Who is the Horse Breeding Course for?

Horse breeders, stud owners, stud and stable workers.

Horse Breeding Course Aims:

• Understand the process of selecting mares and stallions for successful breeding purposes.
• Identify and understand the anatomy and physiology of the mare’s reproductive tract and the physical characteristics, which are preferable for a successful brood mare.
• Identify and understand the anatomy and physiology of the stallion’s reproductive tract and the physical characteristics, which are preferable for a successful breeding stallion.
• Explain and compare different ways of breeding horses.
• Identify and explain the appropriate management of a pregnant mare.
• Understand and explain the foaling process.
• Describe the important care of a new born foal.
• Discuss common fertility problems that can occur in a mare and stallion.

Course Outline

There are 8 Lessons in this course:

1. Breeding Horses

• • Why breed horses?
  • An understanding of heritability is fundamental
  • Meiosis
  • The Work of Gregor Mendel
  • Chromosomes and Genetics in Breeding
  • Selecting the mare and the stallion
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Inheritance
  • Inbreeding and Linebreeding
  • The Genetic Effect of Inbreeding
  • Line Breeding
  • Advantages of Inbreeding
  • Stallion and Mare Complementation
  • The Industry

2. The Broodmare

• • Mare Anatomy
  • The Reproductive Cycle of the Mare
  • Hormonal Control
  • Abnormal Oestrus
  • Breeding Fitness
  • General Broodmare Care
  • Nutrition and Feeding
  • Rations
  • Carbohydrates
  • Fat
  • Protein
  • Vitamins
  • Roughage
  • Hay
  • Pre-Season Care

3. The Stallion

• • Stallion Anatomy
  • Sperm Production
  • Semen Release
  • Reproductive Cycle of the Stallion
  • Breeding Fitness
  • General Stallion Care
  • Handling
  • Pre-Season Care
  • Stallion Management for Reproduction
  • Training the young stallion
  • Steps in training a novice stallion onto the phantom
  • Common clinical problems with stallions
  • Castration (Gelding)

4. Breeding Management

• • Managing the Arrival and Departure of the horse at the stud
  • Semen from the stallion
  • Collection and Processing
  • Evaluating the Quality of Sperm
  • Breeding methods
  • Natural Breeding
  • Live cover – In-hand or Pasture
  • Artificial insemination
  • Handling Frozen Semen
  • Embryo transfer
  • When to breed
  • Detection of Oestrus
  • Teasers
  • Visual Signs
  • A plan for when things go wrong
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections

5. The Pregnant Mare

• • Pre-natal growth
  • Conception of twins
  • Gestation and Methods and Detecting Pregnancy
  • Methods of Diagnosis
  • Palpation
  • Pregnancy Tests
  • Ultrasound
  • Post-Natal Growth

6. Parturition and Foaling

• • Care of the Pregnant Mare
  • Nutritional Requirements
  • Caslicked Mares
  • Preparation for foaling
  • Exercise Needs
  • Worming
  • A deworming program for mares
  • Preparation of the foaling environment
  • Preparation for if things go wrong
  • The Physical Environment – Bedding
  • Common Bedding in the Foaling Environment
  • Straw
  • Wood Shavings
  • Wood Pellets
  • Rubber Matting
  • The Parturition Process
  • Stages of Labour
  • Common Foaling Problems
  • Dystokia
  • Abnormal Presentations
  • Health Problems of the post-partum mare
  • Retained placenta
  • Haemorrhage
  • Post-Partum Metritis
  • Rejection of the Foal
  • Prolapsed Uterus
  • Lactation (Udder oedema)
  • Lactation (reduced milk supply)
  • Foal and foaling reports
  • Example Foaling Record
  • Example Foal Report

7. Care of the New-born Foal

• • General new born care
  • Stabling and safe environment for new born foals
  • Lactation and suckling
  • Premature Foals
  • Orphan foals
  • Common health problems in new born foals
  • Infections, Constipation and Diarrhoea
  • Septicaemia
  • Meconium Impaction
  • Diarrhoea
  • Congenital disorders
  • Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI)
  • Angular Limb Deformities
  • Flexor and Extensor Tendon Abnormalities
  • Delayed Ossification of the Cuboidal Bones
  • Heart Murmurs
  • Congenital Papilloma (Warts)
  • Entropion
  • Neurological disorders
  • Neonatal Maladjustment Syndrome (NMS)
  • Head Tilt
  • Structural abnormalities
  • Uroperitoneum
  • Umbilical Hernias
  • Training a foal in the earliest stages

8. Infertility in the Mare and Stallion

• • Introduction to Fertility
  • Understanding Fertility in Mares
  • Understanding Fertility in Stallions
  • Handling and Management in Stallions
  • Age
  • Overuse
  • Nutrition
  • Illness and Injury
  • Other Abnormalities
  • Semen problems
  • Haemospermia
  • Urospermia
  • Oligospermia
  • Structural disorders of the reproductive tract (mares)
  • Pneumovagina
  • ‘Maiden Cervix’ or Cervical Incompetence
  • Vesicovaginal Reflux or Urine Pooling
  • Structural disroders of the reproductive tract (stallions)
  • Cryptorchidism
  • Testicle Conformation
  • Testicular Torsion
  • Testicular Tumours
  • Scrotal Hernia
  • Venereal diseases (mares)
  • Endometritis
  • Bacterial Endometritis
  • Fungal Endometritis
  • Mating Induced Endometritis
  • Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM)
  • Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)
  • Pyometra
  • Abnormal Oestrus Cycles
  • Silent Heat and Post-Partum Anoestrus
  • Persistent Oestrus
  • Vernal Transition
  • Ovarian Tumours
  • Persistent Corpus Luteum
  • Haemorrhagic Follicles
  • Abortion
  • Venereal diseases (stallions)
  • Bacterial Infections
  • Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)
  • Equine Coital Exanthema
  • Dourine
  • Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM)
  • Infectious causes of abortion (mares)
  • Viral Abortion
  • Bacterial Abortion
  • Leptospirosis
  • Non-infectious causes of abortion (mares)
  • Congenital Defects
  • Twinning
  • Umbilical Cord Torsion
  • Progesterone Deficiency