Mare Breeding Soundness Examination: Gathering a History

Selecting a mare for breeding can be a daunting process. Once the mare has passed muster in the areas of conformation, soundness, athleticism, and disposition, an adequate history must be taken down.

General health. A complete history of vaccination and deworming protocols should be ascertained. The date of the mare’s last dental examination should be given with any peculiarities noted. Any history of systemic disease should also be taken into consideration.

Performance. The mare’s performance record should be obtained, making special note of level of competition, last date of competition, and length of competitiveness.  For example, is the potential broodmare a racehorse that ran one year before being sidelined by injury, or is she an older show horse that has been competitive for multiple seasons? Was she placed on any medications to keep estrus at bay during competition?

Breeding and foaling. Pertinent questions might include how many cycles for each pregnancy; natural or artificial insemination; last breeding date; how many live births; how many abortions, if any; description of foaling complications, if experienced?

Reproductive drug use. A complete roster of medications used during and after breeding season should be obtained. These might include drugs to manipulate the estrous cycle, induce ovulation, or maintain pregnancy.

Once an adequate history has been acquired, a veterinarian can be called to complete a physical examination.