Horse Breeder Job Description

Most foals are born naturally, without human intervention.

Horse lovers find breeding to be a natural progression in the life of their horses; however, becoming a breeder or breeding manager requires much more than allowing nature to take its course. In addition to basic care of the horse, there are many other tasks that must be performed to be a successful breeder. These include record keeping, client relations, stallion handling, broodmare care and foal handling.

Breeding

A horse breeder must be experienced in handling excited stallions.

Horse breeding involves a significant amount of time and is not a job for an amateur. A successful horse breeder will be totally committed to breeding, possess horse knowledge, horse handling skills and experience working with stallions and mares. A breeder must also be knowledgeable of breeding practices, lab work, sales, marketing, accounting and business management.

Skills

Horse breeding and reproduction is a science.

A degree in equine reproduction, preferably a Master's Degree, is required. Most large breeding facilities call for a minimum of 5 years on-the-job training. A breeder or breeding manager may likely possess advanced skills such as semen shipping, embryo transfer, artificial insemination, lab work or genetics.

Time

A breeder is always on call.

The average breeder may be on call up to 90 hours per week. Time must be allotted for palpating and inseminating mares during breeding season. After successful breeding begin the long hours of foal watch, day in and day out, until the foals hit the ground.

Duties

A breeder must complete a fair amount of paperwork.

A horse breeder's or breeding manager's daily duties include:

- Attaching collection sheaths to the genitals of a stallion for semen collection.
- Observing mares in season to detect approach of estrus.
- Exercising animals regularly to induce or hasten estrus.
- Measuring semen into calibrated syringes.
- Inserting syringes loaded with semen into inseminating guns.
- Injecting prepared semen into mares for breeding.
- Maintaining record logs of semen samples used and animals bred.
- Recording animal weights, growth patterns and diet.
- Selecting animals to be bred and semen specimens to be used.
- Branding, tattooing or otherwise tagging animals for identification.

Mare and Foal Care

Mare and foal should be separated from other horses for at least 4 weeks.

Mares due to foal must be separated from other horses for their own benefit as well as the coming foal. Separation also allows for easier monitoring during the birthing process. Most mares foal at night or in the early morning hours, necessitating a breeder to be on call. Immediately after birth, a mare will lick her newborn as a means of cleaning and aiding in blood circulation. The horse breeder is responsible for watching the mare closely for passage of the placenta, after which the foal's navel should be cleaned with antiseptic to prevent infection. During the next several weeks, it is the breeder's responsibility to monitor the mare's level of aggression and the foal's progress before blending the pair back in with the herd.

References

• Horse Jobs: Breeding Manager
• "Manual of Equine Reproduction;" Terry L. Blanchard, Dickson D. Varner, Charles C. Love, Steven P. Brinsko, Sherri L. Rigby, James Schumacker; 2002