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Breeding Season Prep Workshop to Be Offered By ITBA

The ITBA Educational Programme 2021: Breeding Season Preparation Workshop, was announced on Tuesday. Free to attend, the workshop lasts from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 16. Topics that will be covered are: assisting mares during foaling (Patricia Markey), preparing mares for foaling and postnatal care (Andrea Ryan), the best nutritional plan for pregnant mares during and post foaling and nutritional plans for foals (Lorraine Fradl) and smart approaches to getting mares back in foal plus the importance of selecting the most suitable stallions (Micheal Orlandi). To register, please email Kerry Ryan.

Commenting, ITBA's Kerry Ryan said, “Over the last numbers of years, the ITBA Breeding Season Preparation Workshop, supported by the Department of Agriculture, under its Equine Technical Support & Breeding Scheme Project, has become a key fixture in [the] ITBA Educational Programme. A panel of industry experts will address the key issues breeders need to take into consideration in advance of the upcoming breeding season. If there are any topics breeders feel should be included in next year's ITBA Educational Programme please contact ITBA HQ on 045 877543 as we would love to hear from them.”

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When Can A Mare Go Back To Work After Foaling?

A mare needs some time to rest and recover post-foaling, but just how long does she need before she can go back into work? Though each mare is different, if the mare was in good physical shape before foaling, she will most likely be able to return to work sooner than a horse who wasn't fit prior to having her baby, according to a report from the American Quarter Horse Association. Ensuring that the mare isn't overweight when she's bred – and when she foals – can speed her return to work.

Dr. Ben Espy says most mares can begin working again six to eight weeks after a complication-free foaling. However, some mares may experience pregnancy-related circulatory side effects, like edema in the legs and belly. This generally resolves in a few weeks after the foal is born. The ability for a mare to move around after foaling is often helpful in alleviating excess fluid.

Even after a normal birth, most mares have some minor vaginal tears, bruising, and abrasions. These issues normally heal within a week and don't hinder a mare's return to work. More serious complications like a breech birth or intense bleeding will require longer recovery time.

Any pre-foaling issues should be reassessed before the mare is asked to go back into work, including prior lameness issues. Asking a veterinarian to evaluate the mare's physical condition and soundness before going back to work is prudent.

When bringing a mare back into work, it's imperative that the owner or rider pay attention to her hydration. A lactating mare can drink as much as 10 more gallons of water per day than other horses. If the temperatures in which she is asked to work are hot and humid as well, she could require as many as 20 to 30 gallons of water per day to stay hydrated.

Hormones Play A Role In Foal Rejection

Foaling can be a high-stress situation with a lot of variables that may go wrong, from dystocias to ill foals. Though most mares have an innate mothering mentality, some mares reject their offspring and the exact reason is unclear, making it difficult to prevent.

Drs. Dalia Berlin, Amir Steinman and Tal Raz conducted a study using eight Arabian mares who behaved normally after foaling and 15 Arabian mares who typically “rejected” their foals. Rejection includes refusing to let the foal nurse, indifference toward the foal and even attacking the foal. The Arabian was chosen specifically for the study as rejection behavior in mares has been well documented in the breed.

Each mare had blood drawn at the first and third day after foaling; the blood was tested for progesterone, prolactin and estradiol, which are reproductive hormones. The most significant difference between the two groups was the estradiol-to-progesterone ratio the first day after foaling was significantly lower in mares that rejected their foals than in mares with normal maternal behavior.

The exact role the hormones play in maternal behavior is unclear, but the ratio of hormones in mare that rejected their foals increased in the three days post foaling, suggesting that the hormones may normalize and the rejection behavior may diminish.

The study team notes that the creation of hormonal treatments for rejecting mares is premature as the optimal concentration for each hormone is yet unknown.

Podcast: What Do You Need To Know About Dystocias

The latest episode of Rood and Riddle Veterinary Pharmacy's StallSide podcast has been released and features a discussion with Dr. Maria Schnobrich of the hospital's theriogenology department.

In this episode Dr. Peter Morresey and Dr. Bart Barber along with Dr. Schnobrich tackle the issue of managing dystocia on the farm. Learn about the importance of timing, communication with your veterinarian and warning signs of complications. Also included: the link between murals, chickens, and equine reproduction.

Schnobrich said dystocias occur in about 10 percent of pregnancies, with slightly higher occurrences in some breeds. The birthing process is a rapid one for horses, which also means that foaling complications can develop quickly. Schnobrich offers an overview of a standard foaling, as well as a few tips to recognize and react to a dystocia or other atypical foaling.

Among her suggestions:

Start a stopwatch when the mare's water breaks to help you know when the foal should be emerging from the birth canal. Foals should be fully emerged 20 to 30 minutes after the mare breaks water.
Ideally, veterinarians agree it's best not to intervene and pull a foal if the foal looks to be in the proper position, has a normal amnion, and is emerging at a normal interval. A more relaxed environment tends to result in a better foaling.
Schnobrich suggests that for owners who have never foaled a mare, the best pregnancy plan may be to board the mare at a facility with a staff experienced in foaling as her due date approaches.
An ultrasound ahead of delivery can help anticipate whether a red bag delivery may be on the horizon, and may provide time to provide treatment to preempt the tearing of the membrane that results in the red bag.
Dystocias are considered an emergency not just because of the foal's fragile oxygen supply, but also because the foal can do damage to the mare's internal organs if positioned wrongly.
People can sometimes mistake colic for a foaling that's not progressing properly; a visit from the veterinarian can usually discern the difference. Older pregnant mares may sometimes bleed from the vulva which can also be mistaken for a foaling problem, but that can also be caused by a varicose vein. An immediate trip to the clinic isn't always the best course in those cases, since it's preferable to let a healthy pregnancy progress rather than do a c-section if it's not necessary.

You can find the video version of StallSide on the Rood & Riddle YouTube page and the audio version on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the video version below.

The post Podcast: What Do You Need To Know About Dystocias appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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