Characterization of Typical Behaviors of Mares in the Opening Phase of Parturition-Influence of Parity and Dystocia.
Authors: Lindinger Hannah, Wehrend Axel
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Understanding the behavioural signs preceding foaling is vital for timely intervention during dystocia, and this 2024 analysis of 66 births across 56 warmblood mares provides detailed quantification of stage I parturition markers. Using continuous video surveillance, Lindinger and Wehrend documented a marked escalation in locomotor activity, pawing, tail lifting, rolling, abdominal kicking, and self-directed abdominal attention in the four hours before birth (p < 0.001), with lying patterns—particularly duration and positional changes—showing significant shifts within the final hour. Parity influenced the frequency of sternal recumbency, whilst dystocia cases demonstrated altered lateral lying patterns, highlighting that whilst general behavioural trajectories are consistent across mares, individual and reproductive-history-dependent variation remains clinically meaningful. For practitioners managing high-risk mares or monitoring for complications, these findings reinforce that recognising the characteristic escalation of restlessness and positional adjustments is more diagnostically reliable than any single behaviour, though acknowledging that individual mares will deviate from typical patterns. Integrating these temporal and postural markers into monitoring protocols could improve detection of prolonged stage I and facilitate earlier veterinary assessment when complications are suspected.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Monitor for six specific behavioral indicators during the opening phase of labor to improve early detection of active parturition and enable better birth management decisions.
- •Recognize that young mares (first pregnancy) and mares experiencing dystocia may display different lying patterns—use parity and birth difficulty history to refine behavioral assessments.
- •Establish individual baseline behavioral patterns where possible, as significant individual differences exist among mares; one behavioral profile does not fit all animals.
Key Findings
- •Six specific behaviors (increased locomotor activity, pawing, tail lifting, rolling, kicking toward abdomen, looking at abdomen) increased significantly (p < 0.001) in the four hours preceding parturition.
- •Duration of lying in sternal and lateral positions changed significantly (p < 0.001) within the final hour before birth.
- •Parity influenced the total number of repetitions of sternal lying (p < 0.05), indicating multiparous mares show different patterns than primiparous mares.
- •Birth process type influenced lateral lying repetitions (p < 0.05), suggesting dystocia cases show distinct behavioral patterns from normal deliveries.