Health Care should include nutritional analysis, foot care, housing evaluation, and routine dentistry, vaccination and deworming.  Horses for a reproductive program should be fit, of good body condition and relatively sound of limb.  A healthy animal will produce healty gametes and stay sound for the duration of the breeding season. 

Vaccination Schedules

Deworming Schedules  

Dental care should occur prior to the breeding season.  Broodmares should have dental care prior to breeding or immediately after foaling prior to being rebred, if possible.  This will prevent any concern over the use of sedation or oral trauma/bacteremia in a pregnant horse.  If a pregnant mare has a severe dental abnormality, then a dental exam with or without sedation may need to be performed.

Estimate the horses weight by using a weigh tape or actual scale.  A weigh tape is placed just behind the elbows, around the girth, passing over the withers.  It is tightened and the number read.  Weigh tapes may be plus or minus 50 lbs, so look at the animal for a final adjustment if needed.