Some New York breeding farms have experienced an unusual number of foaling problems so far this breeding season, and slightly higher incidences of sickness and herpesvirus abortions. There is evidence to suggest a slight connection between the premature separation of the placenta in foaling, known as red bag, and the mare reproductive loss syndrome that struck Kentucky’s breeding industry in 2001. Most of the New York red bag deliveries involve mares bred in Kentucky last year. At one farm, approximately 10% of the births have been red bags, but all of the foals survived.

Mares are reportedly not having trouble getting back in foal again.

According to several farm managers, foal deaths are not reported to any agency in New York. In most cases, they are kept secret to avoid bad publicity, so it is impossible to make a statistical analysis. However, anecdotal reports by people in the industry say the number of deaths is not out of the ordinary.

Phil Trowbridge, veteran farm manager at Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, N.Y., said there had been a single foal death on the farm