Management of mares during foal heat for optimal reproductive performance

This presentation offers a review of uterine involution and related events that, in the normal mare, allow the mare to ovulate and fall pregnant as early as 10 days after foaling. Events, conditions and diseases that disrupt the normal progression of the mare’s return to fertility at the time of her first ovulation are briefly reviewed, followed by a review of the management and therapeutic interventions that have been described and/or tested for their real or potential positive effects on the fertility of mares at the time of their foal heat ovulation. Based on the information presented in the review the author concludes that, while foal heat fertility is lower and embryonic losses are higher than during subsequent cycles, little damage is done by at least trying to establish a pregnancy during the foal heat. Exceptions to this general approach are described and foal heat breeding management practices for the very early and very late foaling mares are proposed ...