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Mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) is a syndrome consisting of equine abortions and three related nonreproductive syndromes which occur in horses of all breeds, sexes, and ages. MRLS was first observed in the U.S. state of Kentucky in a three-week period around May 5, 2001, when about 20–30% of Kentucky's pregnant mares suffered abortions.
Mares carry their young (called foals) for approximately 11 months from conception to birth. (Average range 320–370 days.) [2] Usually just one young is born; twins are rare. When a domesticated mare foals, she nurses the foal for at least four to six months before it is weaned, though mares in the wild may allow a foal to nurse for up to a year.
Foals should be up and ready to run around shortly after birth, typically within a few hours. It is thought that the "switch" that changes these neurosteroids occurs during birth. While the foal is moving through the birth canal, the pressure exerted on the foal's body acts as that switch. Most live births take between 20 and 40 minutes.
A foal will begin to eat hay, grass and grain alongside the mare at about 4 weeks old; by 10–12 weeks the foal requires more nutrition than the mare's milk can supply. Foals are typically weaned at 4–8 months of age, although in the wild a foal may nurse for a year.
When the foal is nursing from its dam (mother), it may also be called a "suckling". After it has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a "weanling". When a mare is pregnant, she is said to be "in foal". When the mare gives birth, she is "foaling", and the impending birth is usually stated as "to foal". A newborn horse is "foaled".
Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005). Horse behavior is best understood from the view that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight response.Their first reaction to a threat is often to flee, although sometimes they stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is untenable, such as when a foal would be threatened.
Neonatal isoerythrolysis occurs if a foal is born with a blood group that is different from its dam, and then receives antibodies against those red blood cells (alloantibodies) through the mare's colostrum, leading to the lysis of the foal's red blood cells. There are thus three requirements for this disease to occur:
The breeder of a foal is the owner of its dam at the time of foaling. The person designated as the breeder may not have had anything to do with planning the mating of the mare or be located where foaling occurs. [19] breeding 1. The mating and care of horses to reproduce, usually through selective breeding practices. [8]: 70 2.