MRLS incites new breeding standards for imports

Lexington, Ky.-The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has issued emergency regulations on breeding imported mares into the state, following last year's Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome.

Amendments to the procedures were established by State Veterinarian Don Notter, DVM, along with an equine advisory committee comprised of scientists and researchers from the University of Kentucky's Gluck Center, and area veterinary practitioners, according to TheHorse.com.

"The long and short of it is, whenever we breed an imported mare, the stallion was required to be scrubbed and treated (following breeding), and remain out of service for a minimum of 12 hours (to allow optimal time for the cleaning agents to work)," Rusty Ford, of the state veterinarian's office, tells the equine news source. "The stallion will no longer be required to stay out of service following the cover of an imported mare."

According to the news report, regulations were altered due to the requests of the Central Kentucky breeding farms.

All imported mares will have a swab collected from the endometrium to test for any disease, including contagious equine metritis, before they can be bred in Kentucky.