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With the breeding season soon upon us a few thoughts about optimizing your chances of success seem to be in order. Whether using live cover, fresh cooled transported semen or frozen semen there are a few considerations that are important in any breeding program. The old sayings about timing being everything, planning ahead saving a lot of time, money and grief and that getting it right the first time certainly applies to the breeding shed.
Considerations for the mare owner include the need to insure that your mare is reproductively sound with a high expectation of success. I have, in many instances, been called to examine a mare for breeding only to find not only a problem mare but also a stallion contract already signed, sealed and delivered. The list of considerations is long and includes age, body condition, rectal vaginal conformation, previous breeding history, history of previous foaling problems, uterine health, cycling abnormalities, time of the year, etc. In most instances, a thorough reproductive examination of the mare is warranted before the anticipated time of breeding. A detailed history of the mare’s previous reproductive performance can be extremely valuable to the veterinarian in assessing the likelihood of a successful breeding. Basic procedures, such as an ultrasound examination, vaginal exam, uterine culture and cytology are often performed. If there is a history of previous breeding or foaling problems, further investigation including uterine biopsy or hysteroscopic examination (looking inside the uterus) may be warranted. Remember that just because your mare had a previous foal, doesn’t necessarily mean that she will catch and carry a foal to term this year.
Now what about the stallion that you are planning to breed to? What is his record of reproductive performance? This bit of information can be extremely important, especially when it comes to frozen semen. The technology of freezing semen and the methods of evaluation of frozen semen have advanced somewhat, but the harsh reality is that the rate of conception remains one of the main means of assessing the stallion’s ability to get mares in foal with his frozen semen. Is your mare going to be a guinea pig, or does this stallion have a proven track record? I can recall an incident where a client purchased several doses of frozen semen from a breeding farm whose stallion had a good conception rate the previous year. When the mares failed to conceive, even though the sperm motility was good, we found (after an in-depth investigation) that the sperm concentration per dose was about 50X below minimum. On further investigation we found that the semen used the previous year had been collected and processed by an experienced veterinarian, the semen that my client was shipped had been collected and processed by a farm manager who had become an expert by taking a weekend course! Frozen semen can have many advantages but on average you must expect a lower per breeding conception rate compared to live cover or fresh cooled semen.
Planning ahead can save a lot of headaches. The technology and success of fresh transported semen is excellent but it is often the logistics that can play havoc with getting your mare in foal. Knowing ahead of time the breeding farm’s requirements for semen shipment can influence your success. Many farms collect only on certain days of the week, some collect on weekends, others don’t. How long does it take from the time of collection until the semen can arrive at your farm, how much notice do you have to give the stallion owner in order to have the semen shipped? In many instances shipped semen can be over 24 hours old by the time it arrives at your farm. With most stallions the semen will still be viable but of course making sure that your mare ovulates soon after insemination is critical to the success of the breeding. An important point to remember is that the longevity of the semen is influenced by how old the semen is when the mare ovulates, not how long it has been in the mare. Most veterinarians agree that the best place to store semen is in the mare. Most stallion owners ship 2 doses of semen per shipment, the second dose is really as a backup in case of container leakage etc. If the semen is of good quality putting one dose in the mare is as good as coming back and putting the second dose in the next day. Semen stores better in the mare than in a cold equitainer. It is important to check the semen’s viability at the time of insemination. If it is of poor quality then ordering a second shipment is warranted or at least this information can give us a clue as to why the mare might have failed to conceive.
Not all mares like to read the book! The more you can tell your veterinarian about your mare’s heat cycle the more likely that we accurately time the insemination. If you have no real idea of when your mare is likely to be in heat or how long she stays in heat, then you will require more veterinary examinations. Suspected mood swings or “I think she was in heat 2 days ago” are not really solid grounds for ordering semen from the Eastern USA! If your mare shows solid and regular heats then successful and inexpensive breeding can be done at your home farm. If she doesn’t, then moving her to a farm with a teaser stallion or veterinary breeding center can really be of benefit and end up costing you less money. Checking your mare after breeding is as important as any pre-breeding examination. Knowing whether the mare has in fact ovulated and being sure that the mare is not pooling fluid or developing a post breeding infection can of course significantly influence her chances of getting in foal.
Don’t be in a rush to get your mare bred. The first heat cycles of the year are what are referred to as transitional heat cycles. This refers to the time when the mare’s ovaries and reproductive system are in transformation from being shut down over the winter to being in a full and regular heat that occurs during the more natural breeding season of spring and summer. If your mare has been under lights since mid November, is in good body condition, has shed her hair coat and is in a good strong heat, then breeding in February/March can be successful. If she doesn’t meet these criteria then don’t rush the breeding. Problem mares from last year can also benefit from waiting until the later spring or summer. Some mares have what we refer to as compromised uteruses. These mares have uteruses that can easily become inflamed and/or infected during the breeding season. It is not uncommon for certain mares to have normal culture and cytology results only to become infected following insemination. If this happens holding off on re-breeding and cleaning up the mare prior to further breeding is advised.
In short, planning ahead can be of huge benefit when it comes to getting your mare in foal. Being realistic about her chances of conceiving and carrying to term can save you a lot of money and disappointment.
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