My Flag

The passing of My Flag from complications from foaling has bothered me. She was 21 years old. Should she still really be having children?
I know the arguments - "In the wild, horses would be having children every year until they die" But she was not a wild horse, she was a champion.
Would we or will we be okay in 10 years when Zenyatta is still having children? Should she be having children every year? (I know this discussion has come up before) My argument is that I don't like how we treat these horses as members of the family, then when it comes to breeding, we don't treat them as such.
I know the arguments - "In the wild, horses would be having children every year until they die" But she was not a wild horse, she was a champion.
Would we or will we be okay in 10 years when Zenyatta is still having children? Should she be having children every year? (I know this discussion has come up before) My argument is that I don't like how we treat these horses as members of the family, then when it comes to breeding, we don't treat them as such.
Comments
While 21 may be considered the upper end of a broodmare's career, if My Flag was healthy (and I have no doubt the vet checked her out thoroughly in 2013) then breeding her was no more a risk than breeding any mare.
Keep in mind, Rachel Alexandra at the age of 8 had a grievous complication from foaling what was only her second foal. It had nothing to do with her age or the foal's health but she barely survived.
Foaling is a risk and sometimes even with all the care in the world, bad luck happens. You have only to look at the comments and observations on the Mare Stare thread to see that sometimes it's a miracle and sometimes it's a heartbreak.
And, my whole point is that we don't treat these horses as horses, we treat them as a member of our family. When I call my dog my other daughter, people don't correct me and say "she's a dog". My problem is that we treat them as a member of the family at some times, and as "just animals" when it's convenient for some.
http://performanceequinevs.com/client-education/colic/colic-and-post-partum-complications.html