Reproductive Care Blog Posts

I am absolutely fascinated by the study of equine conformation. I have read oodles of books on the subject and have even paid professionals to come to my ranch and teach me using my own animals. All of this has been really helpful but it is possible to take things one step further.

There are often times when I need to quickly evaluate the conformation of a donkey, such as when I travel, at a sale, or at a show. These donkeys may be out in a field wearing their winter shaggy coat or show clipped, in hand or at liberty. A good deal of the time I quietly make a judgment about the donkey while I am in conversation with it's owner.

A few weeks ago we hosted an educational event for Miniature Donkeys and their owners. We had a group of about 30 people here from as far away as Canada, Texas, and New Mexico. The weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all. Right in the middle of this my lovely 24 year old jennet decided to foal! I had been watching her on my barn cam all night and knew she was in early labor.

Is She Breeding Quality?

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing my favorite horse health news website and came across an article about the horrors of multiple spontaneous abortions in mustang mares after being herded by helicopters into catch pens.

I must be one of the few horse lovers in the U.S. (possibly the world) not thrilled at the news that Zenyatta has been confirmed in foal.  Frankly, however, I feel that the last thing the horse world needs is another high profile foal.  My opinion has nothing to do with Zenyatta, her bloodlines, the breeding itself or her record.  It would be hard (ok, impossible) to argue that the continuation of her line would not benefit the Thoroughbred breed.  If she had been bred and were to foal in a media vacuum, I would cheer the genetic progression.  However, press releases, news stories, Twitter updates, and Facebook posts have made the media a very crowded place indeed.  And so with every “Zenyatta confirmed pregnant” Tweet, the veterinarian in me sighs.