De Blasioâs effort is intended to address the needs of people at a variety of socioeconomic levels, from the very-low-income (now defined as under $25,150 for a family of four) to the middle class (families of four with incomes of $67,000 to $138,000).
Typically, during the breeding season, a mare will have a 21-day estrous cycle (the interval from one ovulation to the next). This length will vary between mares and time of the year. The estrous cycle is divided into two periods, estrus and diestrus. Estrus (heat) is the period (usually 4 to 7 days) when the mare is receptive to the stallion. During this period, ovarian follicles grow and develop to between 20 and 50mm in diameter with ovulation occurring 24 to 48 hours before the end of the estrus. Thus, the mare is still showing heat when she ovulates.
Mares that foaled early in the year were less likely to ovulate by 10 days post partum than mares foaling later in the spring. Also, early foaling mares (January to March) were more likely to have a prolonged period of postpartum anestrus (> 30 days to first ovulation postpartum) than late foaling mares.