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Horse breeders need to take steps to ensure the stork will make its seasonal visit to their operations. Loss of early term pregnancies is a major concern on horse farms, as an open broodmare can mean significant economic loss if the horse is not rebred in time to produce a foal for the next desired foaling season. “Some research studies have shown early embryonic losses to be as great as 15 percent to 20 percent,” said Dave Freeman, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service...
During the past six years (Jan. 2, 2002 – Jan. 31, 2008), 1,429 cases of equine placentitis have been diagnosed at the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC). Of these, 1,189 cases had an infectious agent identified. Various bacteria were isolated from 1,125 cases (Figure 2), and 64 had fungus cultured.
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Congenital anomalies and inherited disorders of the horse include all of the physical abnormalities which are present upon birth of the foal and those that are diagnosed later in life. Some anomalies may be acquired during fetal development while others may be inherited. There have been a few recent break-throughs in discovering the etiology of some diseases because of their similarity to a human condition, e.g., Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) in Quarter horses or crosses. ...
Abortion in horses may result from a variety of causes. Infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses or fungi, may attack the fetus or its membranes, resulting in fetal death and expulsion. Other factors attributable to the mare, fetus or external forces may also cause loss of the embryo or fetus. These factors include twinning, hormonal deficiencies, congenital anomalies, ergot alkaloid toxicity or ingestion of tent caterpillar setae. Some of the more common causes are discussed below. ...
"Mules are intelligent, sure-footed, and dependable mounts," says Dr. R. Dean Scoggins, equine Extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at Urbana. "Their popularity is increasing in just about all equine sports, including driving, trail riding, dressage, hunting, jumping, cross country, endurance and working cattle." A mule is a cross between a mare (a female horse) and a jackass (a male donkey). A hinny is a cross...
There are different terms to describe the developing foal in utero. Furthermore, certain terms are used to describe the foal when it is delivered in an abnormal condition or at the wrong time of gestation. These terms can be confusing and are often improperly applied. It is important to use the correct terms because their use allows for better communication and helps categorize the process causing the problem, allowing certain conditions to be considered as possible etiologies and...
So your prize mare is bred and there is nothing to do but wait a year until the foal of your dreams is born. Wrong! Nutrition, exercise, parasite load, vaccinations, and pregnancy monitoring are a handful of factors that, when managed carefully, can improve your chances for a healthy pregnancy and equally healthy newborn. "Throughout gestation, the pregnant mare should be maintained on a balanced ration that will allow her to say healthy and active," says Dr. Deborah...
How you care for your mare need not change greatly when she becomes pregnant, but a few key steps will ensure that both the mare and the foal stay healthy. Dr. R. Dean Scoggins, an equine Extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana, says "Assuming the mare is in good health and everything is normal, I would recommend not making any changes at all to diet or exercise for the first 4 to 5 months of the pregnancy." In fact,...
For more than 20 years humans have reaped the benefits of surrogate mothering. Women who cannot maintain a pregnancy, or whose health would be endangered by pregnancy, can "donate" a fertilized egg to a surrogate recipient, who carries the baby to term. In veterinary medicine, embryo transfer technology has been practiced for over ten years, and the procedure is increasing in popularity. Fertilized eggs are retrieved from donor horses and implanted in the uterus of...
Techniques for cryopreserving equine embryos have advanced in recent history allowing many practitioners to reliably collect and vitrify embryos on-site or ship embryos to referral centers where equine embryos are routinely vitrified. In recent studies, it has been demonstrated that equine embryos can be vitrified, then warmed and transferred achieving acceptable pregnancy rates [1,4]. There are endless possibilities when considering the management of vitrified embryos....
Her future registered name might be different, but around the horse unit at Mississippi State University (MSU), everyone calls her Popsicle. Born in September, Popsicle is the result of MSU's first successful frozen embryo transfer in horses. University veterinarians have performed embryo transfers in recent years, but the freezing process takes the complicated procedure one step further. Kevin Walters, DVM, a veterinary resident in animal reproduction, performed the transfer at...
It can be frustrating watching mares and predicting when they will foal. Mares are usually consistent in their foaling pattern from year to year. Therefore, horse owners and managers should become familiar with each mare and record their observations on the mare's record. The average gestation length of a mare (period between breeding and foaling) is 340 days. It can vary within 20 days either side. In one study, 65.5% of mares foaled at night between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. The visual...
The Jockey Club released Report of Mares Bred (RMB) statistics for 2007 that show both an increase in Thoroughbred breeding activity in Kentucky and a second consecutive decline in the number of North American stallions covering at least 100 mares. Based on RMBs received through Oct. 11, 2007, The Jockey Club reports that 2,808 stallions covered 56,796 mares in North America during 2007. The statistics include the number of mares bred to each stallion and represent approximately...
Horse which have only one testicle removed (by unilateral castration), frequently as a result of failing on cryptorchidism identification before a surgical castration, is a costly and unethical practice occurring too often according to researchers. David Moll, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS and colleagues at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, defined the incidence of cryptorchidism and unilaterally castrated horses and have lately discussed their findings in a study...
The Jockey Club today reported that 3,881 stallions covered 63,629 mares in North America during 2006, according to statistics compiled through Sept. 6, 2007. These matings have resulted in 36,317 live foals of 2007 being reported to The Jockey Club on Live Foal Reports received as of Sept. 6, 2007. As in past years, The Jockey Club estimates that the reporting of live foals, at this point in time, is approximately 90 percent complete. The reporting of live foals of 2007 is slightly...
The American Horse Council (AHC) now provides a link to a published report on the Global Horse Population, compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). A link to the report can be found on the Features section of the AHC’s web site: www.horsecouncil.org/features.html According to the 2006 report, there are 58,372,106 horses in the world. The United States, by far,...
With the aim to raise funds to improve its facilities, the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine will hold its 7th Annual Stallion Service Auction . The auctions proceeds will go directly to construct a new Equine Isolation Unit at the LSU Veterinary School for treatment of horses with infectious diseases. All stallion owners are invited to offer and enlist their breeding horses to help the University effort in this multiple-breed benefit...
A presentation titled "From a Sperm's Eye View - Revisiting Our Perception of This Intriguing Cell," by Dr Dickson D. Varner will be the subject of a lecture at the AAEP's 53rd Annual Convention in Florida on December 3. The talk is a Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture; Dickson D. Varner, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACT, will focus on the equine spermatozoon and will follow its development in the testis and its sojourn through the epididymis and the reproductive tract of the mare. The...
An abortigenic disease, now known as Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS), significantly impacted the horse industry in the central Ohio Valley in late April and early May, 2001 and 2002. In 2001, approximately 25% of all pregnant mares aborted within several weeks (over 3,000 mares lost pregnancies), and abortion rates exceeded 60% on some farms. MRLS struck hard and without warning, was caused by something in the environment, was not transmittable between animals, and was not associated...
In April and May of 2001 an epidemic of equine abortions struck in the Ohio River valley that induced a loss of about 30% in 2002 in central Kentucky (Kane and Kriby, 2001; Veterinary Sciences, 2002). Through mid-April, equine abortions were not elevated over prior years but unusual early and late term abortions were noted in late April and continued through much of May. Coincident with these losses some animals were also afflicted with uveitis and pericarditis, albeit at much...