Maternal Age, Parity and Nursing Status at Fertilization Affects Postpartum Lactation Up to Weaning in Horses.
Authors: Derisoud Emilie, Auclair-Ronzaud Juliette, Rousseau-Ralliard Delphine, Philau Sabrina, Aujean Etienne, Durand Alexia, Dahirel Michèle, Charlier Madia, Boutinaud Marion, Wimel Laurence, Chavatte-Palmer Pascale
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Maternal factors—particularly parity, age and concurrent nursing status—significantly influence both the nutritional composition of equine milk and foal growth trajectories through weaning, with implications for broodmare management and foal development strategies. Researchers tracked 43 Saddlebred mares across four management categories (young primiparous, young multiparous, old multiparous nursing, and old multiparous barren) and their foals, measuring colostrum and milk composition at multiple timepoints from birth to 180 days postpartum, alongside foal weight gain and daily weight gain calculations. First-time mothers produced colostrum with significantly higher immunoglobulin G levels but delivered reduced milk volumes with greater fatty acid concentrations; their foals consequently showed depressed average daily weight gain during the critical first month postpartum. Older mares' milk differed markedly in fatty acid profiles—colostrum was higher in saturated fatty acids but lower in polyunsaturated fatty acids—and late-lactation milk contained elevated protein and sodium yet reduced short-chain saturated fatty acids, whilst nursing mares at conception exhibited compromised late-lactation milk production despite richer early colostrum in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These findings underscore that parity, maternal age and simultaneous lactation demands during breeding warrant explicit consideration in broodmare nutrition and management protocols to optimise both milk quality and subsequent foal growth performance.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Young first-time mothers require closer monitoring of foal growth in the critical first month postpartum, as their foals show slower weight gain despite higher immunoglobulin colostrum
- •Older nursing mares (those lactating while pregnant) will have reduced milk supply toward weaning; consider supplementary feeding strategies for their foals
- •Broodmare management protocols should account for parity and age when predicting foal growth potential and setting nutritional/monitoring plans
Key Findings
- •Primiparous mares produced colostrum richer in immunoglobulin G but with lower overall milk production compared to multiparous mares
- •Older mares (10-16 years) produced milk with higher protein and sodium content but lower polyunsaturated fatty acids at 90 days postpartum
- •Primiparous foals had significantly lower average daily weight gain during the 3-30 days postpartum period
- •Mares nursing at conception produced colostrum richer in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids but had reduced late-lactation milk production