By Chris Gould/CWHBA
Photography: Courtesy UofC

Each year at the annual general meeting of the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association, various research and information papers are presented to the members. It is an important opportunity for the sharing of information and ideas relevant to Canadian breeders. It is also an opportunity for the academic community to hear back from breeders about the important issues that affect our breeders.

Canada has a number of excellent centres for equine research attached to our veterinary colleges and universities. A short list of these institutions includes: University of Guelph in Ontario; University of Montreal at St Hyacinthe in Quebec; Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan; and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta. Of course other related research is carried out at many universities in biology, agriculture and genetics. Over the years the CWHBA has maintained contact with a number of researchers and has cooperated whenever possible.
This year, during the CWHBA annual general meeting weekend, presentations will be made by doctors Claudia Klein and Renaud Leguillette from the University of Calgary. Their specialities are equine reproduction and equine sports medicine, respectively. Dr Klein’s research team is doing important work on the very problematic issue of endometrial fibrosis in ageing mares. The long term goal is to develop a preventive treatment strategy for this condition, which often prevents older

mares from successfully carrying a pregnancy to term. Within this project, her team is also determining whether the oral application of Regu-Mate™ during early pregnancy has a potentially beneficial effect. Her talk entitled ‘Maternal recognition of pregnancy, endometrial fibrosis in the ageing mare and more’ will also touch on some of the work her laboratory is doing on the physiology of early pregnancy, particularly the role of fibrinogen, a protein usually known for its role in blood coagulation...

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