forget to factor FIS into your choice of stallion either. If you don't know the FIS status of Blossom, and you don't plan to have her tested, make sure you choose a stallion that is certified to be FIS clear

I have a maiden Dales mare arriving tomorrow to be covered by Wilf. Her owner asked for a natural covering (she wants the mare to enjoy the experience, which is totally understandable) but I have declined and said we will only cover inhand the first time. If the mare accepts Wilf with no obvious issues/problems, then I may allow them to run together for the remainder of her season. Time will tell.

Good luck and fingers crossed for a lovely foal in 2013

[Deleted]

Hi, thanks very much for your replies. I have no problem with her having an in hand covering if it is the best way. Although we did breed Blossom, we did buy her mum already in foal, so we have experience of foaling but not the covering. her mum just ran out with the stallion, but I can see now that in hand might be the best for Bloss, thx.
I haven't decided definately yet as, as you say, there is a lot to think about, but we have seen one stallion and I have heard about a couple more, as we don't just want to breed a dales foal, but a (hopefully(good example of the breed too!

[cassey1988]

I hope you have some pics to show us next year! :-)

Good luck with the manhunt LOL

[lucydales]

We did in hand coverings with Amy and on the last visit put the stallion out with her after the act. He was beastly to her and we were all quite at risk getting him out. Go for inland first time would be my recommendation too. Safest for everyone concerned. Our view of nice romance is misplaced on ponies.
With regard to which stallion, contact Jo Ashby, she knows bloodlines and who's near and who will travel.
Good luck.

[maggie]

I would endorse all that's been said here, I would always cover a maiden mare in hand. It can be a very frightening experience for the unprepared mare and the 'helpers' sometimes need to act very quickly to prevent injury and accident, something its not possible to do with loose ponies.

We usually just have the mare in a plain halter, but always handle the stallion in his special covering bridle (just special because we never use it for anything else) with 2 lead ropes, 1 on his halter and 1 on the bit, in case its needed. We always tell our boys 'That'll do' as their signal to drop down from the mare and turn away. They train to it well usually and it can be very useful if you get a mare who twists round or kicks out or just panics, gets everyone out of danger quickly. They do have their flowers and chocolate moments too, as we tease the mare very thoroughly with a solid barrier in between them to make as sure as we can be that she is ready and willing. Having said that, it's a female's perogative to change her mind!

Lucy's right, Jo's a brilliant person to ask for advice, she knows all the ponies, their breeding and where they are. Personally, I'd always ask for an FIS certificate and wouldn't use a stallion without one. I would also not use a stud that didn't insist on proof that your mare has been swabbed and is disease free - the stallion should hold a current certificate too.

Good luck with your planning, it's very exciting to think of a new foalie in your fields next year.

[makemineadales]

We did in hand covering with our mare at first both stallion and mare was fine but she was not in foal so the following year the breeder let her run with him got in foal Tinkersbrook Lily Rose arrived

[lucydales]

We did in hand coverings with Amy and on the last visit put the stallion out with her after the act. He was beastly to her and we were all quite at risk getting him out. Go for inland first time would be my recommendation too. Safest for everyone concerned. Our view of nice romance is misplaced on ponies.
With regard to which stallion, contact Jo Ashby, she knows bloodlines and who's near and who will travel.
Good luck.

[Minnie]

Jun 18, 2012 17:51:04 GMT -1 lucydales said:

We did in hand coverings with Amy and on the last visit put the stallion out with her after the act. He was beastly to her and we were all quite at risk getting him out.

Poor lad, he will have been missing his true love and wife, Misty! . He didn't lay a finger on Mist, Splen, Maytime or Poppy when he ran with them. Maytime and Poppy were both maidens as well.