Reproductive Management of Sport and Performance Mares

Reproduktivni management je upravljanje rasplođivanjem sportskih kobila. Svodi se na blokiranje ciklusa onda kad to nije poželjno i poticanje ciklusa onda kad je to potrebno. Najveći problem koji se javlja kod takvog pristupa uzrokovan je činjenicom što su kobile najplodnije na proljeće i ljeto, i to u dobi od 5 do 15 godina, kada bi istodobno trebale biti najuspješnije u sportu. U svrhu usklađivanja sporta i reprodukcije konja danas se primjenjuju metode asistirane reprodukcije (embriotransfer, in vitro oplodnja, ICSI, kloniranje i transfer oocita) od kojih se ističe embriotransfer, kao metoda sa najboljim postotkom uspješnosti i komercijalno najprimjenjivija, da bi se dobilo potomstvo od kobila koje su u sportu ili su slabije plodne. To je bitno jer je ždrijebad najboljih sportskih kobila i najskuplja zbog izvrsne genetike roditelja za koju se očekuje da će se očitovati i na potomcima. Osim toga, da bi kobile u sportu dale svoj maksimum, koristimo se i metodama kontracepcije koje blokiraju cikluse, premještaju ih ili spriječavaju koncepciju. Razlog za to je podudaranje sezone spolnih ciklusa i sezone natjecanja, kada kobile zbog estrusa mijenjaju svoje ponašanje, ili pak imaju bolne ovulacije koje su nepoželjne u treninzima i natjecanjima. Danas postoje hormonalne, kirurške i mehaničke metode, od kojih je najzastupljenija hormonalna metoda blokade ciklusa sintetskim progesteronom.Reproductive management is management of the reproduction of sport and performance mares. The point of this management is blocking of cyclicity when it is not desirable and stimulation of cycles when it is necessary. The biggest problem about this approach is caused by the fact that mares are the most fertile in the spring and summer, at the age of 5 to 15, when they should, at the same time, be the most successful in the sport. In order to harmonize sport and horse reproduction, the methods of assisted reproduction (embryo transfer, in vitro fertilization, ICSI, cloning and oocyte transfer), from which the embryo transfer is emphasized as the method with the highest percentage of success and the most commercially available, for getting offspring from sport mares or subfertile mares. This is important because the foals of the best sport mares are the most expensive due to excellent parents genetics that is expected to be manifested even on offspring. In addition, in order to maximize sport results of the mares, we use contraceptive methods that block cycles, postpone it or prevent the conception. The reason for this is the match between the sex cycles and the season of the competition, when mares change their behaviour affected by estrus, or have painful ovulations that are undesirable in training and competitions. Nowdays there are hormonal, surgical and mechanical methods for that purpose, and the most common is hormonal blocking of the cycle with synthetic progesterone