theHorse: Slow-Releasing Deslorelin Delays Mares’ Heat Cycles

theHorse.com just published an article about a study with the potential to impact many mare-owners. The study indicated that Deslorelin, which is the drug used to bring mares into heat for breeding, can be used at different dosages to keep mares out of heat. If your mare is "marish" and you want to keep her out of heat, this might be your answer.

"Deslorelin, in the form of a slow-release implant, successfully keeps pony mares from having estrus behavior and coming into heat, said Christine Aurich, DVM, PhD, head of the Graf Lehndorff Institute, in Neustadt, Germany, and professor of artificial insemination and embryo transfer in the Vetmeduni veterinary school Department for Small Animals and Horses, in Vienna, Austria."

To read the article, click here.

Photo: Takuma Kimura from okayama, Japan / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Riptide: For Everything You Want in a Foal

Rip Tide is a Holsteiner stallion with the MOVES! Are you looking to produce an eventer that tops all three phases? A talented jumper with graceful athleticism? A dressage horse with power and engagement? Check out the versatility that is Rip Tide!

Yearling colt by RipTide
out of a Thoroughbred Eventing mare

Rip Tide is a 17.1-hand Holsteiner who won the Jumper Champion title at Pollyrich Farms at the 2019 North American Stallion Sport Test. He is currently showing Intermediate 1 in dressage as well as 1.20 meter jumpers.

Filly by RipTide
out of Oldenburg mare

Rip Tide is a young stallion with ten foals on the ground; all of them are inheriting his strong frame, trainability and his temperament that is both kind and brave. He is proving to be a sire of horses with high performance potential and amateur-friendly temperaments.

Rip Tide is licensed with the Westfalen Verband NA, American Rhinelander Society, German Oldenburg Verband, and Oldenburg NA/ISR.  He is N/N for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome, and is available with fresh cooled semen with a live foal guarantee. 

Yearling colt by RipTide out of a
French (Selle Français) Jumper mare

Rip Tide’s sire, Riverman, passed away in 2020 at the age of 30. He was well-known for his ability in dressage and for how he excelled in siring athletes. His damsire, Solid Silver, successfully showed on the jumper circuit with Rodney Jenkins, and was known as a kind and gentle stallion.

Click here for more information about Rip Tide, including pedigree and descriptions, more photos, video, and breeding details.

Click here to contact Rip Tide’s owner with questions or to make your breeding arrangements.

Hanoverian Bloodlines Webinar with Dr. Christmann

The Mid-Atlantic Hanoverian Breeders Club is hosting a webinar in January with Dr. Ludwig Christmann of Germany. Dr. Christmann is speaking on important bloodlines in Hanoverian breeding, with a focus on recent breeding developments. He is an extremely knowledgeable expert on Hanoverian bloodlines worldwide.

"Dr. Ludwig Christmann began his employment with the Hanoveraner Verband in 1984. He worked for many years as Deputy Breeding Director. In 1996 he obtained his doctorate degree with “The development of breeding values based on the evaluation of mares in studbook inspections and mare performance tests.” He has been editor of Hannoveraner Jarbuch Hengste since 1999 and is a member of the Interstallion working group of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses. In 2002 Dr. Christmann became managing director for the Verband’s breeding abroad. Dr. Christmann is married, and he and his wife have three adult daughters, two of whom are riders. In his spare time he breeds his own horses and currently has three Hanoverians at home."

The webinar will be held January 9, 2021 at 11am EST. Registration is free to MAHB members, and $25 to non-members.

Click here to visit the MAHB Events page.

 

AAEP: Breeding Season is Near

 

Need a checklist to help you prepare for the upcoming breeding season? theHorse.com and the American Association of Equine Practitioners have provided one, and you can find it on the AAEP website.

As the weather gets colder in the southern part of the United States and in the more northern reaches, mare and stallion owners might be gearing up for the breeding season. To help you make preparations for the upcoming breeding season, we’ll take a look at two populations of mares -- those that are currently pregnant and those that are maiden or barren -- and we’ll approach a stallion’s needs for breeding season preparation, too. 

The article covers artificial light, health care, reproductive soundness exam, and healthy body weight for the mare.

Click here to read the article in full.

The image is of an 1822 painting by Benjamin Marshall (English), available in the public domain. It is entitled Broodmare with Foal, and a Terrier. 

theHorse: Mare Vocalization Associated With Foal Survival

A feral mare grazes at Shackleford Banks. Photo credit below.

Turns out, according to new research, that feral foals whose mamas talk to them the most have the best chance of surviving.

"The researchers noted a direct link between mare-initiated communication—primarily snorts—and foal survival..."

It's an interesting study that looked at feral horse herds in the Shackleford Banks off the coast of North Carolina. Over 3,000 observation hours were logged. 

A startling fact is that during the three years of their study, nearly 30% of the foals didn't live past a year old. According to research assistant professor Cassandra M. Nuñez, PhD (of the University of Memphis's Department of Biological Sciences in Tennessee),

"Foals whose dams initiated communication the most during the first 10 weeks of life were more likely to live to 1 year of age than foals whose dams communicated less."

They also found that mares and foals continued to communicate well after the foals were six months old, something modern breeding practices cut off by separating mares and foals. The researchers raised the question about current weaning practices, in light of their findings.

Read the full article here, on theHorse.com.

Photo: Bonnie Gruenberg, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.