STALLION MANAGEMENT

Lesson Four

DETECTING HEAT IN A MARE “THE TEASING PROGRAM”

USING A STALLION AS A TEASER

Assuming you are not going to do “pasture breeding”, we then have to concentrate on “hand breeding” situations and determining when the mares are receptive toward breeding (In Heat).

There are at least 13 signs that signal the sexual receptivity in the mare. This is often referred to as “the mare is teasing, or the mare is teasing positively, or the mare is in heat.”

Here are the signs:

1. Tolerance and/or interest in stallion’s presence.

2. Backing up to stallion.

3. Tail raising.

4. Squatting by mare.

5. Frequent urination.

6. Clitoral eversion (winking).

7. Mucous (sticky) secretion.

8. Slight swelling of vulva.

9. Change in odor of the mare’s urine.

10. Increase in follicle size of primary follicle (as determined by veterinary palpation or ultrasound exam).

11. Cervical dilation (open cervix) (as determined by veterinary speculum exam or palpation).

12. Mare seeks company of other mares or geldings in pasture or paddock.

13. Teaser becomes more excited in her presence.

Some of these signs are visually apparent and others are easily determined through rectal palpation. Most of the time, the students take these “symptoms” of estrus to be simple and straightforward. Actually, however things are seldom as simple as they seem. Notice that No. 13 is the only signal or signs that relates to the stallion or teaser’s behavior.

It is important to note that all stallions are individuals and have their own unique style and level of aggressiveness during courtship. For instance, most two-year-old colts do not have the stamina for teasing or the interest that a three-year old might. Three-year-olds, however, seem to have nothing on their minds but sex. They become very aroused at the slightest exposure to a mare of any type. They are likely to maintain this interest with very little or no encouragement from the mare.

Even with older horses, there is a wide range of libido within two standard deviations of the norm. The stallion manager must be able to read and understand the behavior of his particular teaser stallion to get the most information available during the act of courting mares. Well-developed powers of observation are very necessary tools in an efficient and highly successful breeding operation. For these reasons, a breeding farm usually prefers to use a particular teaser they can be confident in and that has the maturity and consistency that can be counted on to predict mare receptivity.

Sometimes Shetland studs are used as teaser stallions and some farms have had success using geldings that have been injected with testosterone throughout the season. They may occasionally use the primary or secondary breeding stallion when they feel as though he has become a little stale and needs to build up his libido.

When using a regular teasing stallion the following behavioral characteristics can be taken into account to help determine mare readiness.

TEASER STALLION EVALUATIONS

Score - 0. The horse is brought into the presence of a mare and finds his advances unwelcome. Within a minute, the teaser is either looking for other distractions or wants to eat grass.

Score - 1. When the mare is not totally repulsed by the teaser, the stallion may tease in short bursts, but with long pauses in between. These pauses may expand in length until the horse is no longer interested. The horse may get an erection, but it will not be maintained.

Score - 2. When a mare shows a mild interest in his advances, the stallion may become more excited and very vocal with bursts of stallion squeals that may last for several minutes.

Score - 3. When the mare shows strong signs of receptivity to breeding, the stallion becomes aroused and passionate toward her. He will continually court the mare with intense interest. He may give a flehmen response, squeal, and paw the ground, after which he will feverishly return to the blowing, nibbling, and talking. The stallion will get and maintain an erection.

Score - 4. The stallion is most aroused just before a mare ovulates. Fortunately he can naturally detect when this is. He is pumped full of adrenaline and exhibits more intense characteristic behaviors as described above in number 3. It may be almost impossible to divert his attention from the mare. He will continually tease her and not want to be led away.

Compare the previous Teaser Stallion Scoring System with the following one developed for mares.

SCORING SYSTEM FOR MARES (Zero to Four)

Score - 0. Shows absolutely no signs of interest in the stallion. Rejection is expressed by attempts to leave his presence; kicking, squealing, wringing her tail, etc.

Score - 1. Passive resistance. Rejects his advances, but not his presence. Appears to enjoy his conversation, but not his advances.

Score - 2. Likes the attention of the stallion, but will not stand to be mounted. May urinate, raise her tail, or have contractions of the vulva (winking); however, her behavior lacks intensity and she does not strike a breeding stance.

Score - 3. Adores the advances of the stallion. Will urinate (throw-off), raise tail, wink, and allow herself to be mounted. Increased intensity of behavior.

Score - 4. Mare becomes aggressive, seeking out the attention of the stallion. Exhibits all the behaviors of 3 heat breeding score and will back up to the stallion requesting breeding (hitting a breeding stance).

During the estrus cycle, the mare will begin as a “0” and move up to a “4” during the 5 or 6 days of estrus (heat) until ovulation. She will then quickly (usually within 24 hours) move back down the scale to a “0” signaling that she is out of heat.

Also, keep in mind that mares slip between these categories of behavioral estrus. To calibrate this movement a plus or a minus sign may be added to the score. For example, a mare either moving into estrus from a "0" or slipping out of estrus from a "1" may be designated as a "1-." She does not completely resent the stallion, but she does not find harmony close to him.

Obviously, there is some subjective judgment to be used in scoring mares. The more familiar you are with the behavior of a mare, the more accurate your heat score will be.

For some shy, silent-heat type mares, a "4" may be described as an intense gaze at the stallion and a desire to stand one foot closer to him. On the other hand, there are mares that appear never to slip below a "1" even when they are pregnant. They are always willing to stop and chat politely with any stallion at hand.

It is for these odd mares that the behavioral scoring of the teaser stallion becomes an extremely important tool in deciphering exactly what is going on with these intriguing and sometimes confusing creatures known as broodmares. Taking all of these signs and scoring systems into account may seem very confusing. A new student must realize that these systems are used to help a manager determine and categorize these mares and stallions by way of their individual behavior on that day and the history of their behavior in the past regarding the teasing process. The more experience one has, the easier it becomes, but it is never easy, which really categorizes it as more of an art than a science.

ASSIGNMENT (No quiz for this lesson)

Please answer each question as completely as possible. Resources other than the written text are encouraged as well as personal experiences. Please site your resources – include the link if you used the internet; book title and author if you used hard copy.

Send your report to Dr. Sales at jsales@horsecoursesonline.com

Include your full name and email address on the document.

1. Describe, in detail, what is meant by the term “teaser stallion“, “teasing a mare” and “the mare is teasing positive”.

2. Name at least five (5) physical signs or symptoms that you would look for to determine if a mare was in strong estrus (heat).

3. Name at least three (3) physical signs or symptoms that a teaser stallion might exhibit while teasing a mare that would lead you to believe the mare was in strong estrus (heat) and within 24 to 48 hours from ovulating.

4. What is meant by silent heat, and how would you best go about determining if a mare is in that state?