A CLIENT contacted me recently looking for advice on breeding a maiden mare.

My client had recently moved to the area and, while he is a lifetime racing fan and owner, he has no experience of the breeding scene. The filly had raced in a syndicate ownership but having recently acquired a mild injury, he decided to buy out his partners and retain her as his foundation broodmare. I arranged to visit and inspect the filly and to discuss the various requirements with him.

On arrival, I found the filly installed in a brand new stable with a lovely pile of hay in front of her. We pulled her out and the first thing I noticed was that she was a little tender on her feet. The farrier had removed her shoes before leaving the training yard and Brian had noticed her becoming increasingly sore on the concrete.

I advised putting front shoes back on, as the transition between racehorse and broodmare can be a difficult time anyway, and with typical light Thoroughbred feet this was one problem she didn’t need. He will probably find that he can dispense with the shoes in a couple of months.

The next subject brought up was vaccination. On inspection of the passport, I noticed her last flu and tetanus shot was given a year ago, so a booster dose was administered. My client was well aware of the necessity of vaccination for racing purposes but questioned the need in a broodmare. While there is no absolute requirement to keep vaccinations up to date, I advised that it would be beneficial to maintain her vaccination status in order to provide immunity to her future foals. Also, some stallion farms – particularly in the UK – do require evidence of flu vaccination before accepting a mare on to the farm. Virus abortion, of course, is not a consideration until a pregnancy has been established.

CONDITION

There was some concern about the mare’s general condition, as her ribs were clearly visible and her recently clipped coat was a bit ragged looking. I firstly suggested purchasing a good rug for her as this would avoid wasting calories on maintaining temperature and it also seems to encourage earlier cycling.

The filly is stabled at night but with the modern lightweight waterproof and breathable rugs, I feel it is acceptable to just leave the rug on all the time – not forgetting at least a weekly check underneath it!

We did observe a few lice in her mane and I suggested a pour-on insecticide treatment before fitting the rug, and this should be repeated after about a fortnight to kill the newly hatched lice. She had been worm dosed in the trainer’s yard before Christmas, so I was able to save him a few euros by not dosing again for the moment.

I explained that once a good dose is given in the Autumn, there should be no need to dose again until the weather improves and the larvae on the grass start to hatch. Just to be sure, we took a faecal sample for egg testing, and the subsequent result of 100 eggs per gram, confirmed the decision to hold off on dosing for the moment.

My client then produced the paperwork from the stallion farm, detailing the veterinary requirements and I realised the familiar abbreviations of CEM, EVA and EIA were totally alien to him and he wondered how his previously unmated mare could be afflicted with such dangerous sounding diseases.

I was able to reassure him that these diseases do not usually occur in Ireland but that it is essential to maintain vigilance in testing for them, in order to protect our industry and indeed our export status. Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) is a venereal disease, caused by a bacteria which can ‘hide-out’ for long periods in a dormant state within the external genitalia.

Swabs may be taken from the clitoris at any stage of the cycle and must be sent to an approved laboratory for culture; a process that requires seven days. We can test for exposure to the viruses causing Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA) or Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA), by taking a simple blood test.

I took these samples there and then and sent them later that day to the Irish Equine Centre. The results will be sent to the practice in approximately three days and the certificates must then accompany the mare to stud.

CYCLING

The most important question asked was, naturally enough, about when the filly could be actually covered. I explained that most mares enter a period of winter dormancy, where the reproductive organs become inactive. Lengthening hours of daylight in the spring, trigger the reactivation of hormonal pathways and the resumption of fertility.

Under natural conditions therefore, it would be unlikely that his filly would be fertile before April or May. However, because she had been stabled and rugged over the winter, it is possible that she may have continued to cycle. As light exposure is the most potent stimulus for cycling, I advised leaving the stable light on until about midnight. The idea is to simulate springtime by exposing the mare to 16 hours of light but unfortunately it requires about two months to produce an effect.

A more efficient method of light exposure is through use of the Equilume masks, but we decided it was a bit late in the season for that extra investment.

Regular teasing with a pony stallion would also help to hasten the onset of cyclicity but was not an option in this case.

Feeding of a good quality stud ration is also important and the best effect of all is when a fresh bite of spring grass becomes available!

I arranged for the filly to be brought into our hospital in a couple of weeks for an ultrasound scan of her reproductive tract. This exam is most safely carried out with the mare restrained in a stocks, which was not available at the yard.

At this time, we will be able to ascertain what stage of the cycle his filly is at and when she might be ready for covering. As my client is inexperienced with breeding mares, and his mare has not had any teasing, I suggested that he should then leave the mare at the stallion stud while she is in season.

‘Walk-In’ covers are available on most farms but are difficult to arrange when one is not familiar with a mare’s cycle. It is often easier to allow the stud personnel to handle the mare at this time, as it will save on repeated visits from a private vet and a resident mare is more likely to get priority status if the stallion is very busy.

As I drove out with my swabs and blood samples, the filly was tearing around the paddock, pretending she was still a racehorse – I hope she’s dreaming of being a broodmare.