Rossdales Non Pregnant Mare Course Notes 2015

Extensive notes of the 3 day course held in January 2015 on the non pregnant mare.

Day 1. The first lecture was: expectations for fertility. Then followed the session on: vernal transition and preparing the mare for the start of the breeding sason – lectures included review of equine vernal transition; efficacy of lighting programmes and temperature on the vernal transition in mares; pharmacological manipulation of anestrus and transitional mares. The next session: the equine ovary and follicular dynamics: Anti-Müllerian hormone, inhibin and hormonal profiles for diagnosis of equine ovarian granulosa cell tumour; folliculogenesis; ovulation in the mare; luteal development and haemorrhagic anovulatory follicles.

Day 2. The first session was: the equine uterus, its natural defence mechanisms and endometris – lectures included survey of endometrial swab and smear bacteriology and cytology results – Newmarket UK: 2008 to 2013; biofilms and the equine uterus; PCR testing for CEM, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas, natural uterine defense mechanisms and age related problems; mating-induced endometritis fungal endometritis. The next session was: gynaecological aspects of genital surgery and effects on subsequent fertility – lectures included genital surgery to improve mare fertility – a surgeon’s perspective; management of mares with cervical injuries after cervical repair and fertility outcome; endometrial cyst surgery in the mare and genital surgery – a gynaecologist’s viewpoint.

Day 3. The first session was: stallion factors affecting mare gynaecological management for natural mating – lectures included mare factors affecting conception with natural mating; stallion book numbers and stallion fertility for natural mating; management of busy and sub-fertile Thoroughbred stallions used for natural mating; effects of dual hemisphere mating on stallion fertility; insemination of low doses of stallion sperm. The final session was: assisted reproduction – current status – lectures were update on assisted equine reproduction in the UK; transporting chilled embryos and the current state of cryopreservation of embryos.

Lecturers from USA, Europe and UK included: Ian Cameron, James Crabtree, Peter Daels, Alastair Foote, Niamh Lewis, Margo Macpherson, Andrew McGladdery, Richard Payne, Oliver Pynn, Sidney Ricketts, Karen Wolfsdorf and Sandra Wilsher.