HEALTH & WELFARE
FROM YOUR MARE? By Mary-Kate Burke MVB CertAVP PgCert VPS MRCVS Clinical Veterinarian in Equine First Opinion Practice
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any people dream of having a cute, little foal running around the field, but there are a number of things to consider before making the leap and breeding your mare. 1. What are my mare’s flaws? We all love our mares more than anything, however, no mare is perfect. It is important to analyse your mare’s character, performance and conformation with a critical eye so you can select a stallion which compliments your mare’s features. The aim of breeding should always be to produce a foal which is better than the mare and stallion. It is not easy to pick
out your own horse’s faults, so asking an experienced friend or vet to help with this is always wise. 2. Is my mare generally healthy? Just like humans, mares have a much greater chance of becoming pregnant if they are healthy. For instance, if your mare has a high body condition score it is worth consulting your veterinary surgeon to organise a weight loss plan. Diseases like Cushing’s disease, and severe lameness at walk, can affect a mare’s cycle and hence her ability to become and maintain a pregnancy. 3. Book a pre-breeding
Article supplied by: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge
www.vet.cam.ac.uk 22
assessment with your vet. This is a great opportunity to identify any issues such as endometritis, uterine cysts or anovulatory follicles. Early identification allows for treatment of issues which will aid in improving the chances of conception and of carrying a foal to term. 4. How old is my mare and has she had a foal before? Mares are most fertile when they are less than 12years-old. After this point their fertility begins to decline. The good news is, mares can still carry and successfully deliver foals into old age (i.e their 20’s). It is important to take this on a case by case basis, consulting your vet for the best results. 5. Plan early! Mares naturally cycle between March and September with their highest fertility being between the end of April and the start of July. At the beginning and end of the breeding season the mare’s cycles can become unpredictable, making successful breeding more difficult. 6. What method of breeding will I use? Natural cover, fresh, chilled and frozen artificial insemination are all viable options for breeding in the UK. Often the decision is
dictated by what your selected stallion offers. Chilled, and frozen, AI offers a greater variety of stallions with the use of semen from overseas now commonplace. Brexit has led to some issues with shipping, which means careful planning is even more important so that the correct paperwork can be arranged. With natural cover, studs will often require certain diagnostic swabs and vaccinations to have been performed prior to covering. 7. Have I really got the budget for this? As the old saying goes ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ and horses have a habit of not sticking to the plan! Remember, the stud fee is a small percentage of the costs involved with breeding. Insemination, potential issues during pregnancy and foaling can all add to costs. New born foals are also susceptible to issues, so the costs don’t necessarily end when the pregnancy is over. The Cambridge Equine Hospital provides high quality reproductive services for all horse breeders and is a registered British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) approved centre for fresh, chilled and frozen semen artificial insemination (AI). Mary-Kate Burke has completed a certificate in Advance Veterinary Practice focused on Equine Reproduction.
