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IS
YOUR MARE READY FOR THE BREEDING SEASON?
Preparation
for the spring breeding season for your mare actually starts in the fall.
Whether your mare is a maiden or a multifarious pro, there are several
steps you can take to help get a good start to the breeding season.
The first step is a complete physical examination, with special attention
given to the mare's general health & reproductive history. Problems
with weight, teeth, endocrine disorders, lameness, or any chronic health
concern should be addressed now. For optimal reproductive success, the
mare should be in the best possible health. The second step is a
reproductive exam. An external examination evaluates vulvar conformation,
identifying problems such as pneumovagina and prior foaling injuries.
A speculum exam of the vagina can identify urine pooling or abnormalities
of the external cervical os (opening) A rectal examination, including an
ultrasound exam, can identify pathology associated with the ovaries and
uterus, including the presence of intra-uterine fluid or cysts. If your
veterinarian identifies a problem within the uterus, further diagnostics
such as endometrial culture and cytology, endometrial biopsy or
hysteroscopy may be chosen.
The advantage of all this advance preparation is just that…being
prepared to make the most of the limited number of heat cycles the mare
has to breed to produce a spring foal. Early identification of general
health or reproductive concerns can lead to pre-emptive therapy so that
your mare enters the breeding season with the best possible chance of
becoming pregnant...your ultimate goal!
Finally, when your mare has been determined to be in sound health,
consider putting your mare under lights. Mares are seasonally polyestrus,
meaning that during the breeding season (long hours of daylight), they
cycle about every 21-23 days. During the winter, they typically go into
anestrus (a period of diminished ovarian activity). Between winter
anestrus and regular cyclic activity lies a transitional period of up to
several months, marked by irregular cycles and inconsistent ovulation.
Increasing hours of daylight helps orchestrate the hormonal events that
bring your mare into regular cyclic activity. By putting your mare under
"daylight" for 16 hours a day starting at least two months
before you'd like to start breeding, you help bring your mare through the
transition period into more predictable heat behavior.
How much light and how long? Add on to the available daylight hours by
artificially extending the day into the evening with an automatic timer
set to shut off when 16 hours total daylight has been reached. 200 watts
per 12' x 12' stall is adequate. You may discontinue use of lights when
the amount of natural daylight reaches 16 hours per day. Do not
discontinue lights prematurely or your mare, sensing the now
"shortening" days, may fall back into a transitional period!
By preparing your mare before the breeding season, you give her the best
possible chance of creating a little miracle - a Arabian foal!
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