Description and characteristics of the mare
Horses are equids. They were domesticated over 6 thousand years ago. People used them for movement, transportation of goods and other economic needs. For millennia, horses have played an important role in human life. The white thoroughbred mare was depicted on the banners of the ancient Saxons and Celts.
Mare
Horses are mentioned in many cultures. They were deified, legends and tales were made about them. Now these animals are considered a symbol of strength, grace and perfection.
Description of the animal
What is a mare? Female horses are called mares, and males are called stallions. A mare is a synonym for the word "working" or "generic". A castrated male has a different name - a horse or a gelding. These words came to the Russian language from the Turkic language. But the word "horse" was formed in Ancient Russia from "loshaya" (bad, thin, skinny) and the suffix "ad", typical of the local dialect. It was customary to give valuable things bad names in order to protect them from evil spirits.
The mare is usually smaller than the male in stature, her pelvis is more widely set. The animal has an elongated head, large lively eyes. The ears of mares are small, triangular, pointed in shape. The body is massive, with strong legs. The tail and mane are represented by long, coarse hair. Its color depends on the color of the animal. Breeding stallions have always had special wives selected. Such a female must be healthy and hardy in order to produce strong offspring.
The weight and height of mares depends not only on the characteristics of the breed, but also on the quality of nutrition, as well as the conditions of keeping the horse. The more nutrients it receives, the more it gains muscle mass.
This proud animal takes punishment badly. Sometimes the filly can simply be offended by the injustice. During this period, she behaves just like a person: she looks reproachfully, can shed a tear, sometimes refuses food. He willingly goes to reconciliation, quickly forgets his grievances.
Use of mares in horse breeding
Horse breeders breed animals for various purposes. It all depends on the region of their breeding and the breed qualities of the horses themselves:
- Breeding selection - improving the characteristics of the livestock by crossing and breeding new breeds. In the long term, the goal is to produce offspring from a high quality horse or mare.
- Pulling power - the use of animals in agriculture. Despite the fact that all systems have been automated for a long time, one mare saves more than 1 ton of fuel for the farm when using it instead of a T-16 tractor or any other trailed equipment.
- Sports - raising and preparing animals for horse races, equestrian tourism, animal rental, international equestrian competitions, Olympic games. For these purposes, riding horses are used. Also, this direction is engaged in the development and implementation of new principles for the preparation of horses. Such individuals travel more than one kilometer before mating.
- Products - animals are raised for meat, milk, leather and fur.Sausages, carbonates and other gastronomic delicacies are made from meat. Mare's milk is used to obtain kumis (fermented milk drink) and kurut (dried balls of cottage cheese).
The benefits of lactic acid products from this milk are undeniable. The leather is suitable for the manufacture of outerwear and footwear.
Keeping mares
Only Przewalski's horses are completely wild horses: they have never been tamed. You can also find feral pets called Camargue, Mustangs or Cimmarons, depending on their region of residence.
Horses, like other herbivores, have a tendency to flock into the herd: it is easier to protect themselves from a predator this way. Now horses are kept in several ways, given this feature:
- Herd keeping is the oldest horse keeping system. It is closest to the natural habitat of this species in the wild. Even the ancient nomads were guided by it. Animals are kept for a walk at any time of the year. In winter or in bad weather, brood stallions, foal or lactating mares and young stock are driven into insulated sheds. The pasture is prepared for grazing by removing all objects about which animals can injure themselves, and also excluding poisonous herbs (buttercup, cross, etc.). It is necessary to correctly organize a watering hole. Contaminated reservoirs with stagnant liquid cannot be used for this purpose. A river or stream with a safe descent is perfect. Manure from the pasture must be removed on time and not allowed to accumulate. It can also be buried directly into the ground.
- Stable keeping is a more modern way of keeping horses. Animals are kept in separate stalls; they are walked on individual paddocks. For this, stallions are allocated about 60 m², mares with young stock - up to 100 m², the rest of the individuals - 20-30 m².
- Herd - stable keeping includes both methods of keeping animals. Valuable representatives of the breed are kept in stalls with a canopy, and the rest of the horses are kept free-range in pastures.
Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. The pasture method of keeping is not suitable for large horse-breeding farms, as well as for breeding pedigree animals.
Mares
Puberty in mares begins from 18-20 months, and stallions are ready for mating at the age of 2.5-3 years. Females walk for about 5-6 days. At this time, the mare reacts positively to the stallion and lets him close to her. The walls of the vulva swell, the animal becomes nervous and agitated.
When horses are kept separately according to gender, then it is necessary to somehow determine the hunting period of the mare. For this, test horses are used. These are castrated males or ponies, which, due to their short stature, cannot cover a mare.
If the female is hunting, she herself approaches the horse, turns her back and sits down, spreading her pelvis. There is also a pulsating contraction of the anus muscles.
To initiate hunting in mares, the zoo drug Buserelin is used. When estrus ends, the process of inhibition of sexual instincts begins, the labia return to normal.
In addition to natural insemination, artificial insemination is also used. This procedure is mainly carried out for thoroughbred mares, since one siege of a thoroughbred horse costs tens of thousands of dollars. Covering females is necessary once a day for several days, for complete confidence in fertilization. The stallion seed is injected into the mare's vagina manually using a special apparatus:
- A mare in the hunt is placed in a breeding harness. A hand with a rectal glove is inserted into the vagina. By touch, a catheter is inserted into the cervix, through which 15-25 ml of semen is injected with a syringe.
- A vaginal speculum is inserted into the mare's birth canal and with its help the semen is injected directly into the cervix.
In addition to these methods, the introduction of already fertilized eggs of another individual into the womb of an animal is also practiced.Thus, you can get a high quality litter from a common mare. This is how they get crossed individuals: a mule and a hinnie. They are descendants of a donkey and a horse. Some hybrids are infertile.
It is important to choose the right stallion for mating. Animal weight plays a huge role in natural insemination. A male that is too heavy can injure a mare's back while covering it. In addition, if it is a white mare, it happens more often with a black horse, this is a special practice associated with the belief that the strongest foals will be from such parents.
Pregnancy and childbirth
The period from conception to childbirth lasts 11 months. During pregnancy, the mare needs proper care and attention, among which are:
- liberation of the animal from physical activity in the form of riding or carrying weights;
- warm and dry stable;
- lack of drafts;
- a ban on walking the mare in wet and slippery weather;
- getting good nutrition;
- the presence of salt, which animals willingly lick (provides additional trace elements).
The date of birth is calculated by the day of mating. Some time before childbirth, the udder of the mare increases, and the abdomen shifts closer to the pelvis. The animal does not eat well, but drinks a lot, mucus begins to be secreted from the genitals. The horse's behavior changes, he becomes restless. All this suggests that the mare will give birth soon.
A clean bedding is laid on the floor, the light is muffled and they try not to make noise next to the giving birth female. It is recommended to tie up the tail of the mare so that it does not interfere with the reception of the cub. These animals are characterized by a lying position during childbirth. If a mare for some reason cannot lie down on her own, then she needs help in this: the very process of giving birth to a foal lasts from half an hour to a day. If this time has expired, but the mare cannot give birth in any way, it is necessary to seek help from a veterinarian.
Healthy and strong mares are able to give birth to a cub on their own. After that, it is necessary to check whether the afterbirth has completely departed. To do this, gently probe the horse's belly. Sometimes a mare can bring not one foal, but two.
Lactation period in mares
A milking horse can produce 10-12 liters of milk per day. These are pretty good numbers for dairy cattle.
For normal lactation, the mare must receive a sufficient amount of nutrients, vitamins and trace elements. The diet should include:
- cereals;
- succulent grasses or hay in winter;
- fresh and boiled vegetables;
- concentrates and compound feed.
Also, the mare must have free access to water. If horses are usually watered 3-5 times a day, then the lactating female should drink as much as she wants.
A milking machine is connected to the mare's udder, before that the nipples are lubricated with fat or special creams. It is recommended to hobble especially violent individuals.