A medication used to treat nausea is now helping horse breeders produce healthier mares and foals and may someday help address problems of infertility in humans. Dee L. Cross, a Clemson University animal scientist, hypothesized that the medication, now patented as Equidone, could be useful in treating a condition called fescue toxicosis in pregnant mares.

Fescue toxicosis is caused by a fungus that infects fescue grass pastures and results in severe reproductive problems, including spontaneous abortions, prolonged pregnancy, difficulty giving birth, and no mild production. Many times the foal is stillborn or dies shortly after birth; the mare can also die or have to be destroyed because of complications during delivery.

In the horse racing industry, where stud fees are measured in six figures and sale prices can reach several million dollars, there is little margin for error in breeding programs. Aside from the investment aspect, both professional breeders and private individuals want to protect the health and well-being of their horses.

“We studied the cellular action of the alkaloids produced by the fungus-infected fescue grass,” Cross said. “The alkaloids were activating dopamine receptors that this drug was known to block when used to give relief from nausea in humans