Breeding From Mare With Arthritis

TheresaW

TheresaW

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As some of you know, I was thinking of breeding from my mare next year. It is something we have been thinking about for at least the last 18 months and something we are planning very carefully.

About 4 months ago, she damaged her annular ligament in her near fore. We were back at the vet yesterday for a progress report, and she is now lame in both front legs. Arthritis has taken a hold due to her not working. She has been started on a cartrophen course and synequin, and she is having both fetlocks medicated next week.

Vet is hopefull that she will return to the work that we both love doing and that we can slow down the progress of the arthritis with management and work.

I am now having a serious re-think about breeding from her. I asked the vet yesterday and he says her legs should cope fine with pregnancy, but what about her treatments? Would I have to stop them, or would it be safe to carry on with any treatment she needed?

Obviously, I will speak to my vet in great detail before any final decision is made. I just wanted some opinions before hand.
 
Have you thought of using magnetic boots for your mare.

I have a 29 going on 30 year old gelding still in gentle work. He has a bit of arthritis and wears magnets for hacking.

I had another old horse lived to 27 for whom they worked like magic.
 
Very briefly, I would consider three things:

Is the arthritis hereditary? Well, no-one knows! But even in humans, very few plausible candidate genes have been identified. The chances of it being heritable are fairly low.

Will the pregnancy but extra strain on the affected joints. which might cause the mare additional discomfort? The additional weight of pregnancy can be considerable. Only you and your vet will be able to make this assessment, based on her condition.

Will the arthritis treatments effect her fertility? There is some data to suggest that some treatments reduce fertility, meaning you -might- have difficulty getting her in foal.

Hope those are helpful points to think on
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