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A Danish study investigated if removing a mare's ovaries could offer relief from unexplained unwanted behavior. The changes in behavior were assessed by the owners of the horses. Some mares used in the study had ovarian cancer; others had no veterinary-diagnosed reason for their unwanted behavior.

Removing the ovaries was final attempt to resolve the unwanted behaviors as drug use to stop their reproductive cycles had failed and no issues with their reproductive tract could be found. Unwanted mare behavior can range from being uncooperative to aggression aimed at humans or other horses.

Drs. Daniel Taasti Melgaard, Martin Soendergaard Thoefner, Trine Stokbro Korsgaard, Morten Roenn Petersen and Hanne Gervi Pedersen, used the records of 28 mares that had their ovaries removed six to 24 months earlier and followed up with the horse owners, asking them to complete a questionnaire and respond to a telephone interview. Ten of the horses in the study had normal ovaries, 14 of the mares had ovarian cancer in one or both ovaries, and the other ovaries of the other horses were not examined for the presence of cancer.

Eight out of the ten mares (80 percent) with normal ovaries had improved rideability after their ovaries were removed; rideability improved in 57 percent (eight out of 14) in the mares with ovarian cancer. Mare behavior improved in about 40 percent of the cases studied.

The researchers conclude that mares without ovarian cancer may benefit as much from ovary removal as mares with ovarian cancer, showing improved rideability and behavior, though there is no obvious explanation as to why mares with normal ovaries benefited. The team noted that owner perception of improved behavior could be a placebo effect because they assumed the operation would work. They also stress that horses have a through diagnostic workup to rule out other issues before an ovariectomy is performed,

Read the full study here.

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The post Can Surgical Removal Of A Mare’s Ovaries Fix Unwanted Behaviors? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Weaning, where a foal is removed from his dam, can be heartwrenching for both the humans and the animals involved. During traditional weaning, foals are forcibly separated from their dams at six months of age. However, left to their own devices, a foal will eventually separate from his mother on his own accord; this is considered “natural weaning.” Little research has been done on natural weaning.

The relationship between a mare and her foal focuses not only on providing sustenance to the youngster, but on the imparting of social skills that will allow the foal to become a well-adjusted part of an equine herd. Researchers in France studied natural weaning to determine if it could offer benefits to the mare and foal.
Drs. Séverine Henry, Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir, Aziliz Klapper, Julie Joubert, Gabrielle Montier and Martine Hausberger studied three groups of semi-feral Icelandic horses: 16 mares with their foals, all owned by a riding school. The researchers discovered that the weaning age of foals varied greatly, but that foals were on average nine months old when they willingly stopped nursing from their mother.

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Surprisingly, the foal didn't gradually taper off his suckling before weaning nor did the mare become more aggressive with her foal before weaning; it seems the foal simply stopped nursing. Immediately after weaning, the foals spent about as much time with and stayed as close to their mothers as before weaning, indicating that they still needed social contact with their mothers.
None of the mares lost any body condition even though they were in foal and had a nursing foal on their side, though their breeding may have something to do with this: Icelandic horses are notoriously hardy.

Artificial weaning generally causes high levels of stress in foals and this is often the time when stereotypies like cribbing or weaving begin. The scientists hope that this data will assist in providing a better understanding of what happens in the mare-foal relationship, specifically from a social point of view, and how artificial weaning can affect foals.