MJ Equine Reproduction Services

MJ Equine Reproduction Services Certified Equine Reproduction Technician - Carstairs AB

Home of Newfoundland Pony Stallion Tin Star’s Merlin NPS #972
Stallion Contract available upon request.

AQHA, APHA, & NFLD Ponies
Contact us to discuss your next equine partner!

01/07/2026

FOALING SEASON IS UPON US! Do you have any mares due soon? Here's what to expect when you're expecting (a foal): 🐴

If your mare has made it through 11 months of pregnancy, you're almost there. Labor and delivery, while momentous, are generally uncomplicated. However, being a prepared and informed owner will help you keep your anxiety in check so you can assist the new mother and foal get off to a great start.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the arrival of the foal:

• Consult with your veterinarian well in advance of the birth. Know how to reach your regular veterinarian after hours and ask about a back-up or referring veterinarian in case your regular horse doctor is not available.

• Clean and disinfect the stall as thoroughly as possible. Provide adequate bedding.

• Wash the mare's udder, v***a and hindquarters with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly.

• Wrap the mare's tail with a clean wrap when you observe the first stage of labor. Be sure that the wrap is not applied too tightly or left on too long, as it can cut off circulation and permanently damage the tail.

• Time each stage of labor to help you keep accurate track of the mare's progress. Take written notes! When you're worried or anxious, your perception of time can become distorted.

As always, these are general guidelines, and you should contact your veterinarian for more information specific to your situation. Good luck!

Our girl Dally is growing like a w**d! Such a great mind on this filly, we are so excited about her future ⭐️
01/07/2026

Our girl Dally is growing like a w**d!
Such a great mind on this filly, we are so excited about her future ⭐️

12/26/2025

DID YOU KNOW?

THERE ARE:
355 breedable Newfoundland Ponies. That number combines Mares born after 2003 and Stallions born after 1998.

220 of these breedable ponies currently have no foals on the ground. Some are bred for 2026. Some are too young. Some ponies are not yet registered by NPS.

141 of these breedable ponies have had foals.

Please note - the information given is the most accurate available at the time of writing but may not include recently deceased or gelded ponies.

Number of Descendants of each of the 13 Foundation Stallions:

JOE BATTS BLAZE - 12

RUSTY - 35

LITTLE BO DANDY - 39

KEIFFER - 51

BLAZE OF BELLE - 54

BLACK BRANDY - 77

CHAMPION K - 81

DANCEY - 96

VINLAND’s STAR OF THE SEA - 112

ADMIRAL SHALLOWAY - 144

SKIPPER OF AVALON 147

VINLAND’s RUSTY OF THE BLACK RIVER - 167

PRINCE TAMARACK - 169

The Newfoundland Pony Conservancy is pleased to announce a FREE Newfoundland Pony breeding analysis service for registered Newfoundland Pony owners/breeders. Owners/breeders simply need to email us at info@newfoundlandponies.org with a pony's name and registration number. We then run the program to show inbreeding coefficients between that pony and all of the registered, breedable Newfoundland ponies. NPCC will then email back a pdf with all the matches, both good and bad.

This free service is part of NPCC’s educational mission to help everyone to make good breeding choices. Informed breeding is crucial to the future of the breed to prevent bottlenecks and genetic problems developing which would increase the possibility of extinction of the true traditional pony of Newfoundland. That scenario has played out in other rare breeds.

Please note that all of the data is publicly available. NPCC is not responsible for any errors. It is the responsibility of the breeder to check pedigrees. Also, be aware that an Inbreeding Coefficient is just one tool in the breeder’s toolbox.

To maintain genetic diversity it is particularly important to make sure that ponies descended from the rarer lines are bred and that we don’t lose ANY of the lines

Doubling up on any of the lines will increase the inbreeding coefficient.

Keeping inbreeding coefficients as low as possible helps safeguard the future of the Newfoundland pony because highly in**ed animals are less fertile, less healthy and have reduced genetic diversity.

Genetic diversity is finite and easily lost. Use it or lose it!

Maintaining Genetic diversity:
-Maximize the breeding population by breeding ponies that have not yet produced foals.
-Make sure the rarer stallion lines survive for the breed's future.
- It's important that a mare is bred to more than one stallion.
- It's important to maintain some ponies that don’t carry the commonest lines so that they (and their descendants) can be used to outcross in the future.
- Always look at pedigrees all the way back to foundation - a 4 generation pedigree can conceal earlier inbreeding.
-Most of the time we consider stallion lines but mare lines are of equal (if not more) importance.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT - RICH DAMBOISE.

Merry Christmas from Moonshine, Flicker & the rest of the herd 🦌🎄
12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from Moonshine, Flicker & the rest of the herd 🦌🎄

Brandy’s going to have a NICE foal 🥰
12/22/2025

Brandy’s going to have a NICE foal 🥰

Merlin is living his best life with a round bale all to himself 😜 NPS #972
12/02/2025

Merlin is living his best life with a round bale all to himself 😜
NPS #972

❄️ December is here! Do you have a plan for putting your mares under lights? 🗓 If you plan to breed your mares ealry in ...
12/01/2025

❄️ December is here! Do you have a plan for putting your mares under lights?

🗓 If you plan to breed your mares ealry in 2026 (February / March) you should start your mares under artificial lights December 1st.

Mares are seasonally polyestrous. This means their reproductive cycles are influenced by daylight length. Increasing light exposure helps stimulate earlier, more consistent cycling. A very important step for planning early breeding.

💡 Lighting 💡
Place mares under lights 60-90 days prior to your desired breeding date.
They should maintain 16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness each day. The most common way to do this is by using artificial light to extend your natural daylight hours. Have your lights on timers, turning on before dusk and turning off at the 16 hour mark (whatever that may be for you).

You want to make sure your lights are doing their job. Ensure a minimum of 10 foot candles of brightness, and check that you can easily read a newspaper in the darkest part of the pen. If your mares can find a dark corner anywhere, they will, and then your lighting efforts will be ineffective.

Be sure to maintain the lighting program after your mare begins cycling. If she does not get pregnant on the first cycle, stopping the lighting program can cause her to stop cycling.

Early foaling mares (January & February due dates) should be put under lights along with the open mares. Some mares will skip their foal heat, or ONLY have their foal heat and then not have regular cycles, if they are not under lights.

Equilume Light mask - This rechargeable Light Mask delivers 15 hours of blue light daily ensuring your horse benefits from consistent light exposure. This option does allow mares to live outside while still receiving the light treatment.

Remember that a healthy pregnancy and a healthy foal depend on the health of the mare prior to conception!

🌨Winter Has Arrived 🌨Help your horses stay warm throughout the Canadian winter with just a few easy steps! 💧 Water! The ...
11/30/2025

🌨Winter Has Arrived 🌨

Help your horses stay warm throughout the Canadian winter with just a few easy steps!

💧 Water! The average horse at maintenance is going to drink 10-15 gallons of water daily during winter. Be sure to consistently check that water heaters are working and your horses water source is not frozen 🧊! Try to be proactive and have a backup plan incase your water heater fails, or taps freeze.

🛏 Shelter & Bedding! Be sure all your horses have some form of shelter (windbreaks, run ins, etc) from the wind and snow. Ensure they always have dry bedding to lay in and have somewhere cozy to wait out the weather. Top up shavings and straw before and after storms!

😋 Forrage! When dietary restrictions are not a factor, the best form of feeding during the winter is 24/7 access. Forrage = Energy & Warmth for your horses and it is key to keeping them healthy and ready to face a storm. A horse at maintenance is going to consume an extra 1-2% of their body weight when the temperature drops below -20°c 🥶

🧣Blanketing! Not all horses will require blanketing throughout the winter. But keep an eye for signs your horse may need some help staying warm! Consistent shivering/shaking, unsettled/restless behaviour, wet coat down to the skin, etc. Remember to also consider your horses age and body condition. Young horses and senior horses may require more help during those stormy days, as well as any horse with a BCS under 4.


Picture featuring our lovely broodmare Blue ❤️

Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) ❓Did you know…❓Pregnant mares have more than four times greater risk of abortion due to EHV-1 w...
11/29/2025

Equine Herpesvirus (EHV)

❓Did you know…❓
Pregnant mares have more than four times greater risk of abortion due to EHV-1 when not vaccinated!

With all the EHV cases popping up we feel it is a good time to share some information with everyone!

⁉️ What is EHV ⁉️
Equine herpesvirus is a family of equine viruses named by numbers 1 through 5, with EHV-1,3,4 posing the most risk for domestic horses. EHV is a common DNA virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide. The two most common species are EHV-1 and EHV-4.
EHV-1 & 4 most often cause a respiratory disease which is usually mild and self-limiting, and both can cause 🛑ABORTION🛑. EHV-1 and EHV-4 (very rare) can cause the neurologic form of the disease (equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM)) which creates damage to the spinal cord and can be fatal. EHV-3 causes co**al exanthema, a venereal disease which affects the external genitalia.
Horses can be carriers of EHV with no clinical signs and can spread the disease to other horses. Testing and quarantining affected horses in isolation is the primary way to control the disease.

❓How can you protect your pregnant mares❓
Don’t forget your PNEUMABORT BOOSTERS!��Pregnant mares should be vaccinated with Pneumabort-K at 5, 7, and 9 months of gestation. This will help protect against Equine Herpesvirus Type-1 (EHV-1).

These boosters help strengthen your mare’s immune system and better allows her to protect her developing foal. These three simple vaccinations can make a big difference.

Be sure to reach out to your local vet and get your supply!

You can read more about EHV on the EDCC website - https://equinediseasecc.org/equine-herpesvirus

11/24/2025

Newfoundland Pony Society Membership ApplicationThe Newfoundland Pony Society offers 2 convenient ways to apply for membership. Below is a form that allows you to apply online. Once submitted, you’ll be brought to PayPal’s secure website to finish your transaction using either your PayPal accoun...

Dally & Pokey hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween 🎃🧙‍♀️
11/02/2025

Dally & Pokey hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween 🎃🧙‍♀️

Only 10 days until Moonshine starts her trailer ride home! We are beyond excited to get our hands on this girl!
09/25/2025

Only 10 days until Moonshine starts her trailer ride home! We are beyond excited to get our hands on this girl!

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Carstairs, AB
T0M0N0

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+17095337747

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