# Mare height vs. Stallion height



## picup436

I am looking at breeding my TB mare to a WB stallion in the very near future. Being that I have had very little experience with breeding, I am concerned that she may be quite small for the type of stallion I am interested in. She's a fairly short backed 15.2 TB, and the stallions I am mostly interested in are around the 16.2-17hh size. 

Is there a size difference between mare and stallion that is considered to be safest? Is a foal by a well built 17hh WB stallion going to increase the risk of my fairly typical TB mare during foaling?

I know that breeding is inherently risky by nature, I will be sending her away to foal down and if necessary I will look into ET.


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## Foxhunter

No, it doesn't usually make any difference. The foetus will grow to suit the mare as a rule.

Sometimes if the foal is very broad it might mean she has to be cut to allow it to be born. 

I had the result of a breeding of a Shetland mare to a TB stallion. This was an accident, the mare escaped her field overnight and wandered two miles to where the stud was in a field! She foaled fine, first foal too, and he grew to 14.2.


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## NdAppy

That height difference shouldn't be a big deal. 

It's not the height that really needs to be worried about. It's the build. I would never put a wide stallion to a narrow delicate mare. Too much of a chance of a wide built foal that would get stuck so to speak. 

The foal may stay small to fit in the uterus, but that doesn't mean it's small enough to fit through the birth canal.


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## Saddlebag

This is a discussion you should be having with a horse vet.


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## BlueSpark

My cousins owned the result of a 14.2hh Arabian mare being bred by a 18hh percheron stud. Mare foaled fine, filly grew to 17hh. Ended up being the best of both breeds.

The only time I've seen a mare with a foal that was too big, the mare and stallion were almost identical in size, stallion never threw large foals, and the mare was a successful broodmare. It was an awful thing to see, the foal was taken out in pieces.

I think it just happens. I agree in making logical choices though. I would not breed a really thick stallion to a delicate, narrow mare, nor would I breed a very tall stallion to a short mare. Especially a thoroughbred, which are notorious for having breeding/foaling problems anyways.


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## picup436

Saddlebag said:


> This is a discussion you should be having with a horse vet.


It is a discussion I will be having with my vet. I have a whole heap of questions that I will be asking. 

However, there are many knowledgeable people on here, hearing those opinions and experiences are helpful for me in making the decision as to whether my mare carries the foal, if I go down the ET route, or if I breed from her at all.


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## lilruffian

As with the others, it shouldn't matter. We get alot of horsefolk in where i work and one "bushman" as i call him lol told us of how when he was younger he worked for a guy who actually bred Belgians to Shetlands and when i mentioned that the stud must have been the shetland he said no, the shetlands were mares and the belgian was a stud.
Turns out the guy bred them inentionally because they made awesome pack and riding horses for smaller people!


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