griff wrote:Why don't you pasture breed them??
Horses have been successfully doing this for thousands and thousands of years with much better foal to covered mare results than the best farms anywhere.
Yep, pasture or herd breeding has worked for eons. Works great, except for the stallions that got kicked in the nuts and were rendered infertile. And not so much for mares that--for whatever reason--kick at the horses that try to cover her. She won't get many dates acting like that, or have very many babies...
Seriously, TBs and other domestic horses are pretty far removed from this sort of "natural" breeding model. Their matings have been so much manipulated that is no wonder there are some strange breeding behaviors in some individuals. Matings are based on speed and many whim their owners have in their matches, but not for the most adaptive mating processes. Horses that don't cooperate are drugged, restrained, etc, so that they reproduce in spite of themselves. And they, in turn, go on to produce offspring that have the potential to have the same twisted behaviors, characteristics, etc.
It's simple to hobble the mare by using a length of soft cotton rope to tie-up a foreleg or hind limb. A three-legged horse can't kick. Hobbling both hinds works, too. A pre-made commercial pair can be bought cheaply. There is some degree of risk that the mare will manage to fall or tangle herself, so it is prudent to put a twitch on her to distract and discourage her from moving or kicking. I'd not sedate her unless you have a team of skilled handlers, good horsemen, that can support her if she does get off balance, and who are able to react quickly and compentently if she goes down or gets tangled up.
Good luck!
"I'll lay me down and bleed a while, and then I'll rise and fight again." Sir Barton
