Some reproductive parameters of Zanskari mares reared in an organized farm under tropical climate
256 / 137
Keywords:
Cryopreservation, Estrus, Estrus cycle, Foal heat, Follicular size, Gestation length, Ovulation, Semen, Ultrasonography, Zanskari mareAbstract
The present study was undertaken to record the data on duration of estrus, estrus cycle length, size of the follicle at ovulation, period of gestation and estrus after foaling (foal heat) in respect of Zanskari mares for 4 consecutive breeding seasons (2010–2014). The mares were closely monitored with transrectal ultrasonography for their follicle size variation and to determine size of the follicle at ovulation. The mares were inseminated with frozen thawed semen from Zanskari stallions. This is the first time ever that Zanskari stallion semen was cryopreserved successfully and viable foals were produced by using frozen semen via artificial insemination. The reproductive parameters of the mares of Zanskari breed in India are poorly investigated and thus no reports are available on reproductive characteristics of Zanskari breed till today in the literature. Our results can be useful as a ready reference for some of the reproductive characteristics and traits of Zanskari breed as well as indigenous horses reared under tropical region. The reproductive parameters analysed in the present study are fitting within the characteristics of the other Indian horse breeds reared under this region and the differences may be caused by breed effect and other environmental factors.
Downloads
References
Allen W R. 1978. Control of Ovulation and Oestrus in the Mare. pp 453–68. (Eds) Crighton D P, Haynes H B, Foxcroft G R and Lamming G E. Butterwoths, London. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-408-70924-8.50032-3
Andrews F N and McKenzie F F. 1941. Estrus, ovulation and related phenomena in the mare. University of Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Research Bulletin 329: 1–117.
Arangasamy A, Bansal R S, Sharma R C, Legha R A, Yash Pal and Tandon S N. 2008. Some reproductive characteristic of Marwari mares. Indian Journal of Animal Reproduction 29: 66–67.
Bos H and Van der Mey J W. 1980. Length of gestation period of horses and ponies belonging to different breeds.Livestock Production Science 7: 181–87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-6226(80)90105-0
Bronson F H and Heideman P D. 1994. Seasonal regulation of reproduction in mammals. The Physiology of Reproduction. Vol. 2, pp.541–83. (Eds) Knobil E and Neill J D. Raven Press New York.
Burkhardt J. 1947. Anoestrus in the mare and its treatment with estrogen. Veterinary Record 59: 341–42.
Cochran J D, Amann R P, Froman D P and Pickett, B W. 1984. Effect of centrifugation,glycerol level, cooling to 5°C, freezing rate and thawing rate on the post thaw motility of equine spermatozoa. Theriogenology 22: 25–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0093-691X(84)90470-9
Daels P F, Hughes J P and Stabenfeldt G H. 1991.Reproduction in horses. Reproduction in Domestic Animals. 4th edn. (Ed.) Cupps P T. Academic press, New York. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-057109-6.50017-3
Davies Morel M C G, Newcombe J R and Holland S J. 2002. Factors affecting gestation length in the thoroughbred mare. Animal Reproduction Science 74:175–85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4320(02)00171-9
Davies Morel M C G. 2003. Equine Reproductive Physiology, Breeding and Stud Management, 2nd edn, 169–70. CABI Publishing International.
Ginther O J. 1974. Occurrence of anestrus, estrus, diestrus and ovulation over a 12-month period in mares. American Journal of Veterinary Researach 35: 1173–79.
Ginther O J, Whitmore H L and Squires E L. 1972.Characteristics of estrus, diestrus, and ovulation in mares and effects of season and nursing. American Journal of Veterinary Researach 33: 1935–39.
Gupta A K, Yash Pal and Tandon S N. 2010. Zanskari Pony. Monograph 1. NRC on Equines.
Hafez E S E. 1993. Reproduction in Farm Animals. 6th edn. Lea and Febiger, USA.
Hafez E S E and Hafez B. 2000. Horses. Reproduction in Farm Animals. 7th edn, pp. 192–217. (Eds) E S E Hafez, B Hafez, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Philadelphia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119265306.ch14
Hughes J P, Stabenfeldt G H and Kennedy P C. 1980. The estrous cycle and selected functional and pathologic ovarian abnormalities in the mare. Veterinary Clinics of North America 2: 225–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-9846(17)30158-1
Hutton C A and Meacham T M. 1968. Reproductive efficiency of fourteen horse farms. Journal of Animal Science 27: 434–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1968.272434x
Jainudeen M R and Hafez E S E. 2000. Gestation, prenatal physiology and parturition. 7th edn. Pp 140–45. (Eds)Hafez E S E and Hafez B. Reproduction in farm animals. Maryland, USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119265306.ch10
Lofstedt R M. 1992. Miscellaneous diseases of pregnancy and parturition. McKinnon A O, Voss J L Equine Reproduction. Pp 596–603. Blackwell Pub, London, UK.
Nishikawa Y. 1959. Studies on reproduction in horses. Singularity and Artificial Organ Control in Reproductive Phenomena. Japan Racing Association, Tokyo.
Osborne V E. 1966. An analysis of the pattern of ovulation as it occurs in the annual reproductive cycle of the mare in Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal 42: 149–54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.1966.tb16013.x
Perez C C, Rodríguez I, Mota J, Dorado J, Hidalgo M and Felipe M. 2003. Gestation length in Carthusian Spanishbred mares. Livestock Production Science 82: 181–87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-6226(03)00027-7
Rahul Behl, Jyotsna Behl, Neelam Gupta, Gupta S C, Ahlawat S P S, Mahesh Ragnekar and Ahmed Z. 2006. Genetic characterization of Zanskari breed of horse. Journal of Genetics 85 (3): 199–203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02935331
Roberts J Stephen. 1971. Veterinary Obstetrics and Genital Diseases (Theriogenology), CBS Publishers and Distributors, India.
Snedecor G W and Cochran W G. 1989. Statistical Methods: 6th edn. Iowa State University Press, USA.
Taveira R Z, Mota M D S. 2007. Genetic and quantitative evaluation of breeding traits in thoroughbred mares. REDVET 8: 1–11.
Winter G H Z, Rubin M I B, De La Corte F D and Silva C A M. 2007. Gestational Length and First Postpartum Ovulation of Criollo Mares on a Stud Farm in Southern Brazil. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 27: 531–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2007.10.015
Downloads
Submitted
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the articles published in The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences is vested with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which reserves the right to enter into any agreement with any organization in India or abroad, for reprography, photocopying, storage and dissemination of information. The Council has no objection to using the material, provided the information is not being utilized for commercial purposes and wherever the information is being used, proper credit is given to ICAR.