Fertility and reproduction

To ensure that your mare is in the best possible condition for breeding, there are a number of steps which our stud veterinarians take:

• For natural cover, mares are required to have an annual clitoral and in season endometrial swab for CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis) and an annual blood sample taken to test for EIA (Equine Infectious Anaemia) and EVA (Equine Viral Arteritis).
• These are best taken as early as possible in the new year, to avoid any delays when your mare is ready to go to stud. The results can be processed within one to two days if required urgently.
• Once you have decided on a stallion, one of our stud vets can scan your mare and estimate the optimal cover date. If your mare is ‘walking out’ to stud (for a natural cover), an endometrial swab is required to ensure that the uterus is clean from disease. This is taken when the mare is in heat and can be incubated in our in-house laboratory.

All of our Stud Veterinarians are equipped with medicines and techniques to best optimise conception, pregnancy diagnosis and, ultimately, maximise the chances of success in breeding your mare.

Our practice has been servicing professional TB studs for years and has some of the top English national hunt and flat sires on its books.

Whether the mare being bred is going to visit a National Hunt or Flat stallion, the requirements and the protocol adopted are the same.

• After the 1st January, swabs are taken from the clitoris for CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis). An in season endometrial swab for CEM is also required prior to covering.
• Test results must be negative for all three of the following venereal pathogens; Taylorella equigenitalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia.
• Negative results are also required from blood samples taken for Equine Viral Arteritis and Equine Infectious Anaemia.
• During the breeding season, mares will be routinely examined to assess what stage of the reproductive cycle they are in. This is carried out with the aid of an ultrasound scanner.
• Once they are in oestrus (in season), a swab is taken from the lining of the uterus to ensure there is no evidence of uterine infection or inflammation.
• Once an egg is ready on the ovary, they will go to the stallion and be mated. She may be given medication to induce ovulation and thereby maximise the likelihood of conception taking place.
• Post-mating, the mare will be examined to make sure she has ovulated and is not showing any evidence of inflammation or infection.  If the mare needs to be stitched (Caslick’s procedure), then this can be carried out now. Any other treatment deemed necessary can also be implemented.
• Approximately 14 to 16 days post-ovulation, the mare can be examined by ultrasound to see if she is pregnant.
• At this stage twin reduction can be carried out, if necessary. Further ultrasound pregnancy examinations are usually carried out at 28 days (to detect the heart beat) and 42 days (to check normal foetal development) post ovulation. Most pregnant mares can then leave the stud and go home.
• If the mare does not conceive, further investigation may be warranted which your stud vet will discuss with you.

Please contact our team for further information on prices.

Mares can either be bred naturally by a stallion or by artificial insemination (AI). AI refers to breeding a mare with semen that has been previously collected from a stallion, and then deposited into the uterus by your veterinary surgeon, rather than by natural service. AI allows owners of mares access to a wider range of stallions both in the UK and abroad, and we offer both chilled and frozen AI packages.

Both chilled and frozen inseminations involve a number of ultrasound scans, assurance the mare is ‘clean’ prior to breeding with the use of an endometrial guarded swab and specifically timed administration of ovulatory drugs to ensure the insemination is carried out at the correct time. Generally, frozen AI is more labour intensive as frozen semen has reduced longevity compared to chilled semen and the timings for breeding differ. Admission to the clinic of single mares for breeding is preferable to ensure we can carry out the best service possible and maximise the chances of achieving a successful pregnancy in your mare.

Chilled semen from abroad is generally ordered 24h in advance of insemination  whilst frozen semen should be ready in our tank well in advance of the insemination. We have our own storage tank for frozen semen at BVEC, so clients can arrange to have the semen delivered to the clinic.

Please contact us for further information on these packages and costs.

Embryo transfer involves breeding a ‘donor’ mare to a stallion and then transferring the resulting embryo into a reproductively competent ‘recipient’ or surrogate mare, who carries the foal to term and nurses it until weaning.

Advantages of ET are to obtain foals from:

1. Mares in competition
2. Younger mares, (2yo onwards)
3. Nursing mares that foaled late in the season
4. Obtain several foals in the same year
5. Mares unable to carry a pregnancy
6. Sub-fertile mares/those with repeated pregnancy loss/medical reasons that make it unsuitable for a mare to carry a pregnancy.

Careful stallion selection, excellent donor and recipient mare management and selection of quality recipient mares is integral to the success of the procedure.

*New to 2024* BVEC have their own quality recipient mares available to hire to carry your mare’s pregnancy. For more information on ET procedures and pricing, please contact Lucy at BVEC.

A mare may have breeding difficulties for a variety of reasons. Our stud veterinarians are able to use their knowledge and experience, along with the latest equipment and our in-house laboratory, to establish the cause and identify the best solution to the problem.

The breeding history of a mare and complete physical and ultrasonographic evaluation of the reproductive tract is essential in establishing the cause of fertility problems. Other procedures we may utilise alongside include:

• Uterine biopsy and culture
• Low volume lavage of the uterus for culture and sensitivity
• Hysteroscopy
• Surgical/medical flushing of the oviducts

Our stud vets are always happy to provide advice on the best course of action to pursue with a ‘tricky breeder.’ Our barren mare package is a competitively priced and comprehensive diagnostic service aimed at establishing the cause of fertility problems in your mare. Consequently, our stud vets can then formulate a specific treatment plan for your mare to optimise the chances of breeding success.

Summary:

We aim to provide an excellent, comprehensive breeding service for all our clients from large commercial studs to the single broodmare owner. Our stud team are very happy to advise on all aspects of breeding and answer any questions you may have. Please ring the clinic to speak to a stud vet for further information, advice and price enquiries.