Foals born alive from mares with ultrasonographically assessed placental abnormalities: Neonatal health and development up to weaning compared to foals from healthy mares

Little is known about the health status of foals born alive from mares treated for placental disease. The aims of the present study were (1) to compare the neonatal health status and health development during the rearing period of foals born from mares treated for ultrasonographically assessed placental abnormalities (UPA) to age-matched healthy foals from the same warmblood stud and (2) analyze the influence of mare's placental health on colostrum quality. Foals (n = 127) born from mares with UPA (UPA group; P) in 2017–2019 were compared to 127 foals born from healthy mares (control group; C). Sixty-six UPA mares showed subclinical placental abnormalities (PSc1) and 61 mares showed clinical placental abnormalities (PSc2). The colostrum quality assessed by refractometry showed that healthy mares had 42 excellent (>30 %), 73 good (20–30 %) and 6 poor (