Mare's milk is the natural lactation product of female horses and serves as the primary source of nutrition for foals in the early stages of life. It provides essential nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, necessary for the growth and development of young horses. The composition of mare's milk can vary based on factors such as the mare's diet, health, and stage of lactation. Researchers study mare's milk to understand its nutritional profile, its role in foal development, and its potential applications in equine nutrition and management. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, benefits, and variations of mare's milk in equine science.
Telfer EE, Watson ED.The aims of this study were to evaluate the use of collagenase treatment to isolate preantral follicles from mare ovaries and to assess the effect of this treatment on follicular morphology. Intact mare ovaries were chopped into pieces, incubated individually with 1, 3 or 5 mg collagenase (type 1A) ml(-1) in a shaking waterbath at 37 degrees C for up to 2 h and passed through a series of stainless steel filters with pore size 50-300 microm to remove large clumps and stromal cells. The samples were prepared for histological analysis and sections were examined by light microscopy. Isolated folli...
Valiev AG, Valieva TA, Valeeva GR, Speranskiĭ VV, Levachev MM.The influence of essential fatty acids of mare's milk fat on the immunocompetent system and nonspecific resistance of male rats weighing 135-145 g was investigated after 6 weeks of feeding. Rats were fed with isocaloric purified diets containing 15% of test fat (in control--combination of lard and sunflower oil) which provide the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids equal to 0.76. An increase of immune responsiveness and nonspecific resistance in the group fed with the diet with mare's milk fat on day 6 after a single immunization of the animals with 5% sheep erythrocyte suspension was noted.
Grace ND, Pearce SG, Firth EC, Fennessy PF.To determine the changes in Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, S, Cu, Fe and Zn concentrations of milk during the lactation in pasture-fed Thoroughbred mares and then calculate the dietary mineral requirements of the sucking foal and the lactating mare. Methods: Milk was sampled on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and at various times between 55 to 65, 85 to 95 and 135 to 150 days after parturition from 21 pasture-fed mares. The concentrations of macro- and micro-elements in the milk were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. Results: Concentrations (mg/L) of these elements were highest in co...
Cameron EZ, Stafford KJ, Linklater WL, Veltman CJ.Studies of parental investment in mammals have frequently used suckling behaviour to estimate energy transfer from mother to offspring, and consequently to measure maternal input. Such studies assume that the more an offspring sucks, the more milk it will receive. This assumption has been questioned, and a review of the literature found little support for it. To test if suckling behaviour provided an accurate index of milk or energy intake we used a radioactive isotope technique to label the milk of thoroughbred mares and to measure milk transfer to foals. We found no significant linear relati...
Slebodziński AB, Brzezińska-Slebodzińska E, Nowak J, Kowalska K.It is generally accepted that hormones and tissue growth factors are supplied from mother to neonate via mammary secretion. Among the protein hormones, insulin and prolactin are considered as the most important milk components for neonates. The significance of the thyroid hormones, namely triiodothyronine (T3) generated locally by 5'-monodeiodinase (5'-MD) in the mammary tissues, for the mammary gland itself and for suckling neonates is still under consideration. In the present study the activity of the 5'-MD and the concentrations of T3 and insulin in mare's colostrum and milk during the firs...
Hatzipanagiotou A, Rieland E, Enbergs H.It was the aim of this project to investigate the changes of the lysozyme activity in the milk of mares during the lactation period. Further on the influence of race, date of conception and foaling, age and number of lactations on the lysozyme activities in milk was analysed. Milk samples were collected from 44 mares (trotters, warmblood, quarter horses) from eight farms between the 1st and 90th day p. p. The activity of the lysozyme was measured by a turbidometric method. Summarizing the following results are obtained: Lysozyme activities in mare milk of the 1st and 3rd day p. p. were higher ...
Palmer E, Duchamp G, Cribiu EP, Mahla R, Boyazoglu S, Bézard J.The aim of this study was to test the possibility that ovulation can occur from a preovulatory follicle emptied of its follicular fluid. Transport of the oocyte into the oviduct and fertilisation in 29% of cases demonstrated that ovulation can occur in the absence of follicular fluid but the higher fertility achieved in control mares (62.5%) suggested that follicular fluid does serve a role during ovulation, fertilisation and oviductal transport. Injection of horse oocytes into preovulatory follicles in mules after removal of the follicular fluid, followed by insemination of the mules with hor...
Rieland E, Hatzipanagiotou A, Jahnecke S, Enbergs H.Milk samples were collected from 44 mares (trotters, warm blood horses, quarter horses) during lactation between the 1st and 90th day p.p. at 20 defined days. The activity of the enzymes LDH, gamma-GT, GOT, GPT and lactoperoxidase was investigated. The aim of this study was to find out the changes of these parameters during lactation and whether an influence of race, conception, date of foaling, age and number of lactations existed on the enzyme activities in mare's milk. The following results were obtained: In mare's milk the LDH-activity was highest (xg = 629 x 1.5 +/- 1 U/l) on the 1st day ...
Ousey JC, Prandi S, Zimmer J, Holdstock N, Rossdale PD.To determine the effect of diet on energy intake, loss, and metabolism in foals 2 to 7 days old. Methods: 14 pony foals. Methods: Group-A foals suckled their dams, group-B foals were fed milk replacer, and group-C foals were fed by total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Energy balance studies were performed over 8-hour periods on postpartum days 2, 4, and 7. Results: Mean gross energy (GE) intake of group-A foals increased between days 2 and 7. Approximately 3% of GE was excreted in urine and feces, and energy expenditure remained constant. These foals were in positive energy balance, and mean body...
Care AD, Abbas SK, Ousey J, Johnson L.Once lactation is established in mares, there is little change in the ionised calcium concentration in their milk. In contrast, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in the milk increases to a maximum level by the end of the second week of lactation, near which it remains for the rest of the lactation. As found in other species, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in mare's milk is considerably higher than that in plasma, sampled at the same time. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between the concentrations of PTHrP(1-34) and ionised calcium in the milk except during the last 10 weeks o...
Sharma AK, Kathikeyan S, Kaur P, Singh TP, Yadav MP.Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 80 kDa. The protein has two iron binding sites. It has two structural lobes, each housing one Fe(3+) and the synergistic CO(3)(2-) ion. The protein was isolated from the colostrum/milk of mares maintained at National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, India. The purified samples of the protein were crystallized using a microdialysis method. The protein was dialysed against low ionic strength buffer solution. Several crystal forms were obtained, out of which three were characterized which have cell dimensions as follows. For...
Zicker SC, Lonnerdal B.Separation of whey protein from casein in equine milk was achieved by adjustment of pH to 4.3 without addition of calcium, and by ultracentrifugation at 189,000 g for 1 hr. True protein, whey protein, and casein decreased significantly during the first 28 days of lactation with the magnitude of decrease being greatest for whey protein. The proportion of nitrogen in whey protein:casein decreased from 85:15 to 54:46 during the 28 day time period. The concentration of non-protein nitrogen remained relatively constant at 500 mg nitrogen/l but increased in proportion from 2 to 13% of the total nitr...
Oriol JG.In most domestic animals, the zona pellucida is the outermost extracellular layer that covers the blastocyst before implantation. However, in the horse, an acellular membrane, the capsule, replaces the zona pellucida and envelops the developing conceptus during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of gestation. Although this structure was first described by Bonnet in 1889, it received little attention until the 1970s when its rediscovery by Marrable and Flood (1975) led to a series of reports (see review by Betteridge 1989). Nevertheless, until recently the structure, origin, and function of the capsule have...
van der Kolk JH, Mars MH, van der Gaag I.A 12-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was examined because it had suffered colic intermittently for a few years and had lost weight in the previous two months. Palpation per rectum revealed a large firm mass in the left sublumbar region; the mass was classified post mortem as an adrenocortical carcinoma. The basal plasma cortisol concentration (at 10.00) of the mare was 94 nmol/litre, within the normal range. As in another case of adrenocortical neoplasm, a functional tumour could not be demonstrated. Only one of the 21 horses with a neoplasm of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis examined by the a...
Montavon S.The aim of this review is to give the practitioner the ability to be familiar with the echographic exam of ovarian abnormalities. He should be able to recognize different stages of the development of these important structures and to estimate the effect that they can have on the normal cycle of the mare. Various specific criteria and details regarding the equine echography of ovarian abnormalities are reported and illustrated, using the last scientific data published on that particular topic.
Montavon S.Because of the anatomical position of the Corpus luteum within the ovary, rectal palpation is of little value for identification and evaluation. The aim of this review is to familiarize the practitioner with the echographic examination of the Cl. He should be able to recognize different stages of this important structure and to correlate ovulation and the existence of the Cl. Various specific criteria and details regarding equine echography are reported and illustrated, using the the most recently published scientific data.
Willis P, Caudle AB, Fayrer-Hosken RA.Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to evaluate the fine structure of equine oocytes cultured in vitro. Oocytes obtained by follicular aspiration were cultured for either zero or 15 hr. After treatment oocytes were processed either by light microscopy (nuclear evaluation) or TEM (cytoplasmic evaluation). Those oocytes cultured for 15 hr were incubated in modified TCM 199 with 15% (v/v) mare serum (day of ovulation) at 39 +/- 0.2 degree C. Evaluation using TEM revealed that cortical granules were present in all oocytes. However, zero-time oocytes contained few cortical granules, and...
Lebedev SG, Lebedeva LF.A medium containing egg yolk, mare's milk and/or modified PBS was used to culture Day-8 to 8.5 equine blastocysts. Twenty-one variants of the medium containing different concentrations of the 3 components were prepared. Embryos were recovered nonsurgically and placed into the media at 37 degrees C for 24 h. A total of 45 embryos was cultured; of these 7 died in culture and 13 showed inadequate development at the onset, while 25 continued to grow in the media. It was established that embryos grew best in media containing 20 to 60% yolk, 20 to 60% mare's milk and/or 20 to 60% PBS. It was found e...
Ginther OJ, Bergfelt DR.The temporal associations between increases in FSH and growth of small follicles (2-20 mm) were studied during one oestrous cycle (ovulation to ovulation) in 15 horse mares. Follicular diameters were obtained ultrasonically. For each day, follicles were combined for both ovaries, grouped from largest to smallest (excluding dominant follicles), and divided into three to five tiers of six follicles for each mare (for example: tier 1, six largest follicles; tier 2, next six largest follicles). A significant increase in mean diameters followed by a significant decrease was used to define a follicu...
Bowling AT, Stott ML, Bickel L.Microsatellite DNA markers in a mare's hair bulbs not concordant with markers in her blood confirmed the hypothesis of chimaerism which had been proposed to explain the apparent parentage exclusion of the mare from her suckling foal. Parentage analysis for this foal based on genetic markers not originating from blood cells of its dam supported a parentage verification conclusion.
Care AD, Abbas SK, Ousey J, Johnson L.Once lactation is established in mares, there is little change in the ionised calcium concentration in their milk. In contrast, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in the milk increases to a maximum level by the end of the second week of lactation, near which it remains for the rest of the lactation. As found in other species, the concentration of PTHrP(1-34) in mare's milk is considerably higher than that in plasma, sampled at the same time. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between the concentrations of PTHrP(1-34) and ionised calcium in the milk except during the last 10 weeks o...
Traub-Dargatz JL, McKinnon AO.Included in this article are descriptions of adjunctive methods of examination of the urogenital tract, including ultrasonography of the kidneys, urinary bladder, ovaries and uterus; endoscopy of the urethra, urinary bladder, and uterus; contrast radiography of the urinary tract; kidney biopsy; and laparoscopy of the abdomen, emphasizing examination of the mare's reproductive tract.
Taintor J, Caldwell F, Almond G.A mare was evaluated for acute left forelimb lameness with effusion of the carpal flexor sheath. No osseous abnormalities were noted during radiographic examination. Significant disruption of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon was seen during ultrasonographic examination. Carpal sheath effusion and lameness resolved after medical treatment. Une jument a été évaluée pour une boiterie aiguë de la patte avant gauche avec effusion de la gaine du fléchisseur carpien. Aucune anomalie osseuse n’a été observée durant l’examen radiographique. Une perturbation importa...
Chong YC, Duffus WP, Field HJ, Gray DA, Awan AR, O'Brien MA, Lunn DP.Over a period of two years, a total of 22 full term foals from Welsh Mountain pony mares were raised in conditions that were free from infection by Equid herpesvirus (EHV-1/4). Parturition dates were predicted by monitoring colostrum electrolytes, and the mares allowed to foal naturally under supervision or following induction with intravenous oxytocin. Immediately following birth, foals were separated from their dams and transferred to a specially built, positive pressure isolation unit. They were given antibiotic prophylaxis and fed bovine colostrum during the first 24 h, and then mare's mil...
Lu H, Zhang W, Sun S, Mei Y, Zhao G, Yang K.Grazing is a common approach to rearing. We investigated the effects of supplementation during grazing on milk yield and composition, blood biochemistry, and fecal microflora in Yili horses. The control mares grazed normally, while those in groups I and II received 1 kg/d of concentrate and 1 kg/d of concentrate + 0.4 kg/d of coated FA, respectively. Milk volumes were significantly higher in groups I and II than in the control group, and among the previous two, milk volumes were significantly higher in group II than in group I. Milk fat, lactose, and protein levels were significantly higher in...
Stoianova LG, Abramova LA, Ladodo KS.The main biological parameters were studied in sublimated mare's milk: protein fraction composition, amino-acid spectrum, fatty-acid composition of lipids and the content of vitamins and mineral substances. A high biological value of the sublimated mare's milk has been proved, as well as significant proximity of its composition to human milk. Preliminary data have evidenced expediency of mare's milk use for the development of adapted milk mixtures for baby foods. However, the fatty component of the mixtures needs certain correction by addition of vegetable oil. The sublimated mare's milk can b...
Hunt B, Lein DH, Foote RH.Plasma and milk progesterone concentrations in 13 mares were determined 3 times a week for 5 months, beginning at parturition. The estrous cycle was divided into 2 phases. Estrus was considered to occur when the plasma progesterone concentration was less than 1 ng/ml, with diestrus occurring when plasma progesterone content was greater than or equal to 1 ng/ml. Based on this classification, the period of estrus averaged 8.9 days, diestrus averaged 13.9 days, and the estrous cycle averaged 22.8 days. During estrus, the progesterone concentration in plasma averaged 0.4 ng/ml and in milk averaged...
Doreau M, Boulot S, Martin-Rosset W, Robelin J.The milk and nutrient intakes of 21 nursing foals of heavy breeds (adult weight: 800 kg) were determined at 1, 4 and 8 weeks of age. Lactose intake increased (P is less than 0.01) from 1 300 g/day at 1 week of age to 1 800 g/d at 8 weeks; fat decreased (P is less than 0.01) from 400 g/d to 300 g/d and protein did not vary (600 g/d). Energy and nitrogen intakes did not depend on the source of energy in the mother's diet. Milk, energy and nitrogen intakes were well related (r = 0.74 to 0.81) with foal growth between 1 and 4 weeks, but not between 4 and 8 weeks. The composition of weight gain sho...
This study investigated the effects of embryo reduction and transfer of Day 11 embryos, with or without subsequent reduction, on luteostasis in the mare. In Experiment 1, reduction of embryos at Days 10 (n = 15), 11 (n = 47), 12 (n = 36), 13 (n = 27), 14 (n = 5) and 16 (n = 2) of pregnancy resulted in luteostasis in 13%, 47%, 78%, 89%, 80% and 100% mares. Mares undergoing > 1 embryo reduction showed consistency in when luteostasis occurred. In Experiment 2, transfer of Day 11 embryos to recipient mares 10 (n = 9), 11 (n = 8), 12 (n = 9) and 13 (n = 8) days post ovulatio...
Simonenko ES, Begunova AV.Since ancient times, mare's milk has been widely used by many peoples. Thanks to its unique composition, it is now used in the nutrition of people with allergies to cow's milk, in the technologies of foods for special dietary uses, etc. To expand the range of products with useful properties, it is advisable to develop fermented milk products based on mare's milk. Numerous studies indicate that the use of fermented milk products provides various health benefits. And the use of probiotic cultures in the composition of starter cultures for fermented milk products allows you to add a number of fun...
Sandagdorj B, Baigalmaa T, Burenjargal S, Horiuchi M, Enkhdalai M, Bayanbat D, Janchiv D, Jamyandorj O, Ulzii-Orshikh P, Nyam-Osor P.Information regarding the lactational performance of mares in relation to metabolic parameters can help practitioners to manipulate animal rearing management for sustainable mare milk production. The aim of this study was to characterize the lactational performance of Mongolian native mares grazing on natural pastureland by revealing the seasonal effects on metabolic parameters. In this study, 8 multiparous mares were used. Milk yield and composition and serum metabolic parameters, such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose (GLU), triacylglycerol, total cholest...
Miclo L, Girardet JM, Egito AS, Mollé D, Martin P, Gaillard JL.Highly phosphorylated casein with a low molecular mass was isolated from Haflinger mare's milk by RP-HPLC. It accounts for 4.0% of the casein content. Its mass was determined by LC-ESI-MS before and after treatment by alkaline phosphatase. The molecular mass found for the apo-form (10,591 +/- 2 Da) is in agreement with its primary structure, which was established by ESI-MS/MS from tryptic peptides. It appeared that this short protein (94 amino acid residues) is an internally truncated form of the full-length equine beta-casein (226 residues). This low-Mr variant of equine beta-casein displays ...
Slebodziński AB, Brzezińska-Slebodzińska E, Nowak J, Kowalska K.It is generally accepted that hormones and tissue growth factors are supplied from mother to neonate via mammary secretion. Among the protein hormones, insulin and prolactin are considered as the most important milk components for neonates. The significance of the thyroid hormones, namely triiodothyronine (T3) generated locally by 5'-monodeiodinase (5'-MD) in the mammary tissues, for the mammary gland itself and for suckling neonates is still under consideration. In the present study the activity of the 5'-MD and the concentrations of T3 and insulin in mare's colostrum and milk during the firs...
Brinkmann J, Koudelka T, Keppler JK, Tholey A, Schwarz K, Thaller G, Tetens J.The production and consumption of mare's milk in Europe has gained importance, mainly based on positive health effects and a lower allergenic potential as compared to cows' milk. The allergenicity of milk is to a certain extent affected by different genetic variants. In classical dairy species, much research has been conducted into the genetic variability of milk proteins, but the knowledge in horses is scarce. Here, we characterize two major forms of equine αS2-casein arising from genomic 1.3 kb in-frame deletion involving two coding exons, one of which represents an equid specific duplicati...
Ousey JC, Prandi S, Zimmer J, Holdstock N, Rossdale PD.To determine the effect of diet on energy intake, loss, and metabolism in foals 2 to 7 days old. Methods: 14 pony foals. Methods: Group-A foals suckled their dams, group-B foals were fed milk replacer, and group-C foals were fed by total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Energy balance studies were performed over 8-hour periods on postpartum days 2, 4, and 7. Results: Mean gross energy (GE) intake of group-A foals increased between days 2 and 7. Approximately 3% of GE was excreted in urine and feces, and energy expenditure remained constant. These foals were in positive energy balance, and mean body...
Martins HS, Souza MR, Penna CF, da Silva GC, Côrtes SF, Stahlberg R, Lagares MA.Cooled semen has been used routinely to prolong sperm viability until artificial insemination time. However, spermatozoa are subjected to oxidative stress. The aim of the present work was to investigate the protective and antioxidant effect of the milk proteins lactoferrin (Lf) and caseinate added to equine semen cooling extenders. Semen from six stallions was cooled at 5 °C after resuspension with C1) milk- and glucose-based, C2) 0.6% caseinate, C3) C2 + Lf 200 μg ml-1 , C4) C2 + Lf 500 μg ml-1 and C5) C2 + Lf 1000 μg ml-1 extenders, and kept at 5 °C for 24 h. Sperm motili...
Lanci A, Merlo B, Grandis A, Mariella J, Castagnetti C, Iacono E.Wharton's jelly (WJ) is fundamental for the well-being of the fetus, binding to the umbilical vessels and protecting them from twisting and compression. Gross and microscopic studies have been undertaken on the umbilical cord (UC) of human placentae in both normal and high-risk pregnancies, however there is limited research on equine UC. The aim of this study was to describe microscopically and immunohistochemically the equine UC in normal pregnancies, with particular attention to WJ. Forty-seven healthy mares, with no complications during pregnancy, admitted to the hospital for attending deli...
Oriol JG.In most domestic animals, the zona pellucida is the outermost extracellular layer that covers the blastocyst before implantation. However, in the horse, an acellular membrane, the capsule, replaces the zona pellucida and envelops the developing conceptus during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of gestation. Although this structure was first described by Bonnet in 1889, it received little attention until the 1970s when its rediscovery by Marrable and Flood (1975) led to a series of reports (see review by Betteridge 1989). Nevertheless, until recently the structure, origin, and function of the capsule have...
Palm F, Nagel C, Bruckmaier RM, Aurich JE, Aurich C.Colostrum (COL) contains cytokines and growth factors that may enhance intestinal development in neonates. The hypothesis of this study was that besides providing immunoglobulins, COL is important for intestinal function and meconium release in foals. Newborn foals were either fed COL (n = 5) or an equal amount of milk replacer (MR, n = 7) during the first 24 hours of life. To ensure passive immunity, all foals received 1 L plasma. Postnatal development, meconium release, intestinal motility, white blood cell count, insulin-like growth factor 1, and intestinal absorptive function (xylose absor...
Tanhuanpää E, Knudsen O.The milk fat from 20 mares on pasture and 9 stable-fed mares was analysed. It is richer in C18:3 than the milk of other domestic species. This was especially marked when the mares were on pasture and were not given any grain. Further, mare’s milk fat is rich in fatty acids containing less than 14 carbon atoms in their chains. Das Milchfett von 20 Stuten auf der Weide und von 9 stallgefütterten Stuten wurde analysiert. Es enthält mehr C18:3 als das Milchfett anderer Haustiere. Dieses war speziell ausgeprägt für Stuten die auf der Weide gingen und kein Getreide bekamen. Das Milchfett der S...
van der Burg LJ, Muller I, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.The horse milking industry is expanding in The Netherlands and Flanders. Horse milk has become popular due to its (supposed) health-enhancing properties. A horse-milking farm is not a common client for the Dutch veterinarian. When giving advice in this circumstance it should be recognised that these horses are production animals and that their milk is for human consumption. A review of the literature is given together with the results of an extensive enquiry amongst 13 horse-milking farms in The Netherlands and Flanders.
Zeng J, Rao KR, Brew K, Fenna R.Crystals of the calcium-containing lysozyme from horse milk have been grown by precipitation with sodium phosphate. The crystals are orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions a = 53.2, b = 57.1, and c = 38.2 A and contain a single molecule in the asymmetric unit. The crystals are suitable for high resolution x-ray structural analysis.
