Retained placenta in Friesian mares: incidence, and potential risk factors with special emphasis on gestational length.
Abstract: During the foaling seasons of 1999 and 2000, the incidence of retained placenta in 495 normal parturitions of 436 Friesian brood mares was studied. Retained placenta was defined as a failure to expel all fetal membranes within 3 h of the delivery of the foal. Furthermore, the sex of the foal, month of breeding, sire and dam's sire, age of the mare, and time of day of foaling, were studied as factors that might be associated with retained placenta in Friesian mares after normal foalings, and with gestational length. The analysis was carried out using marginal logistic regression, and mixed linear regression, respectively. The incidence of retained placenta was 54%. Mean length of gestation was 331.6 days. Colts were carried 1.5 days longer than fillies. Mares bred in July-September had a 4-day shorter gestation period (329 days) than mares bred earlier in the year. There was a mare, sire, and dam's sire effect on gestational length, and a mare effect on the occurrence of retained placenta. Mares foaling at 4 and >17 years of age, tended to have a lower incidence of retained placenta than mares foaling at 5-17 years of age. No association was found between the occurrence of retained placenta, and gestational length, sex of the foal, month of breeding, dam's sire, and time of day of foaling. It was concluded that the observed high incidence of retained placenta indicates that the Friesian breed of horses has a higher risk for retained placenta than other breeds of horses.
Publication Date: 2004-02-06 PubMed ID: 14757471DOI: 10.1016/s0093-691x(03)00260-7Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research focuses on investigating the incidence of retained placenta in Friesian brood mares and identifying possible risk factors. The study, conducted over two years, observes possible associations between retained placenta, gestational length and various other factors such as dam’s sire, age of the mare and time of foaling.
Research Methodology and Data Gathering
- The data was gathered over the foaling seasons of 1999 and 2000, focusing on 495 normal parturitions of 436 Friesian brood mares.
- Retained placenta was defined as a failure to expel all fetal membranes within 3 hours of delivering the foal.
- Factors including the sex of the foal, month of breeding, sire and dam’s sire, age of the mare, and time of day of foaling were considered as potential contributor to the incidence of retained placenta and gestational length.
Analysis and Results
- The analysis was carried out using marginal logistic regression and mixed linear regression to interpret the data.
- The study found that the incidence of retained placenta was 54%, which is a significantly high figure.
- The average length of gestation was 331.6 days, with colts being carried 1.5 days longer than fillies.
- Mares bred in later months (July-September) had a 4-day shorter gestation period (329 days) than mares bred earlier in the year.
- There was an observable effect of the mare, sire, and dam’s sire on gestational length, and a mare effect on the occurrence of retained placenta.
- Older and very young mares, specifically those foaling at 4 and those over 17 years of age, were seen to have a lower incidence of retained placenta than mares between the ages of 5-17 years.
Conclusions
- No visible association was found between the occurrence of retained placenta and gestational length, the sex of the foal, month of breeding, dam’s sire, or time of day of foaling.
- Based on these findings, it was concluded that the Friesian breed of horses has a higher risk for retained placenta than other breeds, indicated by the high incidence of retained placenta found in the horses studied.
Cite This Article
APA
Sevinga M, Barkema HW, Stryhn H, Hesselink JW.
(2004).
Retained placenta in Friesian mares: incidence, and potential risk factors with special emphasis on gestational length.
Theriogenology, 61(5), 851-859.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0093-691x(03)00260-7 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Practice Mid-Fryslân, Hopmanshof 1, Akkrum, The Netherlands. sevinga@xs4all.nl
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Gestational Age
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Linear Models
- Logistic Models
- Male
- Placenta, Retained / epidemiology
- Placenta, Retained / veterinary
- Pregnancy
- Risk Factors
- Seasons
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Hardefeldt L, Thomas K, Page S, Norris J, Browning G, El Hage C, Stewart A, Gilkerson J, Muscatello G, Verwilghen D, van Galen G, Bauquier J, Cuming R, Reynolds B, Whittaker C, Wilkes E, Clulow J, Burden C, Begg L. Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for horses in Australia. Aust Vet J 2025 Dec;103(12):781-889.
- Siegers E, van Wijk E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C. Longitudinal Training and Workload Assessment in Young Friesian Stallions in Relation to Fitness: Part 1. Animals (Basel) 2023 Feb 16;13(4).
- Jaworska J, Ropka-Molik K, Piórkowska K, Szmatoła T, Kowalczyk-Zięba I, Wocławek-Potocka I, Siemieniuch M. Transcriptome Profiling of the Retained Fetal Membranes-An Insight in the Possible Pathogenesis of the Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 3;11(3).
- Hisey EA, Hermans H, Lounsberry ZT, Avila F, Grahn RA, Knickelbein KE, Duward-Akhurst SA, McCue ME, Kalbfleisch TS, Lassaline ME, Back W, Bellone RR. Whole genome sequencing identified a 16 kilobase deletion on ECA13 associated with distichiasis in Friesian horses. BMC Genomics 2020 Nov 30;21(1):848.
- Jaworska J, Tobolski D, Janowski T. Is similarity in Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) associated with the incidence of retained fetal membranes in draft mares? A cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2020;15(8):e0237765.
- Taylor S. A review of equine sepsis. Equine Vet Educ 2015 Feb;27(2):99-109.
- Rapacz-Leonard A, Leonard M, Chmielewska-Krzesińska M, Siemieniuch M, Janowski TE. The oxytocin-prostaglandins pathways in the horse (Equus caballus) placenta during pregnancy, physiological parturition, and parturition with fetal membrane retention. Sci Rep 2020 Feb 7;10(1):2089.
- Jaworska J, Ropka-Molik K, Wocławek-Potocka I, Siemieniuch M. Inter- and intrabreed diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in primitive and draft horse breeds. PLoS One 2020;15(2):e0228658.
- Ishii M, Aoki T, Yamakawa K, Magata F, Gojo C, Ito K, Kayano M, Nambo Y. Relationship between the Placental Retention Time and the Reproductive Performance at the Foal Heat in Thoroughbred and a Comparison with Heavy Draft. J Equine Sci 2013;24(2):25-9.
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