A cross-sectional survey of Thoroughbred stud farm management in the North Island of New Zealand.

The research is a survey-based evaluation of the management practices on Thoroughbred horse stud farms in different regions of New Zealand’s North Island, and draws conclusions about how effective these practices are.

Methodology

• The research was conducted via a face-to-face survey with the studmaster or head of 22 Thoroughbred stud farms.
• These farms were located in two different areas of the North Island: the south Auckland/Waikato region (15 farms) and the lower North Island (7 farms).
• Information was collected concerning the size of the farm, the scope of its operations, and its specific management practices.
• The data collected centered around the 2004/2005 breeding season.
• An important aspect of the methodology was categorizing farms based on the size of their breeding operation. This was determined by the number of resident mares on each farm.

Results and Findings

• Farm sizes varied greatly, with the smallest covering 20 hectares and the largest spanning 526 hectares.
• In terms of management, some farms in Auckland/Waikato used shuttle stallions (horses that are transported between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere to breed year-round).
• The number of stallions on each farm varied, with the most common being three per farm. The mare-to-stallion ratio, or the number of female horses each male horse services, also varied significantly.
• Farms had an average of 50 wet mares (mares that are nursing a foal) and 21 dry mares (mares not currently nursing).
• The number of mares per breeding stallion increased with the size of the breeding operation. Larger operations generally showed a more efficient utilization of stallions.
• Most farms began breeding dry mares early in the season, often using a combination of lights, hormone therapy, and an increased nutritional regimen to encourage this.
• Regarding the birth of foals, they are mostly born in specially designated paddocks monitored by night attendants or alarms.
• Studmasters might administer antibiotics, tetanus antitoxin, foals might receive enema or no prophylactic treatments at all.
• Weaning usually occurs at around 5 months of age. After this, the foals are often kept in a box for a week or two, and then put on a schedule of worming and feeding concentrates.
• Some farms weigh weanlings regularly to monitor their growth.

Conclusions

• The researchers found that the practices of managing Thoroughbred horses are relatively consistent across the regions surveyed.
• The larger stud farms in the Auckland/Waikato region showed more efficient use of breeding stallions.
• Notably, despite the general practice of raising foals on pasture, concentrated feeds were often provided in significant quantities.