Horse 6- Repro and breeding

Question 1

What are horses bred for?

Answer 1

-looks and performance NOT really reproductive soundness
**performance is heritable

-this selection results in subfertile mares and stallions

-common for owners to breed horses with heritable defects…must discuss ethics

Question 2

Reproductive physiology of mare components

Answer 2

1. puberty
2. pregnancy
   3.parturition

Question 3

Puberty in the mare

Answer 3

Starts with 1st ovulation (12-24mths)
*effected by nutrition, season and stress
*seasonally polyestrous (long day breeders)

Question 4

When do most mares become pregnant?

Answer 4

Common in 2yr olds
-yearlings that become pregnant are at an increased risk of dystocia

Question 5

Gestation time

Answer 5

Avg 340 days but range from 320-365+

Question 6

Producing a foal a year?

Answer 6

Mares must become pregnant within 20-30 days in order to maintain yearly production

Question 7

Delivery

Answer 7

-often only delivery singletons
-twins considered a disease and vet intervention needed

Question 8

Conception and pregnancy rates

Answer 8

Conception per cycle= 60-70%

Season pregnancy rate= 80-90%

**these are often not met though because mares and stallions often low reproductive rates/ability

Question 9

Parturition in mare

Answer 9

Rapid and forceful!

Stage 1: uterine contraction, cervical relaxation

Stage 2: fetal expulsion

Stage 3: fetal membrane expulsion

Question 10

Stallion economics of breeding farm

Answer 10

Stallions
-mare owners will pay stud fee to breed with a certain stallion or AI semen
-most offer live foal guarantee and you will get another chance for free in next season if it fails

**stud fee varies depending on the stallions accomplishments

Question 11

Mare care income on breeding farm

Answer 11

Board charged to mare owners to house and feed mares for the breeding period

Range $2-50+ per day

Question 12

Wet mares vs dry mares

Answer 12

Wet mares- mares with foals still with them

dry mares- mares with no foal with them

**fees for mare care for wet mares will be greater than dry

Question 13

Chute fees income source in breeding farm

Answer 13

Additional fee to mare owner that is sometimes used to charge cover costs of natural service (hand breeding) on farm OR covers cost of semen collection, prep, any shipping or storage

Question 14

Foal income on breeding farms

Answer 14

Foals are sold as weanlings, yearlings or in utero

Marketing by word of mouth, yearling sales, auctions, internet, equine publications

Question 15

Typical asking price for foals from breeding farms

Answer 15

at least 2x the stud fee (starting point!)

Question 16

Expenditures on the breeding farm

Answer 16

-FEED
-overhead
-wages of employees
-advertising

Question 17

Vet role on breeding farm

Answer 17

Extensive
-horses are subfertile
-horses have high value do using advanced repro tech is important
eg. cloning