BASICS OF LIFE BY LES SELLNOW eproduction in all species borders on the miraculous. at the reproductive organs of both the mare and the stallion How else can one describe a process where two infini- and discuss just how they function in their effort to produce Rtesimal entities, one from the male, the other from the another “miracle.” Once again, sources are too numerous to female, join forces to produce living, breathing offspring? mention, other than to say that much of the basic informa- Reproductive capability or success varies by species. Mice tion on reproduction available today stems from research at and rabbits, for example, are prolific producers of offspring. such institutions as Colorado State University, Texas A&M Horses, on the other hand, fall into a category where it is University, and the University of Minnesota. There are many much more chancy. others involved in reproductive research, but much of the in- When horses ran wild, this wasn’t a serious problem. There formation utilized in this article emanated from those three were so many of them that their numbers continued to ex- institutions. pand even though birth rate often was dictated by the avail- ability of food and water. Once the horse was domesticated, The Mare however, organized reproduction became the order of the We’ll begin with the mare because her role in the repro- day. Stables that depend on selling the offspring of stallions ductive process is more complicated than that of the stallion. and mares have an economic stake in breeding success. Yet, Basically, the mare serves four functions: the process continues to be less than perfect, with success 1) She produces eggs or ova; rates hovering in the 65-70% range, and sometimes lower. 2) She provides housing and nourishment for the develop- In this article on reproductive anatomy, we’ll take a look ing embryo, which becomes a fetus; A handy guide to the male and female reproductive tracts Editor’s Note This is the final article in a 12-part series on equine anatomy and physiology. If you missed any part of the series, be sure to look for the PDF version on TheHorse. com in the coming months. DR. ROBIN PETERSON ILLUSTRATION December 2006 THE HORSE www.TheHorse.com 45 The Mare’s Reproductive Tract broad ligament of the uterus cervix (behind vaginal wall cutaway) ureter right kidney anus 3) When the fetus reaches a certain state rectum of maturity, the mare expels it at the vulva time of birth or parturition; and vagina right ovary bladder 4) The mare produces milk for nourish- ment of the young. fallopian tube The mare’s reproductive tract lies in a horizontal position within the abdominal infundibulum and pelvic cavities. The key elements are the vulva, vagina, cervix, ovaries, oviducts, and uterus. Vulva The vulva is the external open- ing of the reproductive tract. The labia left uterine horn right uterine horn are the lips of the vulva on each side of a son five- to six-inch vertical slit located below R ete the anus. P Vagina The vagina is comprised of a Robin six- to eight-inch long muscular tube lined DR. with mucous membranes. It connects the vulva to the cervix. The tissues of the va- Cervix The cervix provides entrance to When a mare is in estrus, the cervix is gina are very elastic so that it can accom- the uterus at the end of the vagina. The flaccid and open to facilitate the passage modate the stallion’s penis during breeding cervix is about four inches long and forms of semen. When the mare is out of estrus, and passage of the foal during the birthing a boundary between the inside and outside the cervix is tightly closed and serves as process. world with folded tissue. a barrier to prevent foreign agents from SUCCEED can help you achieve your No Guts... No Glory. goals with measurable results. Use SUCCEED and see the results for yourself, sometimes in a matter of days. Soon, you’ll be able to measure the Highest scoring U.S. Dressage rider at 2006 WEG difference in the show ring. SUCCEED delivers highly specialized nutrients to support a healthy digestive tract, the fuel line to every other system in the horse’s body. 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She gans and is capable of expansion has two of these organs that are uterine horns as the fetus grows and develops. shaped somewhat like beans oviduct oviduct The uterus is multi-layered, hol- and are two to three inches in low, and Y-shaped. The base of length. uterine body ovary the Y is the uterine body, while the The ovaries are located at the ovary two branches are known as horns. forward or upper end of the re- infundibulum broad Two tough, sheet-like structures, productive structure. Their job ligament known as broad ligaments, sus- is to produce eggs. When a fe- pend the uterus within the body male horse is born, her ovaries cavity. There are three distinct cervix contain all of the egg cells that layers in the uterus. The outer- her body will ever produce. Each vagina most is continuous with the broad egg is contained in a little bub- ligaments and is known as the transverse fold ble-like container on the ovary son serous layer. The middle layer is R called a follicle. pete comprised of muscular tissue and Generally speaking, not much vulva is called the myometrium. These happens with the follicles until Robin muscles are responsible for push- DR. the filly reaches puberty. At that ing the foal into the birth canal point, one or more of the fol- during parturition. The innermost licles will begin to grow as the result of an then trapped in the infundibulum, a fun- layer is the endometrium, a complex mu- increase in fluid within the follicle. Nor- nel-shaped membrane that surrounds the cosal membrane that contains a rich blood mally, if nature is left to its own design, the ovary. supply and many glands. It is the role of rest of the follicles will remain small and The infundibulum narrows and be- the uterus to house and nourish the devel- quiescent until it is their turn. comes a coiled tube known as the oviduct. oping fetus. Oviducts When the egg reaches a par- The oviduct connects to the uterus and ticular point of maturity, the follicle rup- carries the egg to that location in the wake The Role of Light tures and the egg is discharged. The egg is of fertilization. A key element in the “miracle” of birth O C D TM Optimal Cartilage Development Are you STILL pretending your horses don’t have bone problems? No surgery. Just OCDTM Pellets and daily turn-out. Backed by a 75-DAY Dramatic Results Guatantee. www.ocdequine.com 800.815.6599 December 2006 THE HORSE www.TheHorse.com 47 The Stallion’s Reproductive Anatomy is light. The mare’s reproductive activity is seasonally polyestrous, which means that preputial ring she has a reproductive season and a non- reproductive season. Both are controlled by light. glans penis inner lamina of R The non-reproductive season is known ne prepuce scrotum containing R A as anestrus and comes in the fall and win- V testes ter when there is little light. The reproduc- son K tive season begins in the spring when days DIC free body of penis R. D are longer, and it lasts into the summer. Y urethral process TES However, the seasons are not all that R OU cut and dried. In between those two ba- C sic seasons are two other cycles, known as transitional stages. One occurs just before (GnRH). When enough GnRH is produced, meters in diameter, they secrete estrogen, the mare becomes reproductively active the pituitary gland at the base of the brain is which stimulates sexual activity within the and the other occurs just prior to anestrus. stimulated. The pituitary then secretes two mare. It serves to prepare the reproductive During these two periods, mares generally hormones—follicle stimulating hormone tract and cervix for the arrival of sperm are erratic in their cyclic and sexual be- (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)—that and causes the mare to be receptive to the havior.