Registry Services -
Breeding Record

It isn’t easy to remember everything about each mare you are planning to breed with, without writing it down. You will forget. The simpler the system the better. The accompanying mare breeding record is one that has been developed and used over twenty years of breeding horses by Marie-Anne Leighton. 

Cut it out, photocopy it onto lightweight card or strong paper, put it into a ring binder and have it with you every time your vet visits. Make a card for each mare each year, even if you send her away to stud - ask the stud master for a copy of his records when your mare comes home. You look and act like a professional when, at a glance, you can refer to problems your mare had last season and the one before that and you can discuss the treatment she was given and its success.

Everything your vet does with your mare - scans, follicle tests, caslick procedures, inseminations, pregnancy tests - should be written on her card. Include diagnostic tests, the treatment required including medications and the dose given, vaccinations, parasite control (including the name of the wormer so you can remember to rotate), dental treatment, visits from the farrier and changes in feed and environment.

In the example above - click on the image to enlarge, you will see that My Perfect Mare was due to foal on the 6th of September. A little over a month before she was due, she was wormed with Equimec and, as she was caslicked after being bred last year, the lips of her vulva were cut open to allow room for the foal to be born. This simple surgical procedure must be carried out a minimum of thirty days before the mare is due to foal to allow plenty of time for the vulva to heal and to take into account the fact that some mares foal early. Forgetting to reverse a caslick results in horrendous tearing of the perineum and a resulting delay in getting the mare in foal again, so we can see the importance of noting down important things like this.

Keeping an organised and fully maintained account of your mare’s breeding history is a simple procedure that saves time, not only on the day your vet visits but by giving your vet information that may be critical, thus reducing the number of breeding cycles it takes to get your mare in foal. Your up-to-date records may be one of the most important contributions you can make in getting your mare in foal.

Click here to download the Mare Breeding Record templates.

Text and images: MaryAnne Leighton