Veterinarian's input in evaluating a broodmare increases the odds of a successful purchase

THE GOAL when purchasing a broodmare at public auction is to select an individual that will produce one foal per year during the mare's reproductive career. Involving a veterinarian in the selection of additions to your broodmare band can be beneficial in assessing the degree of risk involved in buying at public auction.

The prospective buyer should regard the services of a veterinarian when gathering valuable information about the mare's reproductive health as good insurance that can help to define what can be expected of her in the breeding shed. Investments made at this level are long term, so thorough planning and a good physical examination for reproductive soundness are essential.

Inspection of a broodmare at sales by a veterinarian frequently involves:

• A thorough general examination;
• An evaluation of her conformation;
• Diligent history-taking; and
• A physical examination of the reproductive organs.

Results obtained from these procedures may warrant further diagnostic testing, in the opinion of the veterinarian, and can help the prospective buyer make a more reliable decision on whether to purchase the mare and how much risk to assume when establishing a price for an individual.

Should the prospective buyer and veterinarian choose not to perform an examination of the mare's reproductive organs until after purchase, they can review the report of palpation required to be on file for each mare in the sales office.

As is true with the purchase of any horse at public auction, a good general examination, which includes evaluation of the heart, eyes, and limbs, helps to ascertain the general health and fitness of the individual. This basic soundness examination can yield results that could influence how the mare must be managed in the future.

It is important to ascertain any preexisting conditions that might result in cardiovascular, locomotor, or neurological defects and could interfere with the ability to adequately manage the mare. For instance, mares with altered vision or nervous behavior might require special needs at times of foaling or breeding. Obviously, mares with an existing lameness or neurological conditions require special provisions in management that should be defined prior to purchase to accurately outline what the new owner can expect in reproductive performance.

Conformation

Veterinary inspection of mares of all types--maiden, barren, or foaling--also should include special attention to certain conformational attributes. During the progression of a mare's pregnancy, greater demands are placed on her with increasing weight gain, which can lead to stress on her physical well-being. Key areas include:

• Feet, which are an important area on which to focus because the quality of a mare's hooves can contribute to overall soundness of the individual with weight gain during late gestation;
• A good pastern angle, especially in the hind limbs, which is important to consider during inspection because with increasing age in mares that have produced multiple foals, a weakening of these structures may occur and necessitate her premature retirement from the breeding shed;
• The angle of a mare's croup over the area of the hindquarters to the tail head, which should be judged for good slope and length. Mares who possess a flat croup with little slope toward the tail head often are predisposed to urine pooling and uterine retention of fluid after foaling or after breeding;
• The conformation of the mare's vulva, which should be considered as an important criteria. It is advisable to avoid mares with a vulva that tilts toward the vaginal vault, because this conformation can increase her potential for uterine contamination. If the mare has had a Caslick's procedure, a partial stitching together of the vulvar lips to help prevent such contamination and maintain pregnancy, it should be inspected, as well; and
• Mammary glands, which should be inspected for their general condition and to detect individuals that might exhibit signs of premature lactation in pregnancy, a symptom associated with infections of the placenta in high-risk mares.

Ask questions

Asking consignors about the mare's reproductive history can be a valuable aspect of broodmare evaluations at sales. History-taking can yield vital insight that can explain "empty" years in a catalog produce record.

Questioning consignors about incidences of barrenness, abortions, and still-birth deliveries can help to establish those mares that might have exciting pedigrees but could be susceptible to conditions that negatively impact their reproductive efficiency. Answers could help the veterinarian identify those barren years in a produce record that might result from factors associated with the mare or even the availability of the stallion in a given year.

Other information that should be elicited from consignors and considered when contemplating purchase might include:

• Episodes of dystocia (difficult foaling), uterine hemorrhaging, and Caesarean sections;
• Colic surgeries and reproductive surgeries to remove an ovary or to extend the urethra;
• Jaundice foals;
• Progesterone supplementation; and
• Herd health information.

Most major Thoroughbred auction companies list conditions of sale in their catalogs that should be reviewed by prospective buyers. These conditions include special provisions and requirements for mares offered at their respective sales.

Conditions typically require that a consignor present a certificate of reproductive status on each mare offered at sale after she has been examined by a licensed practitioner within ten days of her expected date of sale to ensure the accuracy of her cataloged status. Any change in this status will be noted by the auction house prior to the sale of such an individual. The timeline required for those examinations gives confidence to buyers and alleviates the need for invasive presale reproductive examinations prior to bidding on prospects.

Any deviation from the catalog status uncovered by the buyer's veterinarian during an inspection of the mare after the fall of the gavel is grounds for return of the mare to the consignor. This helps in alleviating the need for repetitive, multiple rectal palpations of a popular broodmare prospect over a short time frame only to authenticate her previously established reproductive status.

Recently, new provisions for broodmares in many catalogs require the consignor to notify the sales company of any mare that has had surgery in the previous two years for Caesarean section, removal of an ovary, cervical repair, or extension of the urethra to alleviate pooling of urine.

Most sales companies encourage buyers to have their purchases examined after the sale by a veterinarian to ensure no discrepancy with respect to the reproductive status listed in the catalog exists prior to removal of the mare from the sales grounds.

Reproductive examination

The physical examination of the reproductive tract for mares sold at public auction has been standardized for veterinarians. The guidelines, which define the requirements for breeding soundness for pregnant and nonpregnant mares, are published by the American Association of Equine Practitioners:

• Abortion: Determination of pregnancy in a mare after 42 days post-mating has been used as a landmark for determining abortion status of mares. Mares classified as "aborted" in a catalog must meet the criteria for (a) observation of a fetus or (b) the finding of a nonpregnant status subsequent to declaration of pregnancy after 42 days following mating;
• Pregnant: A veterinarian bases the pregnancy determination upon initial findings from rectal palpation of the mare. Obtaining information from the consignor as to when the mare was thought to have conceived will enable the veterinarian to calculate the broodmare's stage of gestation.

  This knowledge guides the veterinarian in determining if the pregnant uterus is the appropriate size for that point in the pregnancy and in identifying the presence of a developing fetus. Ultrasound examination by the transrectal and transabdominal methods in mid- to late gestation also may be performed to evaluate more definitively the viability of the fetus and the health of the placenta.

  An assay of the mare's hormone levels occasionally is warranted in high-risk mares with histories of pregnancy loss, but single-sample results often are of limited value, and subsequent testing is typically required;

  • Not pregnant: A mare classified as not pregnant would be one that fails to conceive following mating in a given year or one that might have conceived and failed to maintain the pregnancy until 42 days of gestation. Thus, it is prudent to establish the reason a mare is declared not pregnant in the sales catalog.
  • Nonpregnant mares include those termed barren (previously mated) or maiden (never mated). This group of mares is examined using similar criteria for certification of "suitable for mating," and thus breeding soundness; and
  • Suitable for mating: The determination is based upon the rectal palpation by a licensed practitioner to ascertain that the mare has two normal-sized, functional ovaries and a uterus and cervix of normal consistency and structure. A vaginal speculum examination must be performed and must indicate that the vagina and cervix, upon visual inspection, are within normal limits. Any deviations from these accepted criteria for breeding soundness must be announced prior to sale of the mare by the consignor.

  Based on findings, the practitioner might suggest the need for additional diagnostic testing, such as ultrasound evaluation of the reproductive tract, uterine cultures, and cytology, but these are in addition to the current requirements by most sales companies.

  Ultrasound examination may assist in the evaluation of an enlarged ovary at the time of inspection in barren mares to assist in the presumptive diagnosis of granulosa cell tumors in mares or in identifying the presence of uterine cysts or hematomas that might be discovered upon routine examination.

  Maiden mares are subject to these same requirements to achieve a status of "suitable for mating" prior to public sale. Generally, they are the most fertile of purchases for mare buyers, with healthy reproductive systems not yet subjected to maintaining a pregnancy. Obviously, little history can be gained to indicate their risks of infertility, but inquiries as to the mare's temperament and behavior may help to indicate her general reproductive condition.

  Many times these fillies and mares recently have ended their athletic careers and have not had time to recover adequately from the stresses placed on them from performance. This situation can make it more difficult for the veterinarian to assess future fertility when encountering fillies that have small, inactive ovaries upon rectal palpation following retirement.

  Careful examination is needed to draw a distinction between these recently retired athletes and those mares who suffer from Turner's syndrome, a condition where the mare is born without one of the X chromosomes needed for normal cycling and fertility. Mares affected by Turner's syndrome have no chance of reproductive fertility and are found to have tiny ovaries with small reproductive tracts upon examination.

  Another variable to consider when evaluating this group of young, athletic mares is that they often are examined in the late fall to winter, when they typically exhibit little ovarian activity as they approach anestrus. During this time of the year, mares typically will cease to cycle and often will have little to no ovarian activity at the time of examination.

  Plan ahead

  As with any decision to purchase horses at public auction, the prospective buyer should establish a good relationship with a veterinarian prior to the sale. The buyer should define for the veterinarian what his or her expectations are for breeding stock. With this approach, the buyer and veterinarian can develop a standardized system to be implemented for analyzing the potential for successful purchases and useful, long-term additions to the broodmare band.

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  Stuart Brown, D.V.M., is an ambulatory practitioner at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington.