The reproduction session was something of an A to Z seminar. It started with discussions on endometrial echotexture (ultrasound results) and using computer analysis to determine when a mare will ovulate, or has ovulated, and along the way included a French researcher describing how to turn an unbred mare which has previously given birth into a nurse mare capable of producing enough milk to sustain a foal until weaning time.

Ultrasound to Predict Ovulation

Elaine Carnevale, DVM, PhD, of Colorado State University, discussed computer-assisted analysis of follicles to determine the interval before and after ovulation. She said that ultrasound images of follicles come in some 256 shades of gray, but that the human eye can discern only a limited number of shades while the computer can analyze all 256. There are differences in the shades of gray as the mare approaches ovulation and after she has ovulated.

By analyzing the changing shades of gray with a computer, Carnevale said, it’s possible to more closely determine when a mare will ovulate and, if she already has ovulated, determine when the ovulation occurred. With this knowledge in hand, she said, the veterinarian can make a more accurate decision as to when to breed the mare