Michelle LeBlanc, veterinarian, discussed mare reproductivity at farm managers meeting. On April 30, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager’s Club invited an equine reproductive specialist to speak at its June meeting. The following week, Central Kentucky was gripped by mare reproductive loss syndrome.


On Tuesday evening in Lexington, Dr. Michelle LeBlanc did discuss ways to get “tail-enders”-older mares with reproductive problems-in foal. She also briefly discussed the foal-loss situation as it relates to the reproductive health of mares that lost foals. The problem isn’t new, but it certainly has been magnified locally given the foal-loss situation.


Older mares, or those who have had many foals, can accumulate fluid in the uterus that can force them to abort. In older mares, the uterus may sag, and thus collect the acidic fluid. LeBlanc discussed the use of hormones and medication to alleviate the condition, which is tied to arterial damage in the uterus. She also recommended giving mares more time before they are bred again after foaling.


“I don’t believe there is a major bullet,” she said. “You have to treat each mare more as an individual

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!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.