The international market for equine semen is ever expanding and with the use of frozen semen has become a reality for any mare and stallion owner. The export of frozen semen is a more cost effective alternative to purchasing and shipping a live animal. It is also a more practical alternative when considering the stress some horses undergo during long hours of travel by plane or ship. Most countries have written protocols for the import of frozen equine semen into their country. Here are some practical things to consider before embarking on this new endeavor.

In the 1990’s the reining horse industry in Italy was on the rise. This boom gave birth to Le Colombare Quarter Horses located in Asola in the province of Mantova, Italy. The facility focuses on both the reining horse and cutting horse industries. Giovanni Nodari and Massimiliano Ruggeri decided they would invest in reining horses by visiting the United States and purchasing high caliber foals. Unfortunately, they determined the caliber of foals they wished to purchase were not within their budget. Thus, they decided to invest in good mares which they could breed in Italy to top stallions in the industry.

Send Us Your SBS Frozen Semen Foal Photos
Pull out your cameras and start snapping! We'd like to see photos of your foals born in 2013 from semen frozen by an SBS affiliate lab or resulting from embryo transfer performed at one of our SBS affiliate labs. The winner of the best foal photo will win a $50 Dover Saddlery gift certificate. Photos will be posted to our website and will be judged on composition by our SBS affiliate members. Click here to see the current submission of foals from 2013.

At SBS, we are often presented with young stallions for semen collection and evaluation. There are a variety of reasons that stallion owners want to have semen collected from their young stallions including; 1) evaluation of sperm production and quality to assess suitability as a breeding stallion, 2) training to collect on a phantom with an artificial vagina in preparation for a breeding career and 3) to collect and preserve semen from a young stallion prior to castration or starting a performance career.