In the equine breeding industry, many different assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs) are widely used to aid the management of equine reproduction. ARTs provide options to owners looking to obtain embryos from genetically valuable mares and/or stallions for whom conventional breeding management strategies are insufficient. This article provides a concise summary of several common ARTs, as well as information regarding innovative techniques just entering clinical use.

Breeding season is upon us and hopefully the phone has been ringing off the hook with mare owners interested in breeding to your stallion. Now is a great time to review and update your frozen semen contracts. We are here to make it easier for you! We have prepared contract templates for either selling frozen semen by the dose or for a frozen semen breeding agreement, both templates are accompanied by detailed notes you can refer to for guidance when formulating your own agreements. Follow this link to download your Free Contract Guide and Templates. In this Blog article we answer commonly asked questions related to structuring your breeding agreement.

When considering common causes of infertility in the mare, the oviduct is one of the last places an equine reproductive specialist looks. Uterine infections, poor conformation and stallion subfertility are much more likely causes for a mare’s failure to produce a pregnancy. That being said, there are rare cases where oviduct pathology is suspected, and in the past few years there have been advances for oviductal treatment that are cost effective, safe and have restored fertility in some patients. This summary will highlight some unique features of the mare oviduct, discuss when to suspect oviductal pathology or dysfunction, and review some of the current treatments available.

Select Breeders Services (SBS) and the Dutch Warmblood Studbook in North America (KWPN-NA) are collaborating on a project to produce a new video series, “Frozen Semen for Mare Owners”. The KWPN-NA recognizes many of their breeders use frozen semen in their breeding programs while other members are considering the use of frozen semen but may not know the right questions to ask or what they should expect. Natalie DiBerardinis, Managing Director of Hilltop Farm, Inc. and member of the KWPN-NA Stallion Committee said, “A lot of the frozen semen information is written towards the stallion owner perspective, so we want to take the approach of what mare owners need to know.”