Shipped Semen
Dakota Large Animal Clinic has been involved with the process of
transported cooled semen in the equine industry for over 15 years. One of
the first breed registries to allow the use of cooled semen was the Peruvian
Paso industry. Since then AQHA, APHA, and other registries have approved the
use of "shipped semen". Our staff has state of the art knowledge to aid in
getting your mare pregnant.
Advantages of transported semen include not having to haul your mare and
foal a long distance to get to the stallion of your choice. The risk of
foals getting sick at large breeding farms is greatly reduced by keeping
them close to home! Also, the availability of stallions is improved and not
limited by the cost of shipping your mare to the farm.
There are more management concerns when using transported semen. First
off, make sure it is acceptable to your breed registry. Also, choose a
stallion that is an acceptable shipper - not all stallions’ semen remains
viable when cooled and transported. And of course it is important to have a
breeding soundness exam done on your mare to make sure she is ready to
breed. Be sure to have the contracts and fees taken care of before the
breeding process is initiated.
We will want your mare at our clinic on the first or second day of her
cycle when she begins to show signs of estrous. As with any breeding
program, teasing the mare is essential to determine where she is at in her
cycle. Most mares will be in estrous 5 to 7 days followed by a 14 day
non-estrous period. Once your mare is in heat, we will ultrasound her to
determine if a follicle is starting to grow on her ovaries. We will also
make sure her uterus is healthy as well. We will tease the mare daily and
continue to perform ultrasounds to monitor the follicle. Once she reaches a
certain size follicle (ex. 35 or larger) we will contact the stallion
manager and try to determine the point she will ovulate. We want the semen
in the mare just prior to or at ovulation. We can manipulate the ovulation
with certain hormones to aid us in the "timing" strategy ! We usually
request the stallion farm to ship us 2 doses of semen, we will store the 2nd
dose at 40° F for 24 hours. If needed, we will
inseminate the mare with the 2nd dose the next day. Our goal is to "time" it
so only one shipment has to be sent, the cost goes up with additional
stallion collection and shipment per cycle. Once your mare has ovulated, we
will send her back home for 15 days at which time we will ultrasound her for
pregnancy, or breed her the next cycle if she is determined to be open.
The semen most commonly is shipped priority overnight via Fed Express,
UPS or US Postal Service, and occasionally via an airplane with the goal of
having the semen to the mare within 24 hours or less of stallion collection.
The viability of cooled semen decreases greatly after 48 hours with most
stallions.
The national conception rate average on transported semen is around 65%
to 68%. Here at Dakota Large Animal Clinic our average has been maintained
the past several years from 70% to 78% with the majority (60%) of the mares
getting pregnant on the first cycle.
