Horsemen have a new option when checking mares for pregnancy this breeding season. Biotracking, a company created by Garth Sasser, PhD, a professor of animal science at the University of Idaho, came up with a blood test for ruminants (BioPRYN) a few years ago. Now BioPRYNes, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test that detects estrone sulfate molecules in blood, is available for horses.

The blood test has high accuracy when used between 70 days post breeding and two weeks before foaling.

Scott Jaques, MS, PhD, head of Diagnostic Endocrinology at Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Texas A&M), a lab that uses Biotracking’s services, said using a blood test is more accurate than palpation and safer for the animal.

“Trauma that can occur with palpation, especially in mares (if you tear the rectum) can be life-threatening,” Jaques said. “Ultrasound is good, but you need the equipment and electricity (which can be challenging in some ambulatory situations). For the blood test all you need is a needle and collection syringe