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ITBF Conference Kicks Off June 6

The International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation bi-annual Conference, hosted by the ITBF and the British Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, will take place at Newmarket June 6-10. Last held in Lexington in 2018, the conference, which was slated to be held in Paris in 2020, was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 70 delegates from 23 countries across six continents are expected to attend. The programme of events takes place over a week and offers members an opportunity to network with other nations as well as raise breeding and wider Thoroughbred industry issues.

Kirsten Rausing, ITBF Chairman, said, “Over the years, through members meeting face to face at the Conferences, ITBF has been able to disseminate a vast and ever-increasing amount of equine information to benefit countries across the globe…We are delighted to be welcoming so many representatives from various ITBF member countries to Newmarket. This meeting is set to increase, by almost two-fold, the number of members who attended the last two conferences.”

For full details, visit the ITBF website.

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Global Views: Challenges Of Southern Hemisphere Covering Practices

In Global Views, Godolphin Flying Start trainees provide insight into practices experienced and observations taken on their worldwide travels. Second-year trainee Donncha McCarthy discusses the challenges of the shorter Southern Hemisphere covering season.

Godolphin Flying Start is an excellent way to learn and experience the Thoroughbred industry worldwide. As we are currently in the Australian phase, I have been looking into some differences between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere breeding schedules, and how the shorter Australian breeding season affects stud farms and stallions. I then offer solutions to the challenges Australian breeders, stud farms and stallions face.

Northern Hemisphere Thoroughbreds turn a year older on Jan. 1, with the covering season officially opening on Feb. 14; however, mares will sometimes be covered earlier, but their foals are not permitted to be registered as born the following year if they foal prior to Jan. 1. In the Southern Hemisphere, all Thoroughbreds have their birthday on Aug. 1, even if they are foaled in July, but no Thoroughbred can be bred before Sept. 1. Aug. 1 has been the official birthday of Thoroughbreds in the Southern Hemisphere since the inception of the Stud Book in 1860, but the strict date of covering only came into play in 2001. This rule was enforced by John Digby (keeper of the Stud Book) when he discovered an extraordinary number of foals were born on Aug. 1. He then decided the easiest way to regulate the birthday of foals was to set a start date to the covering season.

The season in Australia, as a result, is much shorter than in Europe. If you consider the commercial European season to take place between Feb. 1 and June 1, there is a total of 120 days when a mare can conceive. In a typical mare, this allows for 5.7 breeding cycles. In the Southern Hemisphere, a commercial breeding season usually runs from Sept. 1 until Dec. 1, a total of 90 days and 4.3 cycles for the mare to conceive. This shorter time frame puts significantly higher pressure on vets, stud farms and stallions to achieve pregnancies.

There are several reasons why Australian breeders are reluctant to breed into December. First, it's less profitable to have a November yearling versus an August yearling in the sales ring: over the last five years, November foals were 36% cheaper than August foals at all yearling sales.

Second, they are a lot less likely to be accepted at major sales unless they are exceptional types or have deep pedigrees; only 3.8% of the yearlings at the recent Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale were November foals. The whole Australian breeding model at present focuses on 2-year-old speed and it is widely accepted that November foals are at a disadvantage during their 2-year-old career.

I believe another reason for decreased breeding in December is due to lack of staff. By Dec. 1 most farms have begun on-farm inspections for Magic Millions, which means more staff will switch to yearling operations.

The European model of breeding for 3-year-old Classics allows breeders to cover into June and beyond as later foals have more time to catch up with their peers. The additional month is beneficial to the welfare of stallions and mares. There is less pressure on stallions to cover large books over a short period, which leads to a positive correlation with fertility and libido.

I do not believe the Australian breeding sector can sustain the model they are using; however, I believe there are a few possible solutions.

First, stallion farms could blanket discount any mares covered in December to incentivise breeders to cover later in the year and offset the discount they are likely to receive in the sales ring as yearlings. A possibility for a scheme to encourage the racing of November foals would also incentivise buyers, which would increase the number of mares bred in December.

Second, moving the date of birth of Southern Hemisphere Thoroughbreds to July 1 and setting the covering date to Aug. 14 in line with the Northern Hemisphere. This would give mares over five cycles to conceive, which would increase conception rates, decrease the pressure on stallions and decrease the pressure on vets and farms.

Conversely, this does raise the issue that a longer season may mean more mares covered by individual stallions, but I believe overall it is for the benefit of the Australian industry. Stallions are under far more pressure now than they were in 2001. There are half as many stallions covering–stallion numbers in Australia are down 53% in the last 18 years. The foal crop is also decreasing rapidly; it is down 29% since 2001 to just under 13,000.

This is a serious issue for the Australian industry. The extra time on either side of the season would increase pregnancies and thus increase the foal crop.

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Indiana’s Springcliff Farm Destroyed By Fire, Number Of Horses Lost Unknown

Springcliff Farm, one of Indiana's leading Thoroughbred foaling farms located in Martinsville, Indiana, was destroyed by a fire that broke earlier this morning. Multiple agencies responded to the fire and it was contained after a couple of hours.

Owners Christine and Vince Cagle have spent the morning contacting broodmare owners to alert to their loss as well as working with surrounding farms and veterinarian agencies to make arrangements for surviving horses. A final count of horses perished and those injured has not been made as of press time.

As of press time, a cause has not been confirmed. South Central Indiana experienced high winds and dropping temperatures throughout the past couple of days.

Updates regarding the fire will be made as more information is discovered. For now, the family asks for privacy and respect for the horses, owners and everyone involved.

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Warmer Kentucky Winter Could Change Fescue Toxicosis In Broodmare Pastures

Horse farm managers with broodmares should carefully consider how recent weather conditions might affect tall fescue in pastures, potentially contributing to tall fescue toxicosis in early foaling mares.

According to Ray Smith, researcher and forage extension specialist in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, above-average temperatures and rainfall in the past several weeks have resulted in good pasture growth on horse farms across the region. While this is great news for many horse owners because it will prolong grazing and delay hay feeding, they should monitor the situation for early foaling broodmares.

“Typically, we don't worry about early foaling mares because the cold weather takes care of ergovaline concentrations. But the cold snaps we have had so far have been brief and quickly rebounded to above-average temperatures, keeping tall fescue green and growing into the winter months,” Smith said.

Generally, ergovaline, the toxin produced by the endophyte commonly found in tall fescue, decreases rapidly once temperatures fall into the teens and grass growth is effectively stopped for the year. But because pasture grasses are growing deeper into winter than normal, this also means ergovaline production may continue. At the same time, other common pasture grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and orchardgrass are now dormant and therefore horses are less likely to graze them. Horses on pasture are likely consuming more tall fescue than they normally would in the spring and fall.

“Predicting when ergovaline concentrations will rise and fall is very difficult, so regular testing is still the best method we have. Managers should consider testing the tall fescue in pastures where early foaling mares are currently grazing,” said Krista Lea, coordinator of the UK Horse Pasture Evaluation Program. “Pastures with less than 200 parts per billion ergovaline are likely safe for those mares.”

According to Smith and Lea, broodmares are most affected by ergovaline in the last 60-90 days of pregnancy, so mares expected to foal before the first of March could be impacted by this unusual weather pattern and subsequent pasture growth. Pastures known to be higher in ergovaline in the spring and summer are more likely to be high now as well.

Mares negatively affected by ergovaline can have prolonged gestation, thickened placenta, red bag, poor milk production, dystocia and mare and foal mortality.

To reduce the risk to broodmares, horse owners and horse farm managers should feed hay and grain to reduce ergovaline concentration in the total diet or remove horses altogether from pastures containing tall fescue in the last 90 days of pregnancy.

Local county extension agents can help with pasture testing and submitting samples to the UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for ergovaline quantification. Pastures under 200 parts per billion are unlikely to cause significant issues in broodmares and will likely remain low until the spring green-up. Levels observed in early December are unlikely to affect other classes of horses or cattle. Sample handling is key, so be sure to read this publication on how to correctly sample for ergovaline.

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