and motility? Is the stallion farm sending enough semen in a timely matter? For normal insemination, you need a minimum of 500 million progressively motile sperm. Does the stallion historically have a good conception rate? During collection and processing, was the semen managed properly? Be sure to ask the stallion owner for the semen report, generated after collecting fresh semen or after thawing frozen semen.
Using ultrasound, Dr. von Rosenberg examines a mare’s reproduc- tive tract.
narians can feel the general size and placement of the uterus and ovaries, as well as some activities within the uterus. Is the uterus floppy or does it hang low below the pelvic rim? How big are the mare’s ovaries? Does she have two, average-sized ovaries or is one the size of a peanut and the other the size of a grapefruit? An ultrasound machine is used to further assess the condition of the uterus and the ovaries and to produce a black and white image for the veterinarian to evaluate and measure. The veterinarian can also check for adhesions inside the abdomen or partial tears that may have been the result of a previous foaling complication, as well as fluid or cysts in the uterus. Thickness of the uterine wall can also be measured to determine if there is any problematic inflammation. It is also important to consider the size of her ovaries in
relation to the time of year of ovarian activity. During the winter, some mares may completely shut down and not come into heat for several months. In warmer climates, how- ever, mares may cycle through the winter and continue to produce small follicles. Despite what some may think, repro- ductive cycles are associated with the length of day, not the temperature or climate. The slightly longer days in warmer areas of the world may keep a mare from shutting down for the winter. In many ways, this can be helpful when treating a barren mare. By closely following their patterns throughout the winter months, you will have even more information to help you when breeding her the following spring.
STALLION SELECTION Last but not least, is it possible that your mare, and the part- ner you picked for her, just don’t get along? Surprisingly, this could be the case. There are instances when a mare does not take with a particular stallion’s semen but will take with an- other’s. Whether she had a reaction to frozen semen or the PH in the stallion’s pre-ejaculate semen, or experienced a stressful live cover breeding and became inflamed, it is possible that the stallion was not a good match for your mare. Some things to question when deciding to use a stallion’s semen or not are: Was the semen examined by a veterinarian for concentration
PRIOR TO BREEDING Well before your target breeding date, the next step is to work up the mare and take a uterine culture and perhaps a uterine biopsy. A uterine culture should be taken if possible during estrus (heat), but can be done during diestrus when using the small volume flush (SVF) technique. Preferably the culture is taken via SVF regardless of estrus cycle and not with a simple cotton swab, because a much more representa- tive sample can be obtained with the SVF method. Another technique is to infuse the mare’s uterus with an acetylcyste- ine solution one day, then flush her the next and culture the flush. The acetylcysteine works as a mucolytic and can effec- tively clear the uterus of debris, thus allowing the bacteria to be exposed for culture more effectively. Once a specific problem has been identified, it is time to discuss a plan of action. By far the most common cause of infertility in the mare is chronic infection (endometritis). The infection will need to be treated in two steps. First, identify the cause of the infection and fix or manage it. Some issues, such as cervical adhesions or tears, urine pooling (vesicovagi- nal reflux) and poor vulvar conformation may be addressed surgically. Other issues, such as poor uterine clearing due to age-related issues, can be treated medically. Although antibi- otic treatments are often utilized in these protocols, they are of secondary importance to treating the underlying cause. An established infection needs to be treated aggressively with copious lavages, antibiotics and ideally other anti-in- fective agents such as acetylcysteine, and buffered chelators (such as Tris-EDTA), which potentiate antimicrobials. There
Often the expense and headache of treating a barren mare can be worth it! Here are Revlon (Routinier/Tarim), an Oldenburg mare, and her colt, In Italics, by the Dutch stallion, Kaareltje.
Warmbloods Today 71
Courtesy Kimberley Ennett/MarKim Farms
Courtesy Carolin von Rosenberg
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