Management of the high risk mare

Abstract

For many mare owners late pregnancy is a time of nervous anticipation and expectation. While greater than 90% pregnancies are healthy and result in uncomplicated deliveries, there are however mares whose pregnancy poses a health risk to them. There are also mares that develop life-threatening medical and surgical problems during their pregnancy, and problems that put the mare’s pregnancy at risk. Mares that are presented with a history of pregnancy or fetal loss, or that have serious medical conditions, which may compromise the desired outcomes of pregnancy, such as: birth of a healthy, term foal, and a healthy postpartum mare are considered ‘High Risk’. Commonly 5% of pregnancies are lost after 100 days of gestation. The foals arising from troubled pregnancies may result in the birth of foals that are non-viable, or that require intensive care. Life threatening complications may also arise as a consequence of a mare’s foaling, and these injuries may endanger a mare in future pregnancies. The developmental consequences of high risk pregnancy for the fetal foal are often severe. The recognition, intervention, and prevention strategies for High Risk pregnancies in mares will be discussed.