Veterinary Tidbits - Prebreeding

PRE-BREEDING PREPARATION is critical. It is important that you prepare your mare for breeding with transported semen as you would for being bred by any other method. All mares should have a uterine culture and possibly a cytology done prior to breeding.

Mares that have a history of difficulty getting in foal should have a uterine biopsy performed to evaluate whether treatment is necessary prior to breeding. This will determine what the odds are for her carrying a foal successfully to term.

If you want to breed for an early foal, your mare should be put under 16 hours of daylight starting November 15 to ensure that she will be cycling normally early in the breeding season.

If your mare is having a foal this year, you should be able to time her breeding fairly well if you breed her on the 9 -day foal heat (somewhere between 7-12 days after foaling) or the 30- day heat (between 27-34 days after foaling). If your mare is a problem mare, you will increase her odds for conception if you send her to a qualified breeding farm that has a successful transported semen breeding program already in place.