Equestrian terms: What is a broodmare?

If a mare is a female horse (or other equid), then what is a broodmare?

A broodmare, quite simply, is a mare that is used for breeding. A broodmare most often is kept exclusively for the purpose of producing equine offspring (foals), although some broodmares may also be ridden.

Broodmares may require special care and feeding, with additional veterinary visits scheduled for pregnancy checks and monitoring and with customized nutritional programs. Often, a mare that previously was shod will go without shoes, once she becomes a broodmare and is devoted primarily to breeding.

The gestation period for an equine is approximately 11 months, so many successful broodmares are re-bred (in heat) within a month or two after foaling, if all goes according to plan. Because an equine foal is usually not weaned for several months after birth, the broodmare may be rebred while still having a baby at her side. 

Top broodmares are generally valued for their proficiency at carrying healthy foals to term and transmitting excellent pedigrees, athleticism, and conformation to their offspring.

Image/s:

Public domain photo

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Equestrian terms: What is a bronco?

The bucking bronco is a popular rough-riding rodeo attraction. What is a bronco? The word “bronco” is actually a Spanish word for rough. In English, a bronco is a challenging horse that is difficult to ride and tends to buck while ridden under saddle or bareback.

Basically, a bronco is a horse that is inexperienced in carrying a rider, unwilling to do so, or simply difficult to ride. The bronco, or bronc, may be a feral or green horse, or it may be an unruly, intractable equine that persists in bucking riders off.

Bucking broncos are commonly seen in rodeos, showing up in bareback bronc and saddle bronc events. Bronc riders are timed and judged to earn competition scores. For such events, riders typically wear spurs, and special flank straps are placed on the horses (and tightened immediately before entry to the arena) to encourage bucking.

The term “bucking bronco” is also bandied about in to describe a misbehaving horse after a particularly high-energy ride.

Image/s:

Public domain photo - Pixabay

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Fly season is enough to make the fur fly

My horse is sweet and basically gentle. One might say she wouldn’t harm a fly. Well, that’s not exactly so. Lately, she’s been swishing her tail and stomping her hooves, trying to fend off flies.

Yep, it’s fly season at the stables. And these nasty little buzzers are back with a vengeance this year. Flies sort of put the proverbial fly in the ointment, when it comes to working with horses in the great outdoors.

Here’s a graphic I generated for a former client’s page. 
(I no longer work with this client, and the image rights reverted to me, so I’m sharing it on this site.)

And in the barn, more than one farrier or vet has been known to fly into a rage after swatting a few dozen flies during a dainty procedure.

Plenty of equestrians don’t mind flying into the face of danger. But a single fly in the face can change our whole demeanor, causing any of us to fly off the handle. We’ll fly by the seats of our pants, but we will nearly come unseated, if those giant B-52 bomber horseflies take bites of our mounts.

Note: This post contains a hearty selection of Amazon product links (below), related to the topic at hand and offered for readers' convenience. This site is advertiser-supported and benefits from reader participation in such offerings. However, such interaction is wholly voluntary. Generally, I try not to overload posts with promotional links. Once in a while, however, they fit the bill quite nicely.

Yes, it’s time to tell the filthy fly to go fly a kite.

What steps do you take to keep flies at bay, while you ride your bay (or chestnut or white or gray or other colored horse)? Here are several product options commonly chosen by equestrians to keep flies away. If you’ve tried any of these, I’d appreciate your comments (below) on how well they worked.

Maybe you use plenty of fly spray:

• Absorbine 32 Fl Oz Ultra Shield Sport Sweat Resistant Fly Spray Repels and Kills Insecticide and Repellent
• Absorbine UltraShield EX Brand Residual Insecticide and Repellent
• EQyss Barn Barrier Natural Fly Repellent Spray, 32 oz
• EQyss Premier Spray Marigold Scent 32 oz
• FARNAM 3002221 Endure Fly Spray
• FARNAM Home and Garden 3005635 Bronco Gold Fly Spray, 32-Ounce
• Manna Pro 0593405864 Ready-to-Use Equine Fly and Mosquito Spray for Horses, 1-Quart
• Repel-X 32 oz.
• Total Horse Protection 32 Oz Spray
• TRIGGER HORSE SPRAY, Size: 1 QUART
• VPL Endure Fly Spray for Horses, 32-Ounce

Or roll-ons:

• Endure Roll-On Fly Repellant, 3oz
• Farnam Roll-On Fly Repellent

Do you buy fly spray in larger quantities and refill your spray bottles?

• Absorbine 1 Gallon Ultra Shield Sport Sweat Resistant Fly Spray
• Endure GAL Fly Spray
• EQyss Barn Barrier Natural Fly Repellent Spray, 128 oz
• Farnam Bronco Equine Fly Spray 1 Gal Gal
• GAL RTU Equine Spray
• Pyranha Wipe N Spray Fly Protection Spray For Horses
• W F YOUNG Gallon Fly Repellent

Perhaps you add a fly mask: 

• Cashel Crusader Standard Fly Mask No Ears or Nose
• Durvet Duramask Fly Mask
• Farnam SuperMask II Horse Fly Mask for Horses
• Kensington KPP Fly Mask with Fleece Trim, Blue Ice Plaid
• Roma Stretch Bug Eye Saver with Ears
• Tough 1 Ladybug Mesh Fly Mask
• Weaver Leather DELUXE FLY MASK W/O EARS

NOTE:  This blogger has no affiliation with any product/s mentioned in this post and received no remuneration from the manufacturer/s or product promoter/s for this post.

Do you garb your horse in a fly sheet?

• Amigo Mio Combo Flysheet
• Centaur Horsey Embroidered Fly Sheet
• Defender Basic Fly Sheet
• Horseware Rambo Protector Fly Sheet
• Kensington Euro Cut Poly Max Fly Sheet
• Kool Coat Airstream Detach-A-Neck UV Fly Sheet
• Saxon SoftMesh Fly Sheet
• Shires Sweet-Itch Combo Fly Sheet
• Tough-1 Deluxe Contour Fly Scrim with Neck Cover
• WeatherBeeta Airflow Detach-A-Neck Fly Sheet

And what about fly tapes and fly catchers for the horse barn?

• Flyguard Fly Catcher Catches All Flying Insects 10 Roll
• Pic FR10B Sticky Fly Ribbons, 20-pack
• Revenge Fly Tape The Hugh Reel, 1312'
• Sterling Rescue (2 Pack) Outdoor Disposable Fly Catcher
• BEAPCO 6-Pack Drop-Ins Fruit Fly Traps
• Victor Poison-Free M521 Super Fly Roll

 Shoo, flies. We have horses to ride!

Image/s

Meme generated by The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers

Horse in fly mask - public domain photo

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