I have two mares who are due to foal in June. One is older and gold rated, so I’ll definitely be breeding her for a 2016 foal, but the other is young and an unproven producer. A foal born in June is probably going to be at a disadvantage as a 2 year old and possibly even as a 3 year old. So do you think it’s worth it to not breed for a 2016 foal and wait for the following year to breed her early? I figure, if I continue to breed her late all her foals with be at a slight disadvantage for her whole breeding career so it might be worth it to sacrifice a foal to give the rest of her babies a head start in the maturation game. I know some people breed into July and even August, so just wondering how others feel about mares that will always be on track for very late foals.
There was a trade-off between early and late foals that I can’t remember. I think late foals are sounder or something, so a June foal isn’t so bad. I don’t think they’re at a disadvantage beyond their 2yo year. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with having a pony that’s still kicking butt at 4yo or 5yo. For me, it’s just that waiting until June sucks.
Yah I wouldn’t think they’d be disadvantaged physically, but if you were trying to qualify them to get into say the Derby or something, they might be at a disadvantage since they wouldn’t have had as much time as a 2 year old to rack up winnings. I guess it’s not that big of a deal since a very small percentage make it to that point, but still it’s something to consider. I think you’re right though, waiting is probably my biggest issue.
I would breed her. If you always breed 30 days out, chances are you’ll end up creeping earlier in the year anyway, since sometimes she’ll foal early and you’ll “gain time” that way.
I only have one foal due in June, but I wouldn’t skip a foal just to reset the breeding dates. 2yos are finicky for all sorts of reasons, being a later baby isn’t that big a deal to me.
My theory has always been that mares have a limited timeframe in which to produce offspring, so I wouldn’t miss the chance at 1 more baby from her just to have a Jan/Feb/March baby.
Unless, of course, you’re gunning for the major 2YO/3YO stakes…but you could still get a fluke June baby who kicks butt, or have a Jan/Feb baby who takes even longer to figure out his own feet.
Plus, the fact of the matter is, I’d much prefer a pony that matures after it has gained experience on the track. Thus, it’d be twice as awesome rather than just having a 2yo that wastes some of its maturity on figuring out how to run well.