Finals

• Breeding Season


  April to September (Long day breeder) Northern Hemisphere
• Estrous Cycle


  21 (19 – 23) days
• Duration of Estrus (Heat)

  2 – 8 days
• Best time to breed

  Last few days of estrus; just prior to ovulation; should be bred at 2-day intervals
• Length of gestation


  335 – 342 days
• First estrus after Parturition / "foal heat"

  4 – 14 days (ave: 9 – 11 days)
• Ovulation


  1 day before to 1 day after end of heat
• Signs of Estrus (sexual receptivity)

  • Interest in and acceptance of the stallion
  • Contraction and relaxation of external genitalia – "winking"
  • Legs spread apart and flexed pelvis
  • Frequent urination
  • Allows stallion to mount and copulate
• Signs of diestrus (nonreceptive phase)

  • Squeals, kicks, bites
  • Rejects stallion's attempt to sniff or mount
• Sperm cells


  Live 24 – 30 hrs. in the female reproductive tract
• Ovum


  Viable for 4 – 6 hrs. after ovulation
• Conception: breeding must take place within 24 hrs. before ovulation as mares only stay in heat from 4-7 days
• Equine facility


  Barns and stables, field shelters, fencing and gates
• Breed mare daily or every other day, starting on the third day
• Barns and stables


  • Provide protection from extremes in weather
  • Keep the horse free from drafts
  • Provide plenty of fresh air
  • Give the horse a dry place to lie down
  • Keep the horse in a stall or enclosure where it will not be injured
• Artificial Insemination - AI

  Straw contains 500 million sperm cells in 5-20 ml semen stored in Nitrogen tank at -196 ℃
• Covering - act of mating in horses

  4 hours - required for sufficient sperm to ascend from the uterus into the oviduct to establish pregnancy at a normal rate
• Box stall


  Provides the horse with freedom to move around and thus obtain some exercise even when housed
• Breeding Season


  • Northern hemisphere: Feb 15 – July 15
  • Southern hemisphere: Aug 12 – Jan 15
• Breeding Operations


  • Hand breeding
  • Natural Cover/Live Cover
  • Pasture Breeding
  • Artificial Insemination
• Systems of breeding


  • Purebreeding
  • Inbreeding
  • Close breeding
  • Linebreeding
  • Outcrossing
  • Grading up
  • Crossbreeding
• Tie stall


  • Uses considerably less space and can house more animals in a given size barn
  • Reduce slightly the work associated with manure removal, especially with mares
• Signs & Tests for Pregnancy Diagnosis

  • Failure to return to estrus 2 – 3 weeks after breeding
  • Manual (per rectal) examination
  • Mare immunoglobulin Pregnancy (MIP) Test
  • Progesterone assay
  • Ultrasonography
• Space requirements for different types and ages of horses

  • Foal - 2 yrs. Old: Box stall 10 X 10, Tie stall 4 1/2 X 9
  • Pony: Box stall 9 X 9, Tie stall 3 X 6
  • Mature Horse: Small box stall 10 X 10, Average box stall 10 X 12, Large box stall 12 X 12, Tie stall 5 X 9
  • Stallion: Box stall 14 X 14
• Health programs during pregnancy - Parasite control

  • Most horse dewormers are safe throughout pregnancy
  • Mares should not be given deworming medications during first 2 months of pregnancy or during last few weeks before foaling
  • Can be dewormed 1 or 2 days after foaling to reduce small strongyle worms passed to the foal
• Stall requirements


  • Must be able to stand rubbing and kicking
  • At least 2 inch thick wood planking used
  • Tongue and groove
  • Treated wood for the bottom planking and posts
  • Open panel for observation and ventilation
  • Doors 4 ft wide, latch operable from inside and outside
• Flooring options


  • Box stalls: packed clay or earth
  • Tie stalls: concrete or wood laid on top concrete
  • Wood: difficult to keep clean, odor problem
  • Concrete: tend to be slippery when wet, causes stiffness and excessive hoof wear
• Health programs during pregnancy - Vaccinations

  • Tetanus
  • West Nile Virus
  • Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomylitis
  • Rabies
  • Equine Influenza
  • Equine Herpesvirus (EHV, Rhinopneumonitis)
  • Botulism
  • Equine Viral Arteritis
  • Rotaviral diarrhea
  • Potomac horse fever (Equine monocytic ehrlichiosis)
• Foaling Preparation


  • Pregnant and foaling mares are kept separately
  • Provide adequate exercise
  • Transfer to the foaling stall/location at least 4 weeks before the expected foaling date
  • Foaling box stalls: 12 X 16 feet (4 X 5 meters); have good ventilation, bedded with clean, dry straw
• Signs of Approaching Parturition

  • Udder enlargement – 2 to 4 weeks before foaling
  • Marked shrinkage of the muscles of the croup area ("shrinking of the croup")
  • Isolation/segregation
  • "Waxing of the teats"
  • Restlessness
  • Sweating
  • Frequent urination
  • Rupture of the water bag
• Stages of Delivery


  • Stage 1: 1-4 hrs.
  • Stage 2: 5-30 mins.
  • Stage 3: 1-3 hrs.
• Ceiling height


  • 8 ft minimum for small barns
  • 9 1/2 ft suggested when tractor is used in the center alley
  • 12 ft recommended if a horse is to be mounted inside the barn
• Windows


  • At least 4 ft in area
  • Bottom of window about 6 ft above the floor
  • Welded wire or steel grill if horse can reach
  • Awning-type window desirable for ventilation
• 80% of delivery is during night time at 10pm to 4am
• Bedding types


  • Straw: wheat, barley, oat, rye
  • Wood shavings: chipped soft wood
  • Paper
  • Flax/hemp: dust extracted, highly absorbent and bio-degradable
  • Rubber flooring: requires well-drained flooring
• Manure handling


  • Should be disposed of daily
  • Temporary storage area: concrete slab sloping away, 12 sq ft per animal, emptied at least weekly
• Stage 1


  • Abdominal pain and restlessness lasting 1-2 hrs.
  • Patches of sweat usually appear on neck, flank, & behind elbows
  • Uterus is contracting to direct foal through the cervix into the birth canal
  • Mares mare roll which is thought to assist in the rotation of the fetus
  • Rupture of fetal membranes ("water breaking") marks the end of the first stage of delivery
• Stage 2


  • Starts when fetal membranes rupture and ends with the delivery of foal.
  • If significant process is not made within 10-15 mins. Call your vet.
  • Uncomplicated labor usually takes no more than 30 mins.
  • If delivery takes more than 30 mins. Call a vet immediately.
• Lighting


  • Stall and alley areas
  • Protect with wire guards
  • Electrical outlets in alley, storage, and tack room
• Stage 3


  • Expulsion of the afterbirth (fetal membranes)
  • If fetal membranes have not been passed 3 hrs after delivery, administration of oxytocin at 15- to 30-minute intervals until completely expelled.