Breeders Seminar

Around 100 TBA members attended a one-day seminar at Tattersalls on July 28, which benefitted from international speakers who had been attending the Twelfth International Symposium on Equine Reproduction Conference (ISER XII) in Cambridge.  Sessions for veterinary practitioners were held alongside the breeders’ day, and this format allowed for plenty of valuable informal discussions during the breaks.

During the morning session, both groups listened to stallion experts Dr Sue McDonnell and Dr Dickson Varner, from USA, who discussed stallion behaviour and management of the stallion for optimal fertility.   Other topics for breeders included the effects of climate on follicle growth, ovulation and conception from Dr Lee Morris from New Zealand, uterine conditions affecting fertility (Dr Angus McKinnon, Australia) and an update on the TBA funded pregnancy loss research being conducted by Dr Mandi de Mestre.  Dr McKinnon also provided a useful round up from the ISER XII conference itself.

The afternoon brought presentations from Dr Laura Peachey (Cambridge University), updating members on the TBA funded research into host parasite interaction and how we might address resistance to modern drugs in parasites.  The theme of the outdoor environment was continued by Dr Richard Newton (AHT) who discussed research into grass sickness and then a fascinating presentation from Dr Judy Cawdell-Smith (Australia) on the risk in the UK from hairy caterpillars as a cause of abortion and placentitis.  The afternoon finished with presentations from Dr Pascalle Chavatte-Palmer, (France) on feeding pregnant mares for optimal fetal, neonatal and adult health, and from Jan Pynn (UK) on neonatal foal disorders including.

The TBA is extremely grateful to all the speakers who kindly added another day to their long week at ISER XII. It was a rare opportunity to have such group of experts speaking on a wide range of subjects and greatly appreciated by delegates