How to Improve Horse Fertility? A Full Breakdown of Practical Methods
Horses are herbivorous animals. They were domesticated by humans 4,000 years ago, and in ancient times horses were the main driving force for agricultural production, transportation, and military activities. There are about 200 horse breeds worldwide. With the development of productive forces, the improvement of technological levels, and the invention and widespread use of powered machinery, horses play an increasingly smaller role in real life. Horses are mainly used for equestrian sports and for producing milk and meat, and the number raised has greatly decreased. However, in some developing countries and regions, horses are still mainly used for draft work and remain an important source of draft power. The staple food of horses is grass. Today, we will introduce how to improve horse breeding techniques.
Strengthen Selection
Fertility is greatly influenced by genetic factors, and reproductive performance also differs among breeds and among individuals. In particular, stallions have a great influence on offspring, so selecting highly fertile stallions and mares is the prerequisite for improving the horse reproductive rate. When selecting mares, attention should be paid to comprehensively assessing, under normal feeding conditions, the timing of sexual maturity, estrus and ovulation, foaling interval, conception capacity, and nursing performance. In selecting stallions, attention should be paid to the stallion's genetic performance, body conformation and appearance, breeding history, and breeding results, and importance should be attached to examinations of the stallion's general physiological state, reproductive organs (the texture and size of the testes and epididymides, sperm output ducts, and the function of accessory sex glands), semen quality (sperm motility, density, and sperm morphology), and reproductive diseases.
Increase the Number of Mares
Mares are the foundation of herd multiplication. The more mares there are in a herd, the faster the herd multiplies. Therefore, rapidly developing large-scale horse breeding is the most effective way to improve the horse reproductive rate.
Scientific Feeding and Management
Strengthening feeding and management, especially ensuring that mares have appropriate body condition during the estrus and breeding season, is the material basis for ensuring normal estrus and ovulation in mares. Nutritional deficiency will make mares thin and weak, affect endocrine activity, reduce sexual function, and disrupt reproductive function, often causing anestrus, silent estrus, estrus without ovulation, and a reduced number of ovulations; breeding stallions may show poor semen quality and decreased libido.
Do a Good Job in Estrus Identification and Timely Breeding
Under normal circumstances, newly ovulated eggs have relatively strong vitality and high fertilizing capacity. Generally speaking, the closer the time of insemination or natural mating is to ovulation, the higher the conception rate. This requires estrus identification in mares to be as accurate as possible so that insemination can be carried out at the right time. Estrus identification in mares is usually based on external observation, with emphasis on rectal examination. Rectal examination, based on changes such as the presence or absence, size, and texture of follicles, is used to grasp the degree of follicular development and the time of ovulation in order to determine the most appropriate time for insemination. In recent years, while promoting the method of rectal palpation-guided insemination combined with judging the degree of follicular development, a conception rate of about 60% per estrous cycle has been achieved.
Follow Operating Procedures and Adopt Promoted New Breeding Technologies
The promotion of artificial insemination technology, especially the application of frozen semen, has greatly improved the utilization value of breeding males and the production level of horse herds. In the process of promoting artificial insemination technology, operating procedures must be followed. From estrus identification, cleaning and disinfection of instruments, semen collection, semen processing, freezing, preservation, and insemination, it is a whole set of very meticulous and rigorous operations, and all links are closely connected. Failure to master any link well can result in missed breeding and infertility. In order to improve horse fertility, suitable and mature new breeding technologies should be gradually applied, such as synchronous estrus, embryo transfer, superovulation, controlled foaling, induced estrus, sex control, gene transfer, artificial insemination, and embryo freezing and preservation. The correct use of reproductive hormones can restore normal reproductive function in mares with reproductive disorders, thereby maintaining and improving their fertility.
Carry Out Early Pregnancy Diagnosis to Prevent Missed Breeding and Non-pregnancy
Through early pregnancy diagnosis, it is possible to determine as early as possible whether a mare is pregnant and treat each case accordingly. For mares confirmed pregnant, pregnancy maintenance should be strengthened so that the fetus develops normally, which can prevent post-conception estrus and mistaken mating. For non-pregnant mares, the causes should be carefully and promptly identified, corresponding measures should be taken, and supplementary mating should be carried out without delay to reduce the non-pregnant period.
Reduce Embryonic Death and Abortion
This issue covers a wide range and is relatively complex, with many influencing factors. If an early embryo that has not yet formed a fetus stops developing and dies in the mare's uterus, it is generally absorbed by the uterus, while some are expelled from the body with estrus or urination. Because embryonic disappearance and expulsion are not easily noticed by people, this is called silent abortion. The average abortion rate in horses is about 10%, and abortion mostly occurs around the 5th month of pregnancy. During this period, avoiding sudden changes in feeding conditions and maintaining reasonable work or exercise intensity are effective preventive measures. Some suggest that subcutaneous implantation of 300 mg of progesterone after 120 days of pregnancy may also be effective in preventing abortion.