Adena Springs Foundation Mare Dies

[TJ]

Primal Force, 24 years old, died Sunday from complications due to foaling while producing a full sister to Macho Uno....the foal is doing well. TJ
http://www.drf.com/news/primal-force-di ... foaling-24

[bdw0617]

Responsible for Macho Uno, Awesome again, and my fav horse of all time ghostzapper. RIP sweet primal force

[erhrdt3]

Another great mare dies while trying to give birth so late in life!

Why oh why are they taking a chance to kill this mare like they did by breeding her at such an old age?!? This totally pisses me the hell off.

Now she is gone, the foal has NO mother, and not to mention the pain she must have gone through. Shame on the owners/breeders.

[Fireslam]

It doesnt occur to you that she was lucky to even live to 24???

Multiple stakes winner Comalagold died April 2 from foaling complications. She was the all-time leading Alabama-bred female earner with $311,080, according to the Alabama Thoroughbred Breeders Racing Association.

An 11-year-old daughter of Royal Empire....


You definitely a glass half empty person, arent you.

[wilf]

Fireslam I don't quite get your response, what on earth does glass half empty mean in this case. There is nothing to celebrate that Adena was milking her for one more drop of her bloodlines and she died trying! Stuff happens in breeding on a sadly all too regular basis however it does and many younger mares die foaling out. To keep a mare in the game at 24 is really pushing it and considering that she was a producer of the highest quality then I would have thought that some caution was required.PQ progeny records indicate that she has not had a foal since 06 so this news is doubly surprising. Having said that I am actually shocked at this news as Adena has an excellent record of taking care of their retired runners and even have a division in Canada that specialises in that. Mrs Stronach is front and center on that cause too! What a mare was Primal Force and what a legacy she leaves behind!

[Sysonby]

If the Internet existed back then, I wonder what would be said about the breeding of this horse.

http://www.pedigreequery.com/rossini

Hint: Do the math.

[Toccet02]

If the Internet existed back then, I wonder what would be said about the breeding of this horse.

http://www.pedigreequery.com/rossini

Hint: Do the math.

yes--18 foals, last at 25, did anyone ever cry out against the treatment of Somethingroyal?

[Mood Swings]

I don't disagree with breeding aged mares. When the time comes they just will not get in foal any longer. Primal Force would have lived a better life then some humans (sadly). Young mares die foaling too. It's not like the mare died because of unnatural causes. Of course the risks are increased with aged mares but ultimately the TB industry is a business. She would have been afforded the best possible care and the timeliest of pain medications and what not during her foaling.

RIP Primal Force

[erhrdt3]

Yea....to what wilf says And to Fireslam, I am a COMMON SENSE person that thinks more of an animal than breeding it to death.

Why must they breed to death these mares?

What usually happens to them to cause their deaths? Is it a heart attack, or something that makes them colic, etc?

I think Primal Force gave the 'sport' quite a bit, could she not have been given back something, like a lovely retirement, pensioned and living her days out in the Kentucky Bluegrass? Give me a break.

This is what worries me about Zenyatta, with her being so huge. Heaven help them if something ever happens to her, the horse racing world will be in a major uproar.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Another great mare dies while trying to give birth so late in life!

Why oh why are they taking a chance to kill this mare like they did by breeding her at such an old age?!? This totally pisses me the hell off.

Now she is gone, the foal has NO mother, and not to mention the pain she must have gone through. Shame on the owners/breeders.

I don't understand a lot about horses and breeding yet---but that does seem to be an advanced age to be breeding a mare.

How long to horses live anyway?

And how do we know whether she was given drugs to make her 'breeding years' last longer?

I realize that racing is a business--just asking.

[Bast]

Another great mare dies while trying to give birth so late in life!

Why oh why are they taking a chance to kill this mare like they did by breeding her at such an old age?!? This totally pisses me the hell off.

Now she is gone, the foal has NO mother, and not to mention the pain she must have gone through. Shame on the owners/breeders.

I don't understand a lot about horses and breeding yet---but that does seem to be an advanced age to be breeding a mare.

How long to horses live anyway?

And how do we know whether she was given drugs to make her 'breeding years' last longer?

I realize that racing is a business--just asking.

All horses are individuals.

Every mare has to be treated like an individual. Some mares die attempting to deliver their first foal.

Some horses live to be 30 or more, if they are managed well.

I'm not advocating breeding 30 year old mares.

Consider: Somethingroyal was 18 when she foaled Secretariat, and 25 when she delivered her last foal.

[ElPrado]

Mares have a tendency to hemorrhage during foaling due to rupture of the uterine artery. That artery is huge and is the one that supplies the blood flow that feeds the foal during development. The risk increases with age. 24 is a bit much. Most are pensioned by then.
Why would being huge make Zenyatta a breeding risk? I'd be more worried if she were small.

[clh]

You know, I kind of got into this on another board, but I'll say it again. People cry when someone loses a mare but when a large breeding farm loses a mare they have no compassion for them. What? You think Primal Force was not loved? She was loved as much as "you" love your mares. Breeding farms are in the business to breed. She was afforded the best of care and unfortunately, unfortunate things happen all the time. It just isn't due to complications of foaling. You think being struck by lightening, laminintis, colic, or any other poblems that can arise are an easier way for a mare to die? I think not. Mares can lead perfectly sound breeding lives well into their 20's. She was afforded the best possible vet care that money could buy - you think the vet said no don't breed her and they bred her anyhow? You think they bred her without a vet? I don't think so. I think we should grieve for the loss of a loved mare - how would you feel if you were reading this garbage about YOU and a mare you had just lost? You have no way of knowing whether someone from that farm is on this board or not. I think we need to be a little more compassionate, especially when it comes to the deaths of our equine friends, who bring so much joy to our lives and are the reason we post here anyway.

[Strategic Maneuver]

You know, I kind of got into this on another board, but I'll say it again. People cry when someone loses a mare but when a large breeding farm loses a mare they have no compassion for them. What? You think Primal Force was not loved? She was loved as much as "you" love your mares. Breeding farms are in the business to breed. She was afforded the best of care and unfortunately, unfortunate things happen all the time. It just isn't due to complications of foaling. You think being struck by lightening, laminintis, colic, or any other poblems that can arise are an easier way for a mare to die? I think not. Mares can lead perfectly sound breeding lives well into their 20's. She was afforded the best possible vet care that money could buy - you think the vet said no don't breed her and they bred her anyhow? You think they bred her without a vet? I don't think so. I think we should grieve for the loss of a loved mare - how would you feel if you were reading this garbage about YOU and a mare you had just lost? You have no way of knowing whether someone from that farm is on this board or not. I think we need to be a little more compassionate, especially when it comes to the deaths of our equine friends, who bring so much joy to our lives and are the reason we post here anyway.

I really agree.

[pfrsue]

I really agree.

Yeah, I do too. Some posts in this thread make it sound like she didn't live to a ripe old age enjoying retirement and grazing on Kentucky bluegrass...but that's exactly what she probably did do. If she'd foaled out safely until then and enjoyed being a mom, then why not let her do what horses do naturally? Broodmares, especially on farms like this one, pretty much live the life of Riley. I seriously doubt she would have been bred if the vets had thought it would put her in significant danger. (I knew a 23 year old mare who foaled out so easily that her filly was completely born between the time I saw the mare go down from the monitoring room and the ninety seconds or so it took me to get to the foaling stall. Mare did fine and so did her baby.)

And it's not like the foal was left to die cold and alone with wolves circling. I'm sure it's on a nurse mare and probably doesn't know the difference.

erhrdt3, I really don't understand your point of view, although I'm trying. Regarding Zenyatta, you seemed very upset that they didn't race her for another year, and even more upset that her owners would like her to reproduce. In my experience, horses are more likely to be catastrophically hurt while training and racing than while standing around in a field grazing with buddies and occasionally having a foal and nursing it for a few months. I mean no disrespect, but I just find your opinion sort of contradictory.