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In the horse breeding industry, the term "half-brother" or "half-sister" only describes horses which have the same dam, but different sires. [6] Horses with the same sire but different dams are simply said to be "by the same sire", and no sibling relationship is implied. [7] "Full" (or "own") siblings have both the same dam and the same sire.
Horses in general have excellent memories, so a foal must not be taught anything as a young horse that would be undesirable for it to do as a full-grown animal. [2] In either case, foals that have not bonded to their mothers will have difficulty in pasture. The mare will find it more difficult to teach the foal to follow her.
Horses mate in spring and summer; autumn is a transition time, and anestrus occurs during winter. A feature of the fertility cycle of horses and other large herd animals is that it is usually affected by the seasons. The number of hours daily that light enters the eye of the animal affects the brain, which governs the release of certain ...
Similarly, a yearling is a horse of either sex between the ages of one and two. A young female horse is called a filly, and a mare once she is an adult animal. In horse racing, particularly for Thoroughbreds in the United Kingdom, a colt is defined as an uncastrated male from the age of two up to and including the age of four. [3]
Horse cloning is the process of obtaining a horse with genes identical to that of another horse, using an artificial fertilization technique. Interest in this technique began in the 1980s. The Haflinger foal Prometea, the first living cloned horse, was obtained in 2003 in an Italian laboratory. Over the years, the technique has improved.
Horses, particularly colts, are sometimes physically capable of reproduction at about 18 months, but domesticated horses are rarely allowed to breed before the age of three, especially females. [ 31 ] : 129 Horses four years old are considered mature, although the skeleton normally continues to develop until the age of six; maturation also ...
Any horse who has yet to win a race is known as a maiden. Horses finished with a racing career that are not suitable for breeding purposes often become riding horses or other equine companions. A number of agencies exist to help make the transition from the racetrack to another career, or to help find retirement homes for ex-racehorses. [113]
A broodmare. Note slight distension of belly, indicating either early pregnancy or recent foaling. A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. [1] In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger.