Want to ask her hypothetical (sp) question. what is the youngest age that you have known a colt accidently cover a mare? 10 months? 12 months? 18 months? Lisa
A neighbour's mare was covered by her 10 month old son and she did conceive.
We had to wean one of ours at 6 months because he was "precociously mature" but then I left his brother with his dam until he was 14 months old and no problems at all. I also bought a 10 month old colt and turned him out with my old Cleveland Bay mare who was suckling her filly foal - no problem at all - she started to suckle the colt as well as her own foal!!!
Think it really depends on the colt in question but I believe that biologically it's possible from 10 months.
I have heard of a 9 month colt that covered successfully his own mother. I had a colt foal born here a few years ago that at 3 months would become fully drawn and was unsuccessfully (only through height) attempting to mate his mother, needless to say he was weaned/gelded early!!!
I had trouble with a four month old colt who while still on his dam tryed to cover my sisters sec b mare who was in the same field and raging in season... its was not just the usual clumsy attempt but he was fully drawn and almost gained intromission! at that point i decided it might be a good idea to get him gelded! okay he may not of been fertile but i was worried he would get kicked!!!
In the distant past when on livery fields the 'farmer' allowed anyone to put their horses out, inculding a welsh section A yearling colt who had not dropped on both sides so could not be gelded then.
this little **** covered my 14.2 half TB mare and i got a late august foal the following year that only made 13 hands.
My childish (I was only a young teenager) protests when it was turned out were ridiculed.
A friend of mine was stud manager on a big TB stud in Ireland and they had a 9 month old colt cover a 10month old filly and she was in foal and they had to wash it out of her. Where there's a will there's a way.
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England
Posted - 07 Oct 2008 : 5:24:43 PM
