Spring is in the air, (kind of !!) and many horse owners may consider breeding their mare this year. One of the most rewarding but greatest challenges in owning and working with horses arises when it comes to breeding. In normal healthy stock a conception rate of only 70% is expected, so you can see how important it is to prepare as best you can for breeding, in order to give your mare the best chance. Breeders can spend thousands of euro on getting their mares in foal, so when a mare fails to take or manages to conceive but then aborts, it's not only the mare's health that's at stake!!!
Breeding problems can turn an attempt to breed your favorite mare into an ongoing battle with nature! However, many problems can be prevented or cleared up by the intervention of your vet, so don’t despair just yet…..
Before you go anywhere near a stallion, you and your vet need to be confident that your mare is healthy and has the best chance she can of getting in foal. A simple pre breeding check of your mare by the vet is the best place to start, and will involve an ultrasound exam of her uterus and ovaries in order to pick up any obvious abnormalities, depending on findings and the history of the mare further tests may be needed and we will discuss these in more detail later. Also for thoroughbred mares, tests for EAV, CEM and EIA will be required and your vet will run you through these.
If all is well, its now time to get your mare covered/inseminated. The best techniques and protocols for covering/ inseminating are important, but I will limit myself to the management of the mare in this article. Suffice to say always visit the stud you wish to use before hand and satisfy yourself that procedures and standards are up to scratch, remember you are the customer in this situation.
When your mare returns from stud just let her back into the paddock or stable, just as she was always kept, and just let her relax for a week or two. Then its time for the 15-17 days scan (post ovulation) to see if she is indeed in foal, also the timing is vital to detect the presence of twins. Scans after 17 days cannot be relied upon to detect twins. Twin pregnancy is undesirable in horses, and if twins are detected your vet will squeeze one embryo, resulting in a single pregnancy. Horse very rarely carry twins full term and if they do almost always cause difficulties foaling. Please don’t expose your mare to this risk and make sure of the 17day scan.
If your mare is not in foal it is time to have another look with your vet before she goes back to stud. Some of the conditions the vet may diagnose include:
Endometritis
Endometritis is the general term given to any inflammation of the uterine (womb) lining, but there are different kinds of endometritis brought on by different conditions or organisms.
Bacterial Endometritis
Much better known is bacterial endometritis, which is probably the most common complaint in infertile mares. Experts in horse health, name it as one of the major reasons that mares won’t conceive, or conceive but then slip the foal. It’s a problem that is often picked up at a pre breeding check and the mare can have a swab taken and be treated effectively with an antibiotic lavage (wash) before traveling to stud.
Fungal Endometritis
Much harder to spot is a fungal infection, which must diagnosed with a specific fungal test. Fungal endometritis can be passed from stallion to mare, and unfortunately, there are no noteworthy cures as yet. Management of fungal endometritis relies primarily on reducing the sheer numbers of fungi through lavage using diluted vinegar, Betadine or DMSO.
In a related problem, weakened reproductive structures in the mare may cause urine pooling, a condition in which mares do not void urine completely, particularly during estrus. The retained fluid can cause inflammation, and prevent conception.
Other diseases include:
EVA
Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) infection is known to affect reproduction in mares and stallions, causing abortion after the third month of pregnancy or the loss of foals after birth.
CEM
Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) is a venereal disease of horses, which is carried by stallions and causes infertility or abortion in mares.
Again, your vet can test for these conditions at the pre breeding stage. Thoroughbred studs will insist on tests for these conditions before they will accept your mare.
Other obstacles to easy breeding include hormonal problems, which may range from true disease to management error, such as making mistakes about the mare's being in heat, or breeding off season light. The use of systemic antibiotics and arthritis treatment drugs has also been shown to negatively impact fertility.
Obviously, prevention is important in fertility: regular vet checks, proper weight and an increasing plane of nutrition, a basic check-up for potential problems such as laminitis, good management and hygiene all contribute to the health and fertility of your horse. Supporting your horse's immune and reproductive system with a good quality supplement can have a positive impact on fertility. For more information or if you have any questions please go contact the clinic at 064 6642695, alternatively email info@kenmarevc.ie or with any questions you may have regarding breeding your mare.
Breeding problems can turn an attempt to breed your favorite mare into an ongoing battle with nature! However, many problems can be prevented or cleared up by the intervention of your vet, so don’t despair just yet…..
Before you go anywhere near a stallion, you and your vet need to be confident that your mare is healthy and has the best chance she can of getting in foal. A simple pre breeding check of your mare by the vet is the best place to start, and will involve an ultrasound exam of her uterus and ovaries in order to pick up any obvious abnormalities, depending on findings and the history of the mare further tests may be needed and we will discuss these in more detail later. Also for thoroughbred mares, tests for EAV, CEM and EIA will be required and your vet will run you through these.
If all is well, its now time to get your mare covered/inseminated. The best techniques and protocols for covering/ inseminating are important, but I will limit myself to the management of the mare in this article. Suffice to say always visit the stud you wish to use before hand and satisfy yourself that procedures and standards are up to scratch, remember you are the customer in this situation.
When your mare returns from stud just let her back into the paddock or stable, just as she was always kept, and just let her relax for a week or two. Then its time for the 15-17 days scan (post ovulation) to see if she is indeed in foal, also the timing is vital to detect the presence of twins. Scans after 17 days cannot be relied upon to detect twins. Twin pregnancy is undesirable in horses, and if twins are detected your vet will squeeze one embryo, resulting in a single pregnancy. Horse very rarely carry twins full term and if they do almost always cause difficulties foaling. Please don’t expose your mare to this risk and make sure of the 17day scan.
If your mare is not in foal it is time to have another look with your vet before she goes back to stud. Some of the conditions the vet may diagnose include:
Endometritis
Endometritis is the general term given to any inflammation of the uterine (womb) lining, but there are different kinds of endometritis brought on by different conditions or organisms.
Bacterial Endometritis
Much better known is bacterial endometritis, which is probably the most common complaint in infertile mares. Experts in horse health, name it as one of the major reasons that mares won’t conceive, or conceive but then slip the foal. It’s a problem that is often picked up at a pre breeding check and the mare can have a swab taken and be treated effectively with an antibiotic lavage (wash) before traveling to stud.
Fungal Endometritis
Much harder to spot is a fungal infection, which must diagnosed with a specific fungal test. Fungal endometritis can be passed from stallion to mare, and unfortunately, there are no noteworthy cures as yet. Management of fungal endometritis relies primarily on reducing the sheer numbers of fungi through lavage using diluted vinegar, Betadine or DMSO.
In a related problem, weakened reproductive structures in the mare may cause urine pooling, a condition in which mares do not void urine completely, particularly during estrus. The retained fluid can cause inflammation, and prevent conception.
Other diseases include:
EVA
Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) infection is known to affect reproduction in mares and stallions, causing abortion after the third month of pregnancy or the loss of foals after birth.
CEM
Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) is a venereal disease of horses, which is carried by stallions and causes infertility or abortion in mares.
Again, your vet can test for these conditions at the pre breeding stage. Thoroughbred studs will insist on tests for these conditions before they will accept your mare.
Other obstacles to easy breeding include hormonal problems, which may range from true disease to management error, such as making mistakes about the mare's being in heat, or breeding off season light. The use of systemic antibiotics and arthritis treatment drugs has also been shown to negatively impact fertility.
Obviously, prevention is important in fertility: regular vet checks, proper weight and an increasing plane of nutrition, a basic check-up for potential problems such as laminitis, good management and hygiene all contribute to the health and fertility of your horse. Supporting your horse's immune and reproductive system with a good quality supplement can have a positive impact on fertility. For more information or if you have any questions please go contact the clinic at 064 6642695, alternatively email info@kenmarevc.ie or with any questions you may have regarding breeding your mare.
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