Pre-partum Steroid Hormone Concentrations in Arabian Mares that Reject their Foals

Foal rejection is defined as refusal of the mare to allow her newborn foal to suck combined with various degrees of aggression towards the foal. Such behaviour has been reported to occur more frequently in Arabian horses than other breeds with a suggestion that certain bloodlines may be more predisposed. It has been shown in many mammals that hormonal priming with progesterone and/or oestrogen is essential for the development of normal post-partum maternal behaviour. However in the mare, in contrast to other mammals, plasma oestrogen concentrations decline rather than increase during the weeks before foaling, while progestagen concentrations increase before declining precipitously one or two days pre-partum.
Source: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research