ABSTRACT
The stallion should be placed in the pasture and the mares released to him on a gradual basis. The established pecking order will be disturbed by putting the stallion into the mare herd—it appears that some mares will fight again to reestablish the pecking order in the presence of the stallion. Mares who constantly court the stallion's favor, even when not in oestrus, should be removed because the stallion may pay exclusive attention to them. Stallions breed at dawn and dusk and at any other time when the stallion or mare herd are disturbed by man, another stallion, or pony teaser. Stallions do not cover every mare that shows oestrus. They can be most selective, particularly with infected mares, and mares treated with prostaglandin are less attractive to the stallions. The physiological limit for an active stallion is 20 mares with good reproductive records and 15 mares with chronic problems of barrenness.
