In turn, it is important to follow the mare’s estrous cycles. The ultrasound is an invaluable tool in management of reproduction. It aids in diagnosing any problems associated with the reproductive tract and also lets us know when to service the mare with the stallion whether by natural cover or artificial insemination (AI) on the farm, or AI with shipped semen. The standard in today’s industry is to inseminate the mare every 48 hours until ovulation. The size and tone of the follicles will indicate when to begin insemination and when ovulation has occurred. Artificial insemination is a widely used practice for several reasons. Safety to the mare, stallion, and the handlers is one key reason. Also, we can "manage" the stallion so he is not overused and can be bred to more than 1 or 2 mares at any given time including mares in completely different locations. Finally, artificial insemination is a cleaner process so we can avoid passing along infectious and sexually transmitted diseases. The use of AI does involve more time management and labor but the end result is often worth it in terms of increased number of mares bred and better stallion management.

The process of AI includes collecting the stallion into an artificial vagina (AV). Often the stallion is trained to mount a phantom or a quiet mare in heat. Once the semen is collected, it is processed in the lab where anything that comes into contact with the semen is warmed at 37° C to prevent cold shocking the spermatozoa. The semen is then filtered, counted, evaluated for active progressive motility, and a dose per mare is calculated. The semen is then added to extender to enhance the longevity of the sperm and inseminated into the mare’s uterus thru the cervix using sterile supplies. The goal is to inseminate shortly before, during, or within 6 hours post ovulation. Often times the process can be done 1 or 2 times during the mare’s estrous cycle resulting in a pregnancy which can be found with ultrasound 15 days after ovulation.