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Access to forage in the paddock positive for fertility rate

Access to forage in the paddock positive for fertility rate

That horses have both nutritionally and mentally a great need for eating forage is well known and to be without access to forage during longer periods can imply severe stress. In broodmares stress can have negative effects on oestrous expression and pregnancy.

In this study 100 Arab mares were randomly divided into two groups where one group had access to forage and the other group did not have access to forage in the paddock during the day. The two groups were kept in paddocks of the same size with access to water from 9 am to 3 pm. All mares were housed in individual boxes during night and the mares with no access to forage in the paddock during the day was provided more during the night so that all mares in both groups had in total similar forage intakes. During the study all mares were mated.

The mares in the group with access to forage in the paddock spent less time in locomotion and less time stand resting and alert standing. The mares with access to forage in the paddock also showed more positive social interactions and less aggression. In addition the mares with access to forage in the paddock had a conception rate of 81% compared to the mares without access to forage in the paddock which had a conception rate of 55%.

That the mares in the group with access to forage in the paddock spent less time stand resting can be due to that they spent more time eating. However, that they spent less time in locomotion and less time alert standing can be a sign of lower level of stress in this group. Locomotion increases in stressful conditions and the behavior alert standing which can indicate watchfulness is used in assessing emotionality in horses as it can be an indicator of stress.

In conclusion fewer mares got pregnant in the group without access to forage in the paddock. It is likely that the mares in this group experienced more stress since they were without access to forage during a longer period of the day which had negative effect on the conception rate.

Sara Muhonen, AgrD

Reference:
Benhajali H, Richard-Yris MA, Ezzaouia M, Charfi F & Hausberger M. 2010. Increasing foraging opportunities improves welfare and reproduction efficiency in Arab breeding mares. In: The impact of nutrition on the health and welfare of horses, EAAP publication No. 128, pp. 78-80.

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