Blue Light Influences Breeding Success – for dry and pregnant mares

Sponsored Content - Monday May 3

The horse’s natural reproductive period coincides with the light-filled days of summer. The desire to breed mares early in the year means that many foals are born at a darker time of year than Nature intended.

Click to learn more about Equilume light masks.

This has consequences for breeding efficiency. Often, early foaling mares experience longer gestations, have lower foal birth weights and can have trouble cycling post-foaling. As well as hormones that control reproduction, lengthening daylight stimulates important growth hormones that allow foals to mature in utero and mares to produce more milk and good colostrum. Specifically, it is the blue light wavelengths from the sun that drive these seasonal hormonal changes.

Published scientific studies confirm that extending daylength for dry mares using blue light from Equilume Light Masks will advance reproductive cycles as effectively as stable lighting, with the bonus that mares can be kept at pasture. For pregnant mares, extended daily light from light masks was shown to prevent prolonged gestations (reduction of 10-15 days) and optimise foal birth weights (average 4 kg increase).

Advertisement

New research presented this month at the Equine Symposium at the British Society for Animal Science’s 2021 Virtual Conference showed that pregnant mares wearing blue light masks in the final 100 days of gestation had shorter pregnancies, earlier post-foaling ovulations and more mature foals at birth. The exciting studies, conducted by researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria also found that foals from mares wearing light masks in the final months of pregnancy stood 15 minutes faster after birth than foals born to mares that did not receive additional light.

The Equilume Belfield and Curragh Light masks are specifically designed for breeding stock to receive ‘long day’ light signals when they are maintained outdoors at pasture. 

For dry mares blue light treatment  should begin approximately 75 days prior to the start of the breeding season, and for pregnant mares 90-100 days before their due dates.

Mike Fleming of Bhima Thoroughbreds.

“We have been using the Equilume Light Masks for the last 7 years with great success. Our dry mares are all cycling and covered early, while reducing our management costs significantly. Our pregnant mares that wore the masks foaled on time with excellent post-foaling fertility, especially mares that had previously struggled to cycle with foal at foot. We would highly recommend Equilume to farms that want to reduce costs and improve breeding efficiency.”

Mike Fleming, BHIMA, Hunter Valley, AUS

 

Advertisment
More Reading...
G1 Pedigree Watch - Plus Up and Comers
The spring carnival might be over, but the G1 action is now in Perth and a Queenslander took the top prize and we are also looking at a few other stakes-winners that hold the promise of more to come.
Winx Foals a Snitzel Colt
The owners of Winx have announced the champion mare has foaled a healthy colt by Snitzel early on Monday morning.
Yulong Announce Sad Passing of G1 Winning Mare
Yulong released a video Tweet last week recapping their sensational spring carnival results and also revealing the passing of their dual Group I winning Frankel mare Hungry Heart.
Cosmic Vega Breaks Through in Kilmore Cup
A rapidly deteriorating track at Kilmore proved the winning formula for the Irish import Cosmic Vega (IRE) and visiting English rider Saffie Osborne to open their Australian accounts in Sunday’s $200,000 Listed Bet365 Kilmore Cup (1600m).
One to Watch – Canberra
At the 2023 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast US investors Richard and Tammy Rigney of Rigney Racing purchased two yearling fillies by I Am Invincible for $2million and $1.2million and got a result with one of them in Canberra on Sunday.
Kiwi Vendor Celebrating Sales and Racetrack Success
Vendor Barry Donoghue enjoyed a lucrative two days at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale last week and he’s now celebrated a significant result in another role.
Aussie Mare Youngstar Produces Exciting Japanese G3 Winner
Australian Group I winning half-sisters Youngstar and Funstar are both at stud in Japan and the former has a very smart two year-old colt in Eri King, who made it three wins from three starts when taking out the Group III Radio Nikkei Hai Kyoto Nissai Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.
Do Deuce From Last to First in Japan Cup
The visitors were once again humbled by the locals in the 44th running of Sunday’s Group 1 Longines Japan Cup (2400m) at Tokyo Racecourse.
Sires With Winners - Saturday November 23
Here is the full list of 117 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Friday November 22
Here is the full list of 46 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.