Mare reproductive management involves welfare considerations around handling stress, hormonal treatments, and the physical demands of pregnancy that require welfare-sensitive protocols.
Equine reproductive management involves repeated handling and invasive procedures that must be conducted with low-stress technique to minimize welfare compromise. Mares handled roughly during reproductive work often become increasingly difficult to manage over time - a cycle of fear and restraint that serves neither welfare nor production goals. Low-stress reproductive handling using appropriate restraint, skilled technique, and appropriate pharmacological support where needed produces better outcomes for mare welfare and conception rates.