STOCKYARD
HORSE  DISCUSSION FORUMS

DanniS

It is that time of year again when we are deciding which Frozen Semen stallions to use. Although the last season has only recently ended it is imperative that alot of thought and consideration goes in to your frozen stallion choice.
The earlier your order is placed the more likely it is that your semen will be here when you need it.

The US and Europe breed at opposite times of the year to us. In Europe, for example, their breeding season proper ends on August 15. So the stallions are not collected for Australia until after this date, this can play havoc with our breeding season.
Get in early and you won't be disappointed.

Using frozen semen need not be as scary as people think. The conception rates can be better than chilled in many cases.

There are 3 main factors in achieving a pregnancy with frozen semen.
1. Good semen.
2. Good, fertile mare.
3. Excellent Therienologist (Equine Reproduction Vet)

The most common statistic given, by vets and semen brokers, for frozen semen is Forward Progressive Motility post thaw.
Of course it is important that you have some live semen with which to inseminate, but this is NOT the main factor in achieving a pregnancy, fertility is!!.
Semen can have low motility and still achieve many pregnancies because the fertility is high. This is what you need to remember to ask your semen broker before purchasing. Your vet will not have these statistics as they are more than likely unaware how that particular stallion has measured up reproductively.

__________________
EXCLUSIVE EQUINES
when only the best will do
www.exclusiveequines.com.au

Kintara

So you get frozen semen from America too? If I talk a stallion owner, over there, to freezing some semen that could come to Australia, could you handle it from there?
Thanks

Danni (I'm a Danni S too!)

DanniS

Hi Kintara,
as long as all of the pre-freezing protocols are strictly adhered to, it shouldn't be a problem.

Danni S is a very good name

__________________
EXCLUSIVE EQUINES
when only the best will do
www.exclusiveequines.com.au

Kintara

With the pre-freezing protocols, if a stallion was imported from the UK to America, could it be collected while it was in Q in the US? What I mean is, would that semen have done enough Q then to be collected. Just thinking of ways to reduce collecting costs, if I chose a stallion that was in the process of being imported anyway!
Cheers

Danni

DanniS

Not necessarily. It depends heavily on the quarantine setup.
If you go to the AQIS website you can download the criteria for the stallions and send it to the stallion owners vet.
Keep in mind that AQIS update these conditions every 2 weeks so you need to keep abreast of them.

__________________
EXCLUSIVE EQUINES
when only the best will do
www.exclusiveequines.com.au

mylittlepony

im trying to get frozen semen from a gypsy cob stallion in victoria, but im unsure about quarantine after the EI situation, any help
?????

DanniS

Is the semen imported from another country?
If so the stallion would have gone through the correct freezing protocols for Australia, which include EI.

If the stallion resides in Victoria and you are looking to have him frozen you need to contact the DPI in that state and ask about any recent rulings concerning collection of semen.
If the stallion is in Australia why are you using frozen and not chilled?

__________________
EXCLUSIVE EQUINES
when only the best will do
www.exclusiveequines.com.au

mylittlepony

i was planning on using frozen becoz i dont know how long semen can store for so figured im better to get frozen in case my mare cant decide if shes in season or not. she has proven to be a difficult mare to judge, she says shes ready, and a palp test says shes not, or vice versa. i dont know a lot about AI but, so ANY advice is really appriciated

DanniS

You need to make sure you are using a competent Equine Reproductive vet, he/she will be the best person to guide you with mare readiness and semen ordering.

Preparation for a mare to be inseminated with chilled semen is no different than any other mare trying to conceive. Typically a mare will cycle every 21 days and be in heart for 5 to 7 days.

The very best indicator of a mare's cyclicity is to have acess to a teasing stallion. Mares should be teased every other day to detect heat. Once a mare begins to show signs of heat, her ovaries and cervix should be palpated and ultrasounded. If you are unable to tease your mare you must rely on periodic palpation and ultrasound exams to detect when she is is ready to breed. A mare continually develops follicles on her ovaries throughout her estrous cycle. Thus ovarian activity may be detected, but the mare may be weeks away from actually being in heat. Without access to observing the typical behavioral changes of a mare in heat, it may take several examinations to determine where she is in her cycle. Postpartum mares will have a "foal heat" 7 to 14 days following foaling, and a second cycle approximately 30 days later. Therefore owners of lactating mares should have some indication as to when reproductive exams should be initiated.

It is critical that the mare owner and stud farm routinely communicate to be aware of each other's schedule. Most studs collect their stallion on an every-other-day schedule. However, depending on the stallion and stud, this may occur more or less frequently. The stud should be notified the first day the mare comes into heat so any preplanning can be done.

Pregnancy rates from cooled semen are the highest when mares are inseminated within 24 hours following semen collection. Some stallion semen is highly viable up to 48 hours following collection. Semen stored up to 72 hours may appear to have good motility, but fertilization capabilities are poor. Mares will ovulate 24 to 48 hours before the end of their heat, so frequent examination of their ovaries is important to predict ovulation, yet not miss it. If a mare has not ovulated following the initial insemination, a second semen shipment may be necessary. Mares should be ultrasounded for pregnancy and/or twinning at around 14 days following ovulation and if a positive pregnancy test occurs this should be followed up by at least 1 more pregnancy test at or around 40 days.

__________________
EXCLUSIVE EQUINES
when only the best will do
www.exclusiveequines.com.au

mylittlepony

yeah, cool, thanks for that. ive worked several breeding seasons at a tb stud, and bred a few tbs myself, but take me outta the world of tb's and im stuffed!!!! were gonna go with the chilled anyways. one the mare has at least a 37mm follicle, we will ovuplant her and order the semen, ready to put in the next day. im so excited, cant wait to see the results of my experiment, so long as all goes to plan