Foetal losses during pregnancy in the thoroughbred mare: A record of 2,562 pregnancies

Abstract

Extract

Losses during pregnancy in the thoroughbred mare are very common. There are, however, very few detailed reports on either incidence, stages of pregnancy at which the losses occur, or their aetiology. Matassino (1962) reported an overall abortion rate of 13.8% in Italy, reaching a peak in young horses of 34%. Du Plessis (1964) in South Africa, recorded a rate of 14%, while more recently van Niekerk (1965), in the same country, reported a very high rate of foetal death between 25 and 31 days of gestation in mares on low protein veld grazing. This paper describes foetal losses during pregnancy from mares examined in the Hunter Valley, Australia, between 1957 and 1962 and covers 2,562 individual pregnancies.