Large Animal Equine

185
______________________________________________________________________________________________

MARE BREEDING AND EARLY PREGNANCY

Kristina G. Lu, VMD, DACT
Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
Lexington, KY
Peter R. Morresey, BVSc, MACVSc, DACT, DACVIM
Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital
Lexington, KY
BREEDING MANAGEMENT
Depending on the breed or birthday of the offspring
(e.g., Thoroughbreds have the same birthday of January
1 of the year of birth), advancing the breeding season is
important preparation. Common methods include lights
(14 total hours of light with the amount of light allowing
easy newspaper reading everywhere the mare can put
her head) beginning 60 days prior to the desired season
onset, often in combination with hormones such as
progesterone, estradiol-17E and prostaglandin F2Dto
further advance the first ovulation with the added benefit
of synchronization. One commonly used program in the
Thoroughbred industry is 150 mg progesterone and 10
mg estradiol-17E intramuscularly (IM) for 10 days, with
prostaglandin F2D administered on the tenth day. A
recent addition to the common repertoire is a light mask
that shines blue light into one eye. Research has
demonstrated the wavelength of blue light and blue light
applied to one eye to be sufficient for the abovedescribed light therapy. Masks allow for mare turnout,
which can be beneficial for large groups with insufficient
stall space, stall-cleaning labor limitations, or arthritic
mares that benefit from blankets and turnout.1 The future
may also include injectable recombinant equine folliclestimulating hormone (FSH) to induce estrus in
seasonally anestrus mares. Initial studies in seasonally
anestrus mares demonstrate that mares can be induced
into estrus, ovulate though do not continue cycling 2.
Mare Evaluation
Reproductive evaluation for routine breeding includes
an initial physical examination, behavioral assessment if
available, regular reproductive tract palpation and
ultrasonography dictated by the mares estrus cycle, and
endometrial sampling for bacteriology and cytology.
Culture and cytology provide valuable insight regarding
the mares prognosis for pregnancy. A significant
reduction in foaling rate was found when 1%
polymorphonuclear cells were seen on endometrial
cytology or if a single bacterial isolate was detected from
any swab obtained during the breeding season.3
Inducing Ovulation
Fixed time insemination using ovulatory agents [e.g.,
deslorelin acetate, human chorionic gonadotrophin
(hCG)] can aid in many timing challenges. Commonly
used ovulatory agents include deslorelin acetate
(SucroMate, Thorn BioScience, marketed by Bioniche),
human chorionic gonadotrophin (Chorulon, Merck
Animal Health), and compounded combinations.
Administration of saline, 1.5 mg deslorelin IM, 1667 IU
hCG intravenously (IV), and 1.5 mg deslorelin IM plus
1667 IU hCG IV were compared in both late transitional

and ovulatory mares with administration of drugs

performed when a 35-mm follicle and endometrial
edema were observed. During transition, the ovulation
rates were 4.3% (saline), 78.6% (deslorelin), 50%
(hCG), and 73.3% (hCG and deslorelin). During the
ovulatory season, ovulation rates were 16.4% (saline),
68.8% (deslorelin), 60% (hCG), and 73% (hCG and
deslorelin) with saline being the only significant outlier.4
Breeding modality is an important consideration in
mare management. Natural cover may require
scheduling an appointment for a stallion as far as a week
in advance. Cooled semen requires meeting the
stallions collection schedule and potentially commercial
shipping schedules. Frozen semen requires relatively
more intensive breeding timing that many veterinarians
shy away from. Breeding should occur within ~8 hours
prior to 6 hours after ovulation. For frozen semen, postbreeding fluid was found to be decreased in a two-dose
fixed time insemination protocol with insemination
performed 24 and 40 hours after deslorelin
administration, compared with breeding with a single
dose within 6 hours after ovulation.5 However, it has
become common for veterinarians to be asked to breed
mares with a single, low insemination dose. Deep horn
insemination can improve pregnancy rates when
breeding with a single low dose of frozen semen,
although this method requires practice 6.
Embryo Transfer
Embryo transfer is a widely accepted technique to
achieve pregnancies from mares with minimal disruption
to their careers or from mares that may not be able to
carry a foal to term. Individual breed organizations have
regulations regarding registration of embryo transfer
offspring. In a retrospective study of 198 donor mares of
various breeds, embryos were recovered in 45.1% of
flushes. Factors affecting embryo recovery included age,
breed (Standardbreds and Quarter Horse produced
more embryos than show jumpers although this may be
due to semen quality and quantity), reproductive health,
type of semen processing (e.g., fresh, cooled, frozen)
and number of ovulations.7
In some mares, repeated breeding and embryo
flushing attempts may induce acute endometritis that
can have detrimental effects. For mares in competition,
factors that may impact embryo transfer success include
fitness, especially if the mare will be exercising during
the breeding and transfer period, magnitude of exercise,
and other stressors such as transport and housing
changes.8
Ultrasonography
The opportunity to evaluate a mare for pregnancy on
both 14 and 16 days after ovulation can provide
tremendous client service. The 14-day evaluation is the
all-important is she pregnant? check, and also shows
the size of the vesicle (is it appropriate for this
gestational age?), the number of vesicles, presence of
any endometrial edema, presence of any worrisome
findings such as intrauterine fluid, and the number of
corpora lutea (CLs) on the ovaries. The examination at
16 days allows for assessment of appropriate vesicle
growth (~6 mm in 2 days), and evaluation for additional

186
NAVC Conference 2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________
vesicles that may have been too small or otherwise
escaped notice during the first examination.
Twinning
Anecdotally among seasoned practitioners, the
incidence of twins seems to be rising, perhaps due to
good management keeping those mares in the gene
pool and ovulatory agents perhaps leading to a higher
incidence of double ovulation. Numerous methods for
twin management are available, including manual
reduction, nutrient restriction, transvaginal ultrasoundguided
reduction,
craniocervical
dislocation,
transabdominal ultrasound guided reduction, and
prostaglandin F2D. Manual twin reduction prior to 17
days gestation is commonly performed and can be very
successful. Twin reduction in mares >9 years of age had
a higher incidence of pregnancy loss than age-matched
controls.9
Fetal Sexing
Although clients enjoy positive pregnancy evaluations,
fetal sexing and the associated fetal examination tend to
be crowd pleasers. Fetal sexing around 60 to 68 days
gestation, looking for the genital tubercle and performed
with transrectal ultrasonography by a skilled examiner,
can be >90% accurate. In a colt, the hyperechoic genital
tubercle can be visualized caudal to the umbilicus on the
ventral midline. In a filly, the genital tubercle is visualized
below the tail head and above the cross section of tibias
in a transverse plane of the fetus. Gonadal echogenicity
can also be used to support the findings. A second
window for transrectal ultrasonographic fetal sexing is
around 110 to 120 days of gestation when the genitalia
can be viewed. In a colt, the sheath and penis can be
visualized caudal to the umbilicus. In a filly, the teats of
the developing mammary gland are often the most
pronounced structures. Other more sophisticated and
less available methods of sex determination include sex
sorting of sperm prior to breeding, embryo biopsy for sex
determination, 3D ultrasonography and perhaps
identification of circulating cell-free fetal DNA in maternal
blood though this requires additional research.10,11
PREGNANCY
Maximum mobility of the conceptus is noted days 11
to 14, with fixation at day 16.12 This is considered the
result of increased uterine tone and an increased size of
the conceptus. Fixation usually occurs at the base of one
of the uterine horns.13,14 The migration of the equine
conceptus throughout the uterine lumen is suggested
necessary to distribute the unknown anti-luteolytic factor
over the entire surface of the endometrium to inhibit
luteolyis. Inability to contact the entire endometrium
causes failure of pregnancy establishment15 due to
luteolysis and loss of progesterone.
Once pregnancy has been established a hyperplastic
phase of embryonic and early fetal development occurs,
with tissues and organs undergoing rapid increase in cell
number following previous differentiation into developing
organs and tissues. Increasing size of the placenta to
contact the entire endometrial surface allows sufficient
nutrient absorption to fuel further growth. From day 40
the myometrium loses tone and the conceptus
elongates, with the allantochorion invading the entirety of

the pregnant horn while moving into the whole uterine

body by day 60 to 65. The non-gravid horn fills by day 80
to 85. During this period, day 55 to 60, the fetus is
clearly a developing horse. From day 80 to 85 the fetus
has established a regular pattern of growth and
development. Later in fetal life, hypertrophic growth
occurs with not only increasing cell numbers but
increasing individual cell size. Fetal weight increases
linearly from day 200 of gestation until foaling, this being
related to placental weight and surface area.16,17
Parameters describing fetal growth and development
throughout the later stages of gestation have been
widely reported.18
Maternal nutrition may enhance or compromise
placental development. Weight loss due to an unplanned
nutritional insult as opposed to a low plane of nutrition
throughout gestation was most influential on placental
and fetal development at term. Mares with the highest
weight loss percentage in mid-gestation developed
smaller allantochorions at term.19 Despite an
improvement in efficiency per unit area, foals born from
the affected mares were significantly lighter and smaller
than foals born to non-infected mares. Differences in
placental efficiency may be related to placental
vascularity, as alterations in endometrial vascularity and
maternal uterine blood flow exist between mares of
varying age and parity which may influence the ability of
the placenta to increase or decrease its efficiency.20, 21
REFERENCES
1. Murphy BA, Walsh CM, Woodward EM, et al. Blue
light from individual light masks directed at a single
eye advances the breeding season in mares. Equine
Vet J. 2014;46:601-605.
2. Meyers-Brown GA, McCue PM, Troedsson MHT. et
al. Induction of ovulation in seasonally anestrous
mares under ambient lights using recombinant
equine FSH (reFSH). Theriogenology. 2013;80:456462.
3. Davies Morel MCG, Lawlor O, Nash DM. Equine
endometrial cytology and bacteriology: Effectiveness
for predicting live foaling rates. The Veterinary
Journal. 2013;198:206-211.
4. Gomes RG, Oliveira RLS, de Castro Schutzer CG,.
et al. Effect of deslorelin and/or human chorionic
gonadotropin on inducing ovulation in mares during
the transition period versus ovulatory season. J
Equine
Vet
Sci.
2014;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2014.06.015.
5. Avanzi BR, Ramos RDS, Araujo GHM, et al. Fixedtime insemination with frozen semen in mares: is it
suitable for poorly fertile stallions? Theriogenology.
2014;http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pi
i/S0093691X14003483.
6. Govaere JLJ, Hoogewijs MK, De Schauwer C, et al.
Effect of artificial insemination protocol and dose of
frozen/thawed stallion semen on pregnancy results
in mares. Reprod Domestic Anim. 2014;49:487-491.
7. Panzani D, Rota A, Marmorini P, et al. Retrospective
study of factors affecting multiple ovulations, embryo
recovery, quality, and diameter in a commercial
equine embryo transfer program. Theriogenology.
2014;82:807-814.

Large Animal Equine

187
______________________________________________________________________________________________
8.

9.

10.

11.

12.
13.

14.

15.

Campbell MLH. Embryo transfer in competition

horses: Managing mares and expectations. Equine
Vet Educ. 2014;26:322-327.
Schnobrich MR, Riddle WT, Stromberg AJ, et al.
Factors affecting live foal rates of Thoroughbred
mares that undergo manual twin elimination. Equine
Vet J. 2013;45:676-680.
Aurich C, Schneider J. Sex determination in horses Current status and future perspectives. Anim
Reprod Sci. 2014;146:34-41.
Holder R. Use of ultrasonography in equine fetal sex
determination between 55 and 200 days of
gestation. In Kidd JA, Lu KG, Frazer ML (eds): Atlas
of Equine Ultrasonography. Ames, IA: Wiley
Blackwell, 2014;329-340.
Ginther OJ. Mobility of the early equine conceptus.
Theriogenology. 1983;19:603-611.
Ginther OJ. Fixation and orientation of the early
equine conceptus. Theriogenology. 1983;19:613623.
Gastal MO, Gastal EL, Kot K. et al. Factors related
to the time of fixation of the conceptus in mares.
Theriogenology. 1996;46:1171-1180.
McDowell KJ, Sharp DC, Grubaugh W, et al.
Restricted conceptus mobility results in failure of

16.
17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

pregnancy maintenance in mares. Biol.Reprod.

1988;39:340-348.
Platt H. Growth of the equine foetus. Equine Vet J.
1984;16:247-252.
Cottrill CM, Jeffers-Lo J, Ousey JC, et al. The
placenta as a determinant of fetal well-being in
normal and abnormal equine pregnancies. J Reprod
Fertil Suppl. 1991;44:591-601.
Bucca S, Fogarty U, Collins A, et al. Assessment of
feto-placental well-being in the mare from midgestation to term: transrectal and transabdominal
ultrasonographic features. Theriogenology. 2005;
64:542-557.
Wilsher S, Allen WR. Effects of a Streptococcus
equi infection-mediated nutritional insult during midgestation in primiparous Thoroughbred fillies. Part 1:
Placental and fetal development. Equine Vet J.
2006;38:549-557.
Stolla R, Bollwein H. Color doppler sonography of
the
uterine
artery
in
subfertile
mares.
Pferdeheilkunde. 1997;13:547-547.
Ousey JC, Klling M, Newton R, et al. Uterine
haemodynamics in young and aged pregnant mares
measured using Doppler ultrasonography. Equine
Vet J. 2012;44:15-21.