Thanks to a University of Pennsylvania study, owners of small ponies can now predict their pregnant mares’ delivery dates simply by looking into their unborn foals’ eyes. During a two-year project, researchers in the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine used ultrasound imaging to measure the length and width of 36 fetal foals’ eyes to establish size reference ranges at various stages of gestation. The study is the first to examine fetal eye measures as a birth date predictor for small pony breeds.

According to one of the lead researchers, Regina M. Turner, DVM, PhD, she and her colleagues set out to find a simple way to determine delivery dates for mares whose breeding dates are uncertain. They chose to measure eyes because they are typically clearly visible and easy to find on transrectal ultrasound in fetal foals beyond two months of gestational age.

COURTESY UPENN Measuring the size of a fetus’ eye via ultrasound can help predict foaling dates Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content. TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Start your free account today! SIGN UP Already have an account? Login and continue reading. Share Pat Raia Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny. More articles by this Author PrevPreviousAHC Requests Grassroots Contacts for “Right to Ride” Bill NextKHP to Host Kentucky Horse Industry Awareness DayNext Related Articles Multimodal Equine Gastric Ulcer Prevention Feeding the Ulcer-Prone Horse Growing Equine ‘Mini-Guts’ to Investigate Infectious Causes of Intestinal Illness in the Horse Are Frequent Joint Injections Safe for Horses? 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