Horse Breeding Procedures and Management By: Anthony Watson

First Examine Mare before breeding Age Breed Conformation Disposition Hereditary disorders General Health Nutrition

Problems that may exist? Look for abnormal discharge (blood or pus from vagina) Mares affected with skin disease and parasites Mares suffering from high fevers, strangles, influenza, shipping fever, and pneumonia Mares that have recently suffered from retained afterbirth Mares that have suffered lacerations in foaling Mare that stay in heat Mares that are extremely thin or fat Mares that have severe unsoundness that is hereditary Mares that have uterine infections Mares should have access to adequate food and water (Most of the above also apply to the stallion)

Breeding Procedures Natural Mating (Pasture Mating and Hand Mating) Artificial Insemination (AI) Embryo Transfer Cloning (New technology)

Natural Service Mare Serviced by Stallion Naturally Mare must be in estrus to conceive At times natural service is hard to manage, especially when Mare and Stallion are kept separate (Hand Mating) Natural Service could be dangerous if the two are kept together (Pasture Mating)

Hand Mating The best way to breed mares Allows breeder to record breeding dates and project foaling dates Guards against injury to both the stallion and mare Helps prevent disease transfer

Pasture Mating What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Artificial Insemination Semen must be collected Breeding can take place without the stallion present Safer for mare, stallion, and horse owner Disease transfer is decreased Breeding dates and foaling dates are noted AI Technician needed or the horse owner needs to be certified Easy way to select and use good genetics

AI Procedures

AI Procedures

AI Procedures

AI Tools

Embryo Transfer Most commonly done in cattle but can be done in horses. Eggs are flushed from animals, then placed in recipient animals Flushed animal is known as the donor animals and the recipient animal is the one in which the fertilized egg is placed. Eggs must be fertilized first before flushing The eggs can be frozen or implanted

Embryo Transfer Contd. Owner can choose the sex of his/her animal

Cloning Producing genetically identical individuals Done by splitting the embryo into two halves. The other method is by taking an unfertilized egg and removing the genetic material, then one cell removed from another embryo and fused into the unfertilized egg.

Questions? Any questions or comments on breeding methods?

Pregnancy of the Mare Give Proper Nutrition (May need to house away from other horses) Keep providing regular dental and hoof care Shoes should be removed a couple weeks before foaling to protect foal Mare should continue to receive exercise Control Parasites by what? Vaccination Program

Vaccination of the Pregnant Mare Rhinopneumonitis Vaccination – infect the respiratory tract of the animal and can cause abortion. Tetanus Influenza (4 weeks prior to foaling) Vet may recommend vaccinations for strangles, rabies, anthrax,etc. Consult vet over your pregnant mare

Abortion Abortion – the expulsion of the fetus at any point prior to the time the foal can survive out of the uterus Can occur as late as the 10th month Estimated that 20-30% of equine pregnancy ends up in abortion

Abortion Contd. Abortion can be caused by infectious diseases or noninfectious diseases There are several infectious diseases that can cause abortions that we will discuss at a later time if possible. Noninfectious Causes Twinning Hormonal Failure Nutritional Deficiencies, Accidents or Injuries

Signs of Approaching Parturition 2-6 weeks away – udder starting to distend from body 7-10 days – muscular shrinkage or falling away at top of buttocks near tailhead 4-6 days – teats are beginning to hold milk 1-4 days – wax on the end of the teats Vulva starts to become swollen and loose looking

Waxing of Teats

Signs of Approaching Parturition Hours away – milk may leak from teats, restlessness, sweating, urinating frequently, lie down and get up several times, biting at the sides of the flanks, switching of the tail Foaling can take place quick with sometimes showing no signs, be prepared 30 days in advance

Preparing for the Foaling Process 1 month before foaling – booster vaccinations 7-10 days before – locate a place for the mare Clean, Dry, and away from other animals If using a stall disinfect the stall with lye water Make sure stall has plenty of clean bedding

The “Big Day” Rupture of the chorioallantois (water bag) which causes a large amount of fluid to be passed out the vagina. Next you will see the amnion (inner membrane) surrounding the foal. During a normal birth the foal will be coming front feet first with their heels down followed by the nose

The “Big Day” Process should not take more than 30 minutes. Most mares do foal lying down but some will choose to stand If a mare does not make adequate progress or you see that the foal is coming backwards you should contact the veterinarian immediately

The “Big Day” If you see the mare is making no progress and the veterinarian cannot be reached you need to provide assistance to the foal and mare. Make sure your process is clean, quiet, gentle, and you apply what knowledge you have

The “Big Day” If parturition is delayed the fetus often dies from twisting or knotting of the umbilical cord. This stops fetal circulation or lack of oxygen to the fetus or both

After the Foal is born Check for breathing and that all membranes have been removed away from the foals nostrils and mouth If the foal is not breathing you may need to apply artificial respiration. Dip Navel with iodine/water solution Make sure foal receives colostrum 30 minutes to 2 hours after birth

After the Foal is born The placenta (afterbirth) should be expelled as soon as the mare gets up. If placenta is not shed it should be tied to the mare’s tail so that it is not stepped on by the mare or foal. The mare should shed it no longer than 3 hours after foaling, if she has not shed the placenta call the vet. The vet will more than likely administer oxytocin.

After the Foal is born Feed the mare lightly for the first few days. Rule of thumb – ½ normal amount Administer luke warm water at low levels several times throughout the day not allowing her to gorge. Stall should be lightly cleaned after birth. Lastly, make sure the foal has a bowel movement within 4-12 hrs. after birth

After the Foal is born Hopefully, you now have a healthy mare and foal after 336 days of work and careful management.