CHAPTER 64The Postpartum Breeding Mare

Broodmare practice is production medicine, and in order to be successful it should be approached in that manner whether breeding 1 mare or 1000. With this in mind, the management of the postpartum mare becomes critical. In the 1980s Dr. Robert Loy¹ showed that to keep mares from drifting toward the end of the calendar the herd must average 25 days from foaling to conception. This is a very difficult goal to maintain, and it takes very aggressive management of all mares but particularly the postpartum mare. Aggressive management does not mean that farm managers must breed every mare on foal heat or even short cycle every mare that is not bred; it means that managers must be actively engaged in the aggressive management of these mares so that the mare is bred at the earliest opportunity that will provide her with an optimal chance for conception.

The postpartum mare must be carefully evaluated before a management scheme is developed. In central Kentucky most mares are examined at 7 or 8 days post partum. It is important that the mare be examined thoroughly, starting with her external genitalia, vagina, cervix, uterus, and ovaries.

Her vulval lips are examined for tears and bruising. Lacerations of the vestibule are common, particularly in young mares or in mares that present particularly large foals. These lesions are caused by the stretching of the vulva and vestibule and can be rather severe. They will usually heal spontaneously without any treatment; sometimes, however, an abscess can form in the tissue and dissect ventrally and break out below and lateral to the vulva lips. As severe as some of these tears appear, this author has never seen them cause an ongoing problem. A speculum examination of the vagina and cervix must be carefully done. The vagina must be examined for lacerations and the pooling of urine. The cervix is examined for color, inflammation, and lacerations. If the cervix and vagina are inflamed, it is advisable to culture the mare and perform cytologic studies to make sure that the mare does not have an infection. After the external genitalia, vagina, and cervix are examined, a detailed examination of the uterus and ovaries should be done.

The examination of the uterus and ovaries should be started by carefully palpating the mare. The ovaries and uterus should be examined for size and position; any possible abnormality can then be noted and examined later by ultrasonographic examination. It is the author’s opinion that fewer problems are missed if a thorough palpation is done before an ultrasonographic examination because the examiner will know what he or she is looking for with ultrasonography and do a more complete examination. A hematoma, enlarged uterus, abnormal bowel location, and ovarian tumors can all be diagnosed first by palpation and than confirmed with the ultrasound machine. Ultrasonography can also find abnormalities that are difficult or impossible to diagnose simply by palpating. Ovarian hematoma, uterine fluid, and large uterine cysts are all easy to diagnose with ultrasonography but difficult with palpation alone. After the mare has been carefully examined, a decision can be made as to how best to manage her to give her the earliest possible chance to conceive.

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