When choosing to breed your mare, there are many things you need to consider, including the health of your mare, the quality of the stallion, the purpose of the foal, the expense of breeding, the loss of time riding, the health care and training of a young horse. Mares chosen for breeding should have good conformation, a good disposition and a body condition of no less then 4 out of 9. A breeding soundness exam is a good place to start to evaluate your mare's ability to get pregnant and to talk with us on the pros and cons of breeding that mare. Ultrasound and rectal palpation of the mare's reproductive tract can spot problems such as cysts, tumors, scarring, abnormal fluid as well as giving you a clear picture as to where your mare is in her cycle. Mares come into heat every 3 weeks. An ultrasound can show if a mare is in heat(estrus), in between heats(diestrus) or not cycling(anestrus). Uterine cultures are often required by stallion owners and uterine biopsies can be performed on problem mares or to give a more in depth look at a mares reproductive health. These are simple tests that can be performed at the breeding soundness exam.

Once a mare is cycling and the stallion has been chosen, the type of breeding must be considered. Many stallions only breed via artificial insemination (AI), although Thoroughbred stallions only breed by live cover. Live cover breeding requires transporting the mare to the stallion and monitoring for the best time to cover the mare. AI breeding involves collecting the semen and shiping it cooled or frozen to the mare, where it will be inseminated into the mare using a pipette. To reduce the number of trips to the stallion's farm or shipments of seman, a mare's ovaries will need to be monitored for follicle size using an ultrasound. A follicle that is ready to ovulate is normally larger then 40 mm and starts to soften, Although some mares will ovulate on smaller follicles. Uterine tone and edema can also be used to judge when a mare is ready to ovulate. Ultrasound can also identify corpus leteum, a structure the forms after a follicle is ovulated. Mares bred in the 12 hours before ovulation have the highest pregnancy rate, though insemination up to 8 hours after ovulation can still result in pregnancies.

After a mare has been breed it is ideal to ultrasound her uterus around day 14-17 to determine if she is pregnant and if she is carrying twins. Twin pregnancies are very high risk and often result in the death of one or both offspring. Due to the complications associated with carrying twins often one of the embryos will be manually reduced. This reduction can result in the loss of both embryos. The mare is at the highest risk of losing the pregnancy between 1 and 30 days post ovulation. Therefore a second ultrasound at 30 days to determine if the mare is still in foal is highly recommended. A third ultrasound at 65 days is recommended to monitor for any problems in the pregnancy and because it can be possible to sex the fetus at this time. After a mare is confirmed pregnant, progesterone levels can be checked via a blood test. If a mare has low serum progesterone, she can be at a high risk of losing the fetus early in the pregnancy. Progesterone can be supplemented orally in these mares for the first 100 days of pregnancy. After that point the fetus creates its own progesterone and the supplementation is less likely to be useful. If a mare has poor genital conformation such as a sunken rectum, a caslick's operation can reduce vaginal contamination by sealing the upper 2/3s of the vulva. This will need to be opened a few weeks before foaling.

Pregnant mares do not need extra nutrition until the last trimester because 60 to 65% of fetal growth occurs at this time. A balanced feed with a protein of 10 to 12% is best. Calcium and phosphorus are the two most important minerals in late pregnancy and must be balanced such that the phosphorus does not exceed the calcium. Feeding a balanced feed or alfalfa during the third trimester should negate the need for calcium supplementation. Selenium and vitamin E should also be supplemented because New York is a selenium deficient area

During their pregnancy mares should also be vaccinated for Rhinopneumonitis at 5,7 and 9 months of gestation. They should also receive their yearly vaccines(with the exception of rabies) around one month before foaling to increase the antibodies they will pass on to their foal via the colostrum. Rabies should be given just after foaling. A regular deworming schedule should be maintained in pregnant mares. We can recommend a deworming schedule for your mare to match your management strategies.

Foaling is a very special time with many risks and joys. A normal gestation length in a horse is around 11 months. Signs of approaching labor are variable and can include: increase in udder size, streaming of milk, waxing of the udder, relaxation of the muscles over the hind quarters and over the tail head. These signs may happen gradually, quickly or not at all. The first signs of active labor can look like colic. The mare may pace, lay down, roll, paw, look or nip at her belly, sweat and kick at her belly. These are all signs of the first stage of labor which can last a few minutes to several hours. The second stage of labor begins after the water breaks. Foals are generally delivered within 30 minutes of this event. A normal delivery involves the foals front feet appearing first followed by the head, neck shoulders and body with the hind legs coming out last. Once the shoulders appear the process is normally very quick. The third stage of labor is passing the placenta which can take up to 6 hours after the foal is born. It is best not to try to aid the mare. Although her tail can be wrapped during stage one labor. If there is a problem, such as a red bag appearing before the foal, time is critical. Any trouble with the foaling process is known as dystocia. It is very important that we see any mare having difficulty foaling because there is a very short window in which to save the foal's life. The process of aiding a mare in delivery can be very difficult and trauma to the mare if a foal is pulled improperly can be life treating.

In normal deliveries, foals will stand and nurse within the first few hours of life. It is important to let the mare and foal bond but imprinting such as handling the ears and head can be done at this time. The foal's navel should be dipped in a dilute novasan solution. It is also very important to a healthy newborn to get a check up in the first 24 hours of life. We will do a thorough physical exam to make sure there are no abnormalities in the foals eyes, heart, lungs and GI tract. We will also inspect the navel for signs of hernia or infection. A simple blood test can be done to insure that antibodies from the mare have passed to the foal via the colostrum which is the first milk the foal drinks. Foals that are weak or sick may require round the clock nursing care and more blood tests. Ledgewood's clinic provides 24 hour care and support of these sick foals including providing oxygen, fluids, plasma transfusions, abdominal ultrasound and radiographs to diagnosis and treat sick foals. We are also fortunate to have Dr Pantaleon, a board certified internal medicine specialist, to oversee our neonatal patients.

Breeding can be an exciting adventure for mare owners. The best way to start is to make an appointment for a breeding soundness exam or talk to one of our doctors at an annual preventive care exam. Or you can email us with any questions you may have.