You're in the right place! At Vista Equine our goal is to make breeding your mare as easy and hassle free for you as possible. You've hired us for a service so we will take the entire workload off your hands!

Picking A Stallion. Maybe you've already selected your stallion or you're still searching. Either way, once you have picked the perfect match for your mare complete their contract, shipping forms, and pay any necessary fees.

Once all of that is submitted to the stallion station then contact us to schedule your mare's first appointment!

Upon her arrival we will need the following information. Stallion she's being bred to, vaccination/deworming history, any special feeding instructions, any pertinent reproductive history, and insurance information. We will also have you complete an inhouse contract. If she's arriving during business hours she will be palpated while you're here and the veterinarian will discuss what they see and give you a general timeframe of what her stay will look like.

After that point we'll take care of everything else from then on!

PREGNANT MARES:
     • 5months - Prodigy Rhino
     • 7months - Prodigy Rhino
     • 9months - Prodigy Rhino and Rotavirus
     • 10months - Core, Flu/Rhino, Strep, Rotavirus, and Clostridium. Deworm with ivermectin.

If you cannot locate any of these vaccines locally, please contact us for shipping options!

OPEN MARES: Please have your mares vaccinated for Core (EWT/Rabies/WNV), Flu/Rhino, and Strep at least two weeks prior to their arrival. These vaccines need to be given in the current calendar, fall vaccinated mares will re-vaccinated upon their arrival. We understand strep is not a typical spring vaccine but because we are a high-volume facility we require it for mares that plan to stay.

The average gestation period for a mare is 340 days from ovulation. Now remember, that's just an average number and we consider the "normal range" for a mare to be two weeks before and after that due date. That gives her an entire month for a normal gestation.

But my mare is overdue, can we induce her? In short, NO! The final stages of lung development in the foal are done within the last few days of pregnancy. Without knowing exactly when she will foal, induction would pose a very likely fatal ending for the foal.

We know nobody loosing sleep every night watching their pregnant mare wants to hear this, but our own record at Vista Equine is a 385 day gestation, well over a year!

On the flip side, you also do not want your mare foaling too early either. A foal is considered viable around 310-320 days gestation. Foals born prior to that typically have significant medical issues and a high rate of loss. A common cause of premature delivery in mares is placentitis, please read further on here for more details and warning signs.

Placentitis is inflammation, usually caused by an infection, of the placenta. Left untreated placentitis will almost always causes abortion of the foal. If caught early and treated the outcome can be quite successful.

We periodically ultrasound mares throughout their pregnancy and measure their CTUP (Combined Thickness of the Uterus and Placenta). Increased measurements can be in indication of an issue that needs to be addressed by your veterinarian.

Generally, the only outward symptom of placentitis is premature udder (bag) development. We don't want to see bag development any early that 30 days prior to her due date. There can certainly be a gray area but if your mare starts to build a bag earlier that 30 days prior to her due date it's best to have her seen by a veterinarian trained in reproduction. Treatment in the early stages is much more simple, much less expensive, and has a much higher survival rate for her foal. Please don't wait!