should I breed a pony to a thoroughbred

oaklawn · Weanling Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 7

i have a 14-15 hand pony and a 16 hand thoroughbred will the pony be ok
(giving birth)?

dctrainingandlessons · Very Active Member Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 548

Should be so long as the mare has plenty of room in her pelvic area, talk to your vet more about this, they would be able to judge the situation a bit more.

I bred my 14.3 hand arabian mare to a nearly 17 hand big bodied paint stallion and she had absolutely no troubles with the foal. I did need to help a bit to get those shoulders out, but otherwise it was no big deal and she probably could have done it all naturally on her own if I wasn't such a wuss. The baby had legs a mile long and she grew like a weed, but her momma had no problems nursing her or anything else.

Rebecca Barnet · Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject: I would not.

A number of years ago, I watched a vet perform a c-section on a quarter horse mare that had been bred to a larger horse than her --- she was too small to have the foal through her hips. It was not a pretty sight. Foal was unfortunately dead, and the owners were lucky to save the mare after a long night in labor. A c-section on a horse is dangerous for a horse and was very different to watch.

skipitgirl · Member Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 85 Location: Ohio

We had a 12 hand pony mare that foaled a filly by a 16.2 hand TB "gelding" and she did fine. Yep, he was a crypt LOL! The girl that owned him was SHOCKED to say the least. When she got him off the track there was no mention of it. The filly is now 4 yrs old and 14.3.

gypsy · Yearling Joined: 23 Dec 2006 Posts: 29 Location: Arkansas

14-15 hands isn't really a pony and isn't that far from 16 hands so it shouldn't be a problem

doubleopi · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject:

Hmm, I just had a huge conversation on this not long ago with someone. . . a pony(Or pony sized equine) (in all material and references that I have ever found) is up to 14.2hh. . . one book even says 15hh. If you know of a source that says differently I would love to find it and read it and see what it says, because, like I said, every source I have ever found says 14.2hh

Jaimi · Member Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 109 Location: Alabama

Ive always heard the size of the foal is determined by the amount of room the mare has in her uterus, so even if the stud were much bigger, it wouldnt matter; the mares baby wouldnt grow larger than the mare could handle. I could be wrong, but...
And, like what has been said before, 14/15hh and 16hh isnt THAT big of a difference.
Good luck with the baby, if you choose to breed. Very Happy