Reproductive performance of Friesian mares after retained placenta and manual removal of the placenta.

This research examined the postpartum reproductive performance in Friesian mares with and without retained placenta, also evaluating if manual removal of the placenta affected these results. The study found no difference in reproductive performance between these groups and concluded that retained placenta or its manual removal are not valid reasons to avoid breeding during the foal heat in Friesian mares.

Objective of the Research

• The purpose of this research was to assess the postpartum reproductive performance of Friesian brood mares that had experienced retention of the placenta after giving birth.
• The researchers aimed to discover if a retained placenta and its manual removal had any impact on subsequent breeding success in these mares.

Research Methodology

• The researchers studied two groups of mares: those with retained placenta (54) and those without (50). Within the group with retained placenta, mares were further classified into those whose placenta was manually removed (30) and those where it was not (24).
• They defined retained placenta as the failure to remove all fetal membranes within 3 hours after birth.
• They compared reproductive success after breeding in the foal heat (the first period of sexual receptivity and potential fertility after childbirth) and a subsequent heat for both groups.
• They also recorded variables such as the mares’ age, number of mares treated with antibiotics post-insemination, and number of mares treated with prostaglandins.

Findings

• The data collected including the span between delivery and conception, efficacy rate (number of served cycles divided by the number of mares that had a positive pregnancy diagnosis), seasonal pregnancy rate, pregnancy rate post-first insemination, pregnancy loss rate, and foaling rate showed no significant difference between mares with and without retention of the placenta.
• Similarly, there was no discrepancy in these metrics between mares that had their retained placenta manually removed and those that did not.
• Moreover, no difference in the pregnancy rate post-first insemination was observed within each group based on whether the mare was bred for the first time in the foal heat or in a subsequent heat.

Conclusion

• The study concluded that there was no difference in reproductive performance between Friesian mares with and without retained placenta, and between mares with and without manual removal of the retained placenta.
• Friesian mares can be safely bred in the foal heat regardless of any retained placenta issues it has had, as it does not have a valid concern on its reproductive performance.