b4breeding

New Zealand standardbred breeders get a relatively small ‘window of opportunity’ to produce commercial foals – and many of us have relatively small financial resources to match!

Add to that, if your mare is foaling in the same season you sometimes are waiting until November to get your first shot at insemination.  Some mares are difficult to get in foal for a range of reasons, and mares just retired off the track can take a while to ‘let down’.  And there are other factors such as the condition of the mare, unusual weather patterns, whether the semen is fresh or frozen etc etc.

It is really important that everyone does their best to get the ‘planets all lined up’. 

Because not getting a mare in foal means the breeder will have to carry a mare through to the following season – not a planned break (which personally I support doing for mares at appropriate intervals) but an unnecessary year’s delay in producing a commercial foal and additional costs of looking after a mare who is not “working”.

So it is really frustrating when a sire with a reputation for being highly fertile appears to be having an off season.

This happened with one of my mares in this 2011/12 season – and I gather I am not alone in having many goes at getting a mare pregnant to Bettor’s Delight, and even then not being successful. Ironically we first tried for frozen semen from Somebeachsomewhere, but were advised that the quality of that semen arriving in NZ was so poor (good on Macca Lodge for being upfront about this and incredibly helpful in getting the deposit refunded), we switched to a local Mr Reliable – Bettor’s Delight – before we even started. 

Alas, by late December we had to finally pulled the plug or risk going into Northern Hemisphere time.

It can happen to a sire. It has happened in the past.  And it will probably be fine the following year.

But from a breeder’s perspective, and I am sure from the perspective of semen bases who have to deal directly with the mare and the breeder, it is good if a potential issue is recognised as soon as possible, because each attempt reduces the ‘window of opportunity”. 

I realise that an apparent drop in fertility affects the return on investment for the stallion’s owners and managers, but it also directly impacts on many breeders who are struggling to keep up with rising costs and do their bit to maintain our breeding numbers. Sure, you don’t have to pay the service fee, but you are still committed to significant costs without the bonus of having a foal on the way.

Good communication. That’s what helps build reputations and relationships for the longer term. In this case, I am sure Woodlands Stud will have a good look into it once the season is tallyed up and share what they find. I do appreciate that sometimes we can jump to conclusions, whereas evidence may tell a different story.  After all, Bettor’s Delight is a fantastic sire and a hugely popular one. And I am sure there are many happy breeders around the country with positive results too.

This is less about this one particular case, and more to make the point of how breeding relies on many complex factors, all working together to get a positive result. It’s in everyone’s interest. Fertility rates are publicised and that’s great for breeders because it is something we have to take into consideration when making decisions about timings and sires.

For my mare, it’s not a huge issue, more a frustration. We will hopefully get a flying start next season.