To cover a maiden mare in April/may or wait?

I'm not sure this one is cut and dried for me ovalu.

I wouldn't want to cover her in May I don't think. Particularly if you want to sell as a foal.

I am always mindful of where this years potential cover will leave the mare for the following season and a cover sometime soon would leave you with a viable shot at establishing a sequence. Bearing in mind that a young mares uterous should stand a good chance of a quick recovery post foaling. However counter that with the slightly increased chance of a maiden mare having complications post foaling then perhaps the time might be tight.

For me, the biggest headache would be finding a stallion I actually want to use that didn't want to tie me into a 2 or 3 jump deal. That at this stage is something I wouldn't go for with a maiden.

FWIW I gave up trying to get our maiden mare ready a month ago. If not in the 1st year when do you get a mare early and may be a blank looks less obvious the 1st year after racing than in year 2 or 3. Where would the demand be for late offspring be, something PM would know much more than I.

Thanks for your views, I'm leaning towards letting her go and try to start early next season

Hard to disagree with that ovalu, and indeed proxygene.

But as devil's advocate. . .

Last year I started a maiden off. All went well and she was covered late Feb and twinned. An unsuccessful pinching, both degenerated, and come late April she had still resisted all attempts to get her cycling again and I pulled the plug as you guys have done.

This year, 2 maidens (one barren obv.) were started off together and no.2 is safely in foal. Our mate though was too covered early doors and this time she didn't conceive. It turns out a stallion problem, but lo, she shut down again anyway.

At that stage I was left a wondering, but made the decision to crack on as I feel that you have to get them started somehow!
Luckily she has cycled again and has been very much weather led, as indeed has a foaling mare on the same sort of timings.

So, she's been covered again and I am pretty hopeful - 2 follicles though!!

Moral of the tale ; the grass isn't always greener by giving it another 10 months to grow!

I'd consider covering her still but I would be more interested in seeing the pedigree first. If shes a national hunt mare I wouldn't ever cover her. If its a flat mare has she got a commercial pedigree which you can sell from or are you just throwing money away??

tbh, i reckon late foals at the sales start with a disadvantage. its just an impression though i don't have stats

i don't think an april foal is too bad. I think its better than the cost of keeping her another year to get something on the ground. you can catch upa a month next year buy covering her in her foal heat. Even if you kept her until next year theres no guarantee you will get a jan/feb foal. Breed her.