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Foal sex in Thoroughbred horses: related factors.
Abstract: Reproductive biotechniques in the equine species have advanced in the last decade and horse breeders have started to question the possibilities of interfering in the determination of foal sex. The aim of the present study was to verify whether the variables mares and stallion's age, side of the ovary containing the preovulatory follicle, preovulatory follicle diameter, time between breeding and ovulation, and ovulation inducing hormones influence the sex of the foal. A total of 259 reproductive cycles of 160 mares and 22 Thoroughbred stallions were used. Statistical analysis was performed using R software, including Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression. Of the total foals born, 136 were males (52.51%) and 123 were females (47.49%). In mares that ovulated with -24h after ovulation induction, 104 foals (54.74%) were males and 86 (45.26%) were females, while in mares that ovulated with +24h, 32 foals (46.38%) were males and 37 (53.62%) were females. Stallions up to 15 years old had 44.14% (n=49) females and those over 15 years had 49.66% (n=73) females. The simple logistic regression model showed that mares and stallions under 15 years old, mares with ovulation time less than 24 hours and treated with Deslorelin had a higher probability of having male foals, but the Pearson's chi-square test showed that foals gender were not influenced by the variables studied.
Copyright © The Author(s).
Publication Date: 2024-08-05 PubMed ID: 39176003PubMed Central: PMC11340788DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-AR2023-0073Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The study focuses on the potential influencing factors on the sex determination of Thoroughbred horse foals, such as age of the parents, ovary side containing the pre-ovulatory follicle, preovulatory follicle diameter, hormones, and time between breeding and ovulation. However, the findings suggest that these variables may not significantly impact the sex of the foals.
Methodology
- Researchers conducted this study with 259 reproductive cycles involving 160 mares and 22 Thoroughbred stallions.
- The article seems to establish a correlation between the factors studied and the sex of the resulting foals.
- The data was analysed using R software, utilising Pearson’s chi-square test and logistic regression methods.
Findings
- Out of the total foals born, 136 were males and 123 were females–almost an even distribution.
- Mares that ovulated more narrowly after ovulation induction saw slightly more male foals, whereas there was a slight bias towards female foals in mares that ovulated later.
- Stallions up to the age of 15 had a smaller percentage of female offspring than stallions older than 15.
- However, the Pearson’s chi-square test suggested that the variables studied did not significantly influence the sex of the foals.
Discussion and Analysis
- Although some relationships were noted, such as a higher probability of having male foals among mares and stallions under 15 years old and mares with ovulation time less than 24 hours, these findings are not statistically significant.
- Eventually, this leads to a conclusion that the age of the parents, side of the ovary containing the pre-ovulatory follicle, preovulatory follicle diameter, hormones used for inducing ovulation, and the time interval between breeding and ovulation may not be significantly influential factors in determining the sex of Thoroughbred horse foals.
Conclusion
- The study points to further research needed to conclusively determine the factors that influence the gender of Thoroughbred horse foals, as the current study did not find the explored variables to be significantly influential.
Cite This Article
APA
Flores JG, Bueno VC, Bastos HBA, Rechsteiner SMDEF.
(2024).
Foal sex in Thoroughbred horses: related factors.
Anim Reprod, 21(3), e20230073.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-3143-AR2023-0073 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Histologia e Reprodução Equina (HISTOREP), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brasil.
- Laboratório de Reprodução Animal (REPROLAB), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
- Histologia e Reprodução Equina (HISTOREP), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brasil.
- Laboratório de Reprodução Animal (REPROLAB), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
- Laboratório de Reprodução Animal (REPROLAB), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
- Histologia e Reprodução Equina (HISTOREP), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brasil.
- Laboratório de Reprodução Animal (REPROLAB), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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