Racing begins at breeding.  If this industry is to be developed in the Virgin Islands, we must first develop our Breeding Program.

A Virgin Islands Thoroughbred is defined as:

1.  A Thoroughbred foaled in the Virgin Islands whose dam is normally domiciled in the Virgin Islands
2. A Thoroughbred foaled within the Virgin Islands by any broodmare is normally domiciled elsewhere and bred back to a stallion quartered with in the Virgin Islands. 

Our first objective would be to determine and indentify the pedigree of our breeding stock animals. It would be prudent to immediately conduct a Census of these breeding stock animal to determine the exact number, sex and most importantly whether or not Certificates of Registration are available for each. Secondly, another census should  be conducted to record the Sex, Sir, Dam and Date of Birth of each horse fooled in the Virgin Islands; that is believed to be Thoroughbred. With the accurate categorizing of both censuses conducted, we can then proceed  to determine Eligibility for Registration which includes the correct Identifying and Genetic Sampling each horse.

Breeding Older Mares

A breeding problem of any type has to be seriously addresses, especially in Thoroughbreds. With Thoroughbred Mares, the goal is to achieve pregnancy early in the breeding season in order to produce a foal early in the calender year; to give it, what is known as a "leg up " at sale and racing time. A broodmare can run in excess of $5,000.00 per year; in the event, she doesn't produce a foal, that outlay is down the proverbial drain. The older the mare, the greater the potential for reproductive problems. Statistics show that 20 - 25% of older mares have reproductive problems in comparison to 2-3% of young, maiden mares.

The wear and tear of multiple pregnancies tends to have a profound impact on the reproductive health of broodmares as they become older. These problems become prevalent at breeding time. In some cases, the mare fails to become pregnant and in other cases, she may become pregnant but unable to carry the foal to term. In the light of today's technology, older mares are able to conceive, carry, and produce healthy foals. Reproductive Soundness Exams should be conducted prior to breeding season.

The Facilities

The Hygiene of the birthing area is of utmost importance since both mare and foal are susceptible to infection during and immediately after foaling. Ideally, the mare should reside at the farm where she will foal for at least two months prior to birth so she can develop antibodies against organisms that are present, and in turn pass the antibodies on to her foal via Colostrum. In warm climates, you might choose to foal the mare in a clean, grassy, hazard - free pasture or paddock. The mare is often more relaxed in those surroundings. As long as the weather is agreeable, the pasture is an excellent place for most mares to foal.

Unfortunately, there is a disadvantage to foals being born in pastures. More than likely, the birth will go unobserved and should there be a problem, timely assistance might not be rendered. While many Breeders choose to have the mare foal in a designated stall, the mare may develop anxiety while indoors if she is unaccustomed to spending much time in the barn. It is important that she is used to her surroundings, therefore she be stabled in the barn where she is foal for a period of time prior to foaling. The foaling stall allows for close supervision during the birth process as well as provides maximum control over the mare's and newborn foal's Environment. Routine mare and foal care procedures that should be followed shortly after birth are also easier to accomplish when the mare is contained in a stall.

Broodmare Vaccinations

Vaccinating the broodmare dose double duty.Vaccination protects the mare by keeping her healthy while she's carryng  the foal as well as Maximizing her ability to pass along immunity to the foal. Vaccination is a powerful preventive care method that requires careful planning for your particular situation. There are many solid resources out there to consult and there are a good number of factors to consider when designing your Vaccination program. Vaccination is a key part of any infectious disease management program. It is a low - cost way to significantly reduce the risk of your horses getting several major diseases. Basically, by giving the animal a weak or killed form of the disease, the immune system builds antibodies, which then form a defense against the  real bug when the horse encounters it in the future.

It is important to remember that vaccines reduce the risk of infection, but do not eliminate it. Often, a vaccinated horse that dose contact the disease despite vaccination will experience clinical signs that are much milder than if that animal had remained unaccented. You have to weigh the Costa of not vaccinating, such as taking care of a sick animal or many sick animals  - labor, veterinary care, foal loss, and others - against the potential effectiveness of the vaccines, the cost of the vaccines administration methods,and any potential adverse events that occur post vaccination, given the odds, most horse owners choose to vaccinate.