Horse Breeding

Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses.

The male parent of a horse, a stallion, is commonly known as the sire and the female parent, the mare, is called the dam.

Both are genetically important, as each parent provides 50% of the genetic makeup of the ensuing offspring, called a foal. (Contrary to popular misuse, the word "colt" refers to a young male horse only.) Though many amateur horse owners may simply breed a family mare to a local stallion in order to produce a companion animal, most professional breeders use selective breeding to produce individuals of a given phenotype, or breed.

Alternatively, a breeder could, using individuals of differing phenotypes, create a new breed with specific characteristics.

Exposing mares to increasing periods of artificial light can get the breeding season started earlier. During the breeding season, mares ovulate regularly every 3 weeks, but they are in heat and receptive to a stallion for only 2 to 8 days. Heat is generally longer early in the season (spring) and only 2 to 3 days in late June. Gestation (pregnancy) lasts 330 to 342 days, with lighter breeds generally having a longer pregnancy (340 to 342 days) than heavier breeds (330 to 340 days). Pregnant mares generally have a single foal; twins are rare. Foals can see and stand to suckle soon after birth.

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