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Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann
Mares can only have one foal a year (twins generally aren't much good and everybody knows it). Stallions can have dozens, nay, hundreds, and the fee is up front, before the foal is born, comes up with a birth defect, been stepped on my his mom, kicked by a pasture-mate, or anything else that makes it less saleable. A single mare, even a great race mare, just doesn't have the value in the breeding business that the guys do.
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Ped Ann,
I'm glad you chimed in, cause at first I didn't see the reason for the question.
We sonagram the mares and pinch off the other egg before she ovulates.
Yes, I agree, a stallion has much more value.
That said, my best guess is to keep her on the track until she's 4 or 5.
Sometimes it takes them a while off the track to get them back to cycling and the meds flushed out.
As far as breeding, the mare brings out the best in the sire, imho.
So there you have it. The "value" in the mare is sometimes not equal to the sire's, but she is at least half the story.
I won't get into the "every other generation" stuff cause I think you already know that.