Estrus Synchronization Protocols Essay example

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In the current breeding practices, management of the estrous cycle is a common. Breeders want to know when their mare is in one phase or the other and also wants to be able to determine when she will ovulate. Manipulation of the estrous cycle is a practice of breeding management. Manipulation of estrous involves changing the normal cycle through hormone treatments or other methods. Managing and manipulating the estrous cycle allows breeders to have control over the phase the mare is experiencing and the length of time she will be in that phase.
Estrus synchronization is the practice of regulating when one or many mares will be in estrus. Breeders can follow certain protocol in order to cause synchronization in the cycle. According to…show more content…
If the stallion only offers scheduled appointments, you may have to schedule in advance and not know when your mare will be in estrus that far ahead. In all cases, estrus synchronization minimizes the number of inseminations each mare will require per cycle in order to become pregnant.
A review of the estrous cycle is necessary to understanding the protocols for estrus synchronization. The estrous cycle of the mare is the period from one ovulation to a subsequent ovulation. Horses are a seasonally polyestrous animal meaning that non-pregnant mares experience recurring estrous cycles. Further, the equine breeding season is regulated by photoperiod, light exposure. The mares’ estrous cycle is 21 to 22 days in length and involves hormones produced by the pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries and endometrium.
The estrous cycle during the breeding season is made up of two phases, the estrus, or follicular phase and the diestrus, or luteal phase. During estrus, a four to seven day long phase, the mare is receptive to the stallion and can become pregnant following ovulation, which occurs one to two days prior to the end of estrus. Diestrus is a 14 to 15 day long phase in which the mare is unreceptive to the stallion. This phase ends with the corpus luteum deteriorating which initiates the next follicular, or estrus phase.
Hormone treatments are the most common method of
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