Breeding

Diarrhoea in foals

Foal heat diarrhoea is a self-limiting condition that occurs in 75-80% of foals, aged between 5 and 15 days. Diarrhoea is usually transient, lasting 3–4 days, and foals typically remain bright and...

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome in foals

Historically, the syndrome has been attributed to hypoxic–ischaemic injury at foaling and the condition is seen in foals that have experienced a prolonged delivery as a result of dystocia or premature...

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in foals

The risk factors for equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) in foals vary depending on foal age. In very young neonatal foals, excess exposure to acid is probably not a major risk factor as many foals...

Examination of mares and fillies for breeding purposes

Accurate and detailed identification is essential and should be included in any report. Name, age, breed, colour/markings and microchip number should be checked against a valid passport. As detailed a...

Reproductive management of the transitional mare

Exposure of mares in deep anoestrus to a stimulatory photoperiod remains the most common method of advancing the first ovulation of the season. The duration from onset of adequate light exposure to...

Breeding the ‘difficult mare’

For reproductive purposes, a mare can be classed as aged in her mid to late teens, typically 15 years or older, although fertility begins to decline in a linear fashion from approximately 12 years of...

Failure of passive transfer in foals

Although a large proportion of immune system development occurs during gestation, the foal is considered immunologically naive at birth. Both IgM and IgG proteins are evident in fetal serum prior to...