STUDIES ON FACTORS INFLUENCING REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF THOROUGHBRED MARES BRED DURING FOAL HEAT
Loading...
Date
2019-07-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
KARNATAKA VETERINARY, ANIMAL AND FISHERIES SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, BIDAR
Abstract
The records of 98 mares (519 mare years) from a Thoroughbred stud farm located
in Southern India were analysed to study the characteristics of foal heat. The mean days
to the onset of foal heat post foaling was 7.86± 0.16 days, which was found to be
influenced significantly by the year of foaling, age of the mare and the month of foaling.
The mean duration of foal heat (5.20 ± 0.24days) and interval between onset of foal heat
and ovulation (3.56 ± 0.20 days) were not found to be influenced by these factors. The
ovulation percentage from the left ovary was 44.70%, which was not significantly higher
than 40.27% from right ovary. The overall pregnancy rates in mares bred during foal
heat, second heat and third heat were 61.18%, 64.21% and 64.81%, respectively which
were not statistically significant. The pregnancy wastages in mares bred during foal heat,
second heat and third heat were 26.92%, 19.41% and 15.49%, respectively which were
not statistically significant, but the early embryonic loss was found to be significantly
higher in foal heat bred mares (21.15%) when compared to second heat (7.77%) and third
heat bred mares (8.45%). The mean gestation lengths in mares bred during foal heat,
second heat and third heat were 335.73± 1.00 (33), 334.62± 0.71 (155) and 332.83 ± 1.01
(61) which were found to be statistically significant. The most isolated bacteria form the
uterus of foal heat mares in our prospective studies was E. coli(42.86%)followed by BHS
(28.57%). The presence of bacterial organism along with Degree 2 and Degree 3 intra
uterine fluid found to influence the pregnancy rates in mares bred during foal heat.