Breeding Senior Mares

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140 – July/August, 2025

By William Given

She is a beautiful mare. She is correctly constructed and has wonderful conformation. She has a pleasing personality and sound temperament. She possesses an amazing ability to produce foals better than herself and she is a great mother. She has an enviable pedigree and a super show record.

She is also 20 years old. As a broodmare, she is still really quite valuable. For her and exceptional mares like her, cutting edge veterinary services add to the breeder’s reproductive options when breeding senior mares.

From ages 4 to 15 years, a mare is in her reproductive prime. Then, somewhere between 15 and 20 years of age, her fertility starts to decline. The older a mare gets, the steeper the decline becomes. Of course, every mare is uniquely individual with her own health history and genetic strengths and weaknesses.

The transitional period

Click here to read the complete article
140 – July/August, 2025