Sexual maturity of mares and prospects for shortening the intergenerational period in horses

Abstract

The aim of the study is to present current knowledge on the mechanisms regulating puberty in mares and the possibility of shortening the intergenerational period in horses through modern animal reproduction biotechnology. The study discusses fetal sex recognition in horses by means of ultrasound, pre- and postnatal development of mare gonads, oogenesis and folliculogenesis, as well as the process of selection and elimination of oocytes. It also describes the role of gonadotropins, ovarian hormonal activity and morphological changes occurring during sexual maturation. It has been shown that about 37% of mares attain sexual maturity in the first year of life. It has also been documented that one-year and two-year-old fillies produce normal embryos that can be used for transplantation and give offspring. It has also been proved that embryos can be produced in vitro from oocytes of juvenile mares. There is hope that acquiring preantral follicles from the ovary and their in vitro culture until the oocyte reaches full maturity for fertilization will permit us to obtain embryos and offspring from mares, including those sexually immature. These methods, combined with in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer techniques, have already made it possible to obtain normal embryos and even live-born offspring in other mammals.