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Featured News: Importing Frozen Semen

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April 19, 2012

One of the great advantages of frozen semen is that the world is your market. It opens up the opportunity to expand the bloodlines of your breeding program by incorporating stallions from other countries. Importing frozen semen offers an alternative cost effective option compared to purchasing and importing young stock with those desirable bloodlines in their pedigree. But before you rush off to search the internet for your next world class stud, here are some points to consider before embarking on an import of frozen semen.

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Featured Blog: Breeding Mares on Foal Heat

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April 20, 2012

Breeding mares on their foal heat is a strategy used to maximize reproductive efficiency. Since income is generated from selling offspring, yearly foal production is critical to offset maintenance and breeding expenses incurred by the mare owner. With an average gestational length of 333 to 345 days, mares must become pregnant within one month post partum to continue producing foals each year. Mating mares on the first postpartum estrus is one method used to improve the chance of maintaining yearly foal production. Reviewing this topic for us is guest writer, Dr. Margo Macpherson with an excerpt from the chapter Breeding Mares on Foal Heat co-authored by Dr. Margo Macpherson and Dr. Terry Blanchard in the 2nd Edition of Equine Reproduction.

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Featured Question

Can you get a mare in foal with semen <30% progressive?

Yes. Even though 30% is the recommended cut-off for commercially acceptable frozen-thawed semen, just like with fresh or cooled semen, some stallions can obtain acceptable fertility with semen that has motility below 30% provided there are enough functionally viable sperm in the insemination dose. Post-thaw motility is a good indicator of how well the sperm have withstood the stresses of being frozen and thawed and one should be cautious about using frozen semen with less than acceptable post-thaw motility. A significant reduction in progressive motility after thawing is indicative of sperm damage and there may even be sub-lethal damage to sperm that remain motile after thawing that would reduce fertility. And remember that the assessment of post-thaw motility can vary significantly between laboratories.

See also the Newsletter article: It Only Takes One…Right?

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