Equine fetal post-mortem guidelines for veterinarians

Around 5% of Thoroughbred mares in Australia lose their pregnancies each year, resulting in significant welfare, environmental and economic impacts across the Thoroughbred industry.

These losses affect individual mares and owners while contributing to reduced productivity and increased costs for breeders, veterinarians and stud operations nationwide.

Despite the scale of the issue, mid‑to-late‑term equine pregnancy loss in Australia is inconsistently investigated, and a definitive diagnosis is often not achieved. As a result, owners and stud managers may lack reliable, evidence‑based information to guide management decisions aimed at preventing repeat losses in affected mares or reducing risk in breeding herds.

This report supports improved diagnosis and understanding of the causes and risk factors associated with equine pregnancy loss. Better diagnostic outcomes have the potential to reduce fetal losses, enhance mare welfare and improve productivity for the thoroughbred industry.

Developed as part of the Pathology and Epidemiology of Equine Pregnancy Loss project, funded by the AgriFutures Thoroughbred Horses Program, this resource draws on the review of more than 450 pregnancy loss cases over two years.

The project also delivered national training workshops to strengthen veterinarians’ post‑mortem skills and produced updated manuals and visual atlases to support accurate field diagnosis.

Request a copy of the report here.