Correlation Between Mare And Neonatal Foal Hair Cortisol Concentrations

This study evaluated hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in six Quarter Horse mare and foal pairs to assess fetal health and stress exposure during the last 60-90 days of gestation. A strong positive correlation was found between mare and foal HCC (R² = 0.701, p = 0.0001), with foal HCC significantly higher than mare HCC. The study found no significant influence of the month of parturition on HCC for either mares or foals, nor was gestation length correlated with HCC. These results suggest a relationship between maternal and fetal cortisol exposure during gestation, highlighting the potential of HCC as a non-invasive indicator of fetal health and stress. Further research is needed to explore these implications.