# Nurse mare farms



## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

I don't know if any of you have seen the new show Rescue Ink, but the other night they showed something I've never heard of. Apparently there are farms that keep mares to raise racehorse foals. When a valuable racing mare gives birth, the foal is given to a nurse mare to raise so that the racehorse can be bred again as soon as possible. But to keep them lactating the nurse mares have to be bred all the time too. The foals they have are orphaned and usually die or are killed. 

I can understand not wanting to put a valuable mare through pregnancy but that's what embryo transfer is for. So is embryo transfer not allowed in racing?


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

It kinda works the same as a dairy farm.
I like that show


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

My mare was a recip mare for most of her life for racehorse babies. Every other year she was implanted.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

Everyone I know that breeds for the track told me that the jockey club is very strict when it comes to artificial breeding techniques. Not sure if its true. The farm my friend worked on usually waits till the week after they wean the foals to rebreed. Sometimes they wil even ship a mare off the be bred with the foal (because it isnt weaned yet.)


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

I think the nurse mare industry is terrible, just like the racing industry that it feeds. All for profit! Mares aren't made to be baby factories pumping out one after another, and babys need their moms, not a bucket...


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## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

ponyboy said:


> I don't know if any of you have seen the new show Rescue Ink, but the other night they showed something I've never heard of. Apparently there are farms that keep mares to raise racehorse foals. When a valuable racing mare gives birth, the foal is given to a nurse mare to raise so that the racehorse can be bred again as soon as possible. But to keep them lactating the nurse mares have to be bred all the time too. The foals they have are orphaned and usually die or are killed.
> 
> *I can understand not wanting to put a valuable mare through pregnancy but that's what embryo transfer is for. So is embryo transfer not allowed in racing?*


Nurse mares have nothing to do with putting the more valuable mare through pregnancy as they only come into play once the foal has arrived and are used to feed/raise the foal - the valued mare still goes through the pregnancy. To answer your question, no, artificial means are not permitted by the Jockey Club. There are a lot of dirty little secrets within the horse industry and most revolve around the all mighty dollar.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

AHH the mighty dollar! Love the mighty dollar! Worship the mighty dollar! hehe


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