THE breeding unit at CAFRE Enniskillen Campus provides a wonderful opportunity for students to develop a range of skills involved in managing a successful breeding enterprise.

Although students in a range of year groups gain experience within the campus breeding unit, it is during second year of the BSc (Hons) Equine Management course where students are most involved in all aspects of yard management.

Students are involved in weaning, preparation of stock for sales, stallion selection, record management, disease prevention, foaling down and assisting the vet and farrier.

The breeding unit currently consists of a band of 10 broodmares which includes two flat mares, two National Hunt mares, five sports horse mares and a Connemara mare. There are also a further two mares which have recently joined the unit with the aim of becoming embryo transfer recipients.

It is essential that during their time at CAFRE Enniskillen, the students get the opportunity to cover both the Sports Horse and thoroughbred sectors in detail.

This provides students with a range of knowledge which will benefit them in whichever future direction they may choose to take within the industry.

In 2014 a number of new mares joined the enterprise and were foaled down successfully by students and staff at the college.

The foals produced were then prepped for the sales and sold at Tattersalls November National Hunt Sale and Cavan Sales. One further filly foal by Zebedee out of a Pivotal dam is due to be sold at Goffs on February 11th.

PLANNING

The importance of forward planning can never be underestimated and this moto serves the students well during this time of year where both stallion selection and mare preparation are key to breeding success.

The college uses an extensive and rigorous shortlisting procedure when choosing suitable sires which is completed during classes with the students who are involved in running the yard and is then followed up with further input and guidance from staff.

An important part of this selection process is not only teaching the students the importance of taking a range of factors into account when selecting a suitable stallion for a particular mare but also to enable them to see the stallions which could be used and discuss their merits with a range of professionals in the industry.

Trips to a range of studs within both the thoroughbred and Sport Horse sectors across both Northern Ireland and Ireland take place each year and give the students as much opportunity as possible to consider their selections carefully and meticulously.

Following the visits to view potential stallions the students use a ranking system which incorporates a range of factors including pedigree, performance, conformation, sales figures and potential commercial appeal.

This system provides a good overview of the top ranking options and can assist in making the decision between stallions.

The selection process is also a useful tool to enable the students to assess the merits of the mare and to match a suitable stallion which is priced suitably according to the budget which is available.

SPECULATE

It can be very true that you need to speculate to accumulate however the luxury of being able to choose any stallion regardless of price is one which for a number of breeders in the industry isn’t a reality.

Instead we are faced with the challenge of being able to find the most suitable stallion with good commercial appeal while keeping to a set budget.

Throughout this process the students are encouraged to look critically at the mare and justify why she may or may not be suitable to breed from, which is good practice for any breeding enterprise.

While the process of stallion selection is taking place, further work is underway to ensure that the mares are suitably prepared. Mares which are due to foal shortly are closely monitored and any barren mares on the unit are scanned as early as possible to assess their reproductive health and stage of cycle.

The broodmares in the main stabling area of the unit have been under lights and a further two barn-kept mares have been kept in Equilume masks since the beginning of December.

The Equilume masks have been a great addition to the unit as it has allowed the application of light therapy in a range of environments.

This technology is backed with compelling research about its efficacy at advancing the breeding season and the effect that the use of precision blue light therapy can have on preventing extended gestation lengths and increasing average foal birth weights.

The use of this technology also has further benefits in broadening the students’ experience and encouraging discussion of research relevant to the running of an effective and forward thinking breeding unit.

In planning the timings of coverings, it is also important to bear in mind that it is ideal for the students to get as much experience of foaling as possible during their time at CAFRE Enniskillen Campus and it is important wherever possible to have all the mares due dates by the end of April.

We primarily produce our thoroughbred foals for the November foal sales so a further priority for the unit is that the thoroughbred mares foal as early as possible to allow plenty of time to develop prior to sale.

Throughout their time assisting with the running of the breeding unit, students become acutely aware of how important it is to plan effectively.

This is an exciting time of year where there is much anticipation in relation to the mares foaling and the selection of suitable sires.

The breeding unit at CAFRE continues to grow from strength to strength and is an excellent learning environment which provides a stepping stone for students who either have little previous experience of breeding or who want to improve and develop their current skills.

A number of past students currently work within the breeding industry and it is hoped that more will follow in their footsteps in the future as useful additions to other breeding enterprises.

Web: www.cafre.ac.uk