Who has done a breeding contract for frozen semen and also simply bought doses/straws? And which do you prefer? Why? What have been your experiences?
I’m very interested in this topic as well. Trying to breed my next mount and this is about the only way I can get what I’m looking for. I LOVE my mare and would be thrilled with a carbon copy of her but can’t afford the $10,000 price tag on a foal like her.
Wow, either every one is super busy because of the holiday, or no one has done enough of either to add a comment. I’ve never seen it take so long to have any replies. Maybe I need to retitle the post?
It can be a double edged sword when choosing to buy per dose. Generally for a stud fee you get 2-3 doses of frozen for the actual stud fee. Buying by the dose can be cost effective, but more costly if you need to buy more than 2 doses. I would recommend buying the full breeding. Many times if you don’t use all the doses, you can store what’s left and use it later. If used on another mare or the next breeding season, you may be subject to additional stud fee costs for the production of a second foal from the original breeding dosages.
Do what’s best for you. if you have a super repro vet and your mare has success with frozen on less than a full breeding dose, then buying per dose may be the answer.
Cheers
I have done both, and now exclusively buy by dose. I personally like to know exactly what it will cost me per cycle and plan financially accordingly. I have found that with LFG contract, I will often end up not using the contract if one mare does not cooperate! One stallion rarely works as the best match for more than one mare, and I hate to feel pressured into using the contract I have when a different stallion may be the better option for the “substitute” mare. Than being said, if you only will breed your one mare and you do not know the reproductive history of the mare and are willing to continue through multiple cycles for a pregnancy- then contract may be a better choice for your situation.
You may not be getting many replies because, proportionally, fewer stallions are offered via frozen with LFG.
I have done both and the upshot is it really depends on the mare. If your mare is a good frozen candidate and the stallion has good pregnancy rates with frozen, you may do better by the dose.
I bought a breeding to Florencio via Keswick Equine in VA (they offer several Nijhof stallions with a LFG). They happily shipped a total of 6 doses over 2 years, then let me sell the breeding during the third year because of an availability problem late in the second year of my contract. Keswick was wonderful to work with and Jeannette Nijhof was very generous in extending the terms. My mare just didn’t cooperate! Of course, I lost a fair amount of money – would have been better off if I had a suitable younger mare to transfer to.
I’ve also used frozen by the dose and have had good results. It really comes down to what you’re most comfortable with. I think it’s a good show of faith when a stallion owner offers a LFG for frozen, but no guarantee.
I think hansiska is right, and you aren’t getting many responses because relatively few stallions offer a LFG contract. The ones that do have always seemed prohibitively expensive, so I haven’t ever done it that way, preferring to buy by the dose. However, after my first costly venture into frozen, I never buy frozen from stallions who haven’t gotten mares pregnant with their semen.
Thanks! I think I now have a spinoff topic I need to post. 
I like buying by the dose, and getting as many pregnancies as I can get. However, I ask about the conception rates before doing this, and I generall use a full dose per cycle. However, if a mare ovulates before an insemination, then I only use half a dose. Some offer a live foal guarantee with fresh stallions. This is fair, if the fresh stallions are a good back up to your mare.
I must add though, my mares are quite fertile. If you don’t have a very experienced repro vet, or fertile mares I would absolutely get a frozen contract.
Tim
I am on par with Tim with those thoughts.
