How to Increase Fertility in a Senior Mare

Broodmare productivity is an important contributor to the economic viability of any commercial breeding operation. Maintaining the fertility of senior mares requires a multifaceted approach, since equine fertility naturally begins to decline around the age of 15. By maintaining the health of your older mares, you can maximize the number of healthy foals born per mare.

  1. Nutrition

    • Older mares process feed less efficiently than younger mares. Because excellent nutrition is vital to reproductive health, it may be necessary to add supplements to the ration of senior mares to provide the same level of nutrition that a younger mare could get from regular feed. If dental health is an issue, an older mare may benefit from a specially designed pelleted senior feed or from having the normal feed soaked to soften it. Ideally, the mare will be in moderate flesh and gaining weight at the time of breeding.

    Uterine Health

    • Age and multiple pregnancies gradually produce wear and tear on the reproductive tract, reducing its ability to carry a foal to term. Cysts, urine pooling and bacterial or yeast infection may destroy a mare's fertility, so it is useful to have a veterinarian perform a pelvic exam and uterine biopsy well before the breeding season begins to assess the mare's reproductive health. This allows the owner enough time to treat any infections or other problems before attempting to breed the mare.

    Breeding Schedule

    • Appropriate detection of estrus and ovulation is more important than ever with senior mares. Palpation and ultrasound allows the reproductive specialist to determine the optimum time for breeding, ensuring that as many viable sperm as possible are present at the moment of ovulation. Senior mares' fertility drops sharply after spending a year open, so it is preferable to breed such a mare every year rather than giving her a year off.

    Caslick's Operation

    • With age, a mare's perineal conformation tends to deteriorate, contributing to decreased fertility. Mares with sharply angled vulvas tend to aspirate air and fecal material into the reproductive tract, setting up ideal conditions for damaging uterine infections. Caslick's operation is a simple medical procedure in which a veterinarian sutures the top part of the vulva closed after successful breeding to reduce this problem. The procedure is highly effective but must be reversed before foaling to prevent tearing of the tissue.