Frozen vs fresh/cooled

[MissingASock]

Hi guys! Longish time lurker, but this is my first post.

I have a mare I’m looking at possibly breeding sometime in the future and so I’ve been looking around at different stallions to see what’s producing what and also what I would like to hopefully compliment my mare.
I have never bred a mare myself, so I’m learning as much as I can now before I seriously think of going ahead with it. One of the things I would like some veiws and opinions on frozen vs fresh, when do you use which, is one better than the other, etc…

The mare in question has never been bred, is younger 5 years old this year. Is is just a case of fresh has better quality, and would be better for a older mare and frozen is a little less potent?

Thanks for any insight you can give!

[ElementFarm]

There are many experts on here who only use frozen, including with maiden mares, and have very good results.

Timing is very important with frozen, even more so than fresh. You need to make sure your repro vet is experienced in frozen, and be prepared to pay slightly more.

With my maiden mares, I chose to use fresh. But there are some stallions I really like in Europe, and may try the frozen route next time.

[babecakes]

a LOT depends upon what kind of vet work you have available. You would start with a complete reproductive exam of the mare first, and to see if they think she would even be a candidate for frozen. Then you’d have to leave the mare with them so they’d have access to her for timing. If several attempts are made daycare charges can add up.

I started with fresh and got educated, I’d tackle frozen if I did now.

[MissingASock]

[QUOTE=ElementFarm;8952030]
There are many experts on here who only use frozen[/QUOTE]

And here lies my question of why? Why would someone use frozen over fresh?
I get that if a stallion is over seas that frozen would be the only way to go for for that instance. But if you had the option from, hypothetically, a somewhat local stallion who offered both frozen and fresh- why pick frozen?

[QUOTE=babecakes;8952030]a LOT depends upon what kind of vet work you have available. You would start with a complete reproductive exam of the mare first, and to see if they think she would even be a candidate for frozen. Then you’d have to leave the mare with them so they’d have access to her for timing. If several attempts are made daycare charges can add up.

I started with fresh and got educated, I’d tackle frozen if I did now.[/QUOTE]

What would make a mare not suitable for frozen? And why would you now choose to do frozen over fresh?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

[QUOTE=MissingASock;8956678]
And here lies my question of why? Why would someone use frozen over fresh?
I get that if a stallion is over seas that frozen would be the only way to go for for that instance. But if you had the option from, hypothetically, a somewhat local stallion who offered both frozen and fresh- why pick frozen?

What would make a mare not suitable for frozen? And why would you now choose to do frozen over fresh?[/QUOTE]

You are asking good questions, but I would also suggest picking up a book on the subject and/or checking out equinereproduction.com articles.

In a nutshell, statistically with large numbers, you have a higher likelihood of conception with fresh. I don’t remember the exact data. Of course there are fresh stallions with bad motility and frozen stallions with rocket fuel and so on. Morphology, motility, sperm count, handling during shipping, etc. can all influence conception as can timing, breeding protocol, mare inflammation, uterine quality or issues, etc. The reality is that the veterinarian has a huge influence on your success with frozen (also the mare). I have a vet clinic I used where I never did get a conception with frozen, and the other vet I have used has a great success rate. Some of the difference has to do with how frequently they are willing to ultrasound, who is doing the ultrasounds and breeding (what level of oversight does the vet have and how much is delegated) and how they monitor and treat the mares post breeding.

Why frozen over fresh then–assuming equal stallions? Well it is often a cheaper stud fee (although there are risks, as you may give up a live-foal-guarantee). Second, you can order multiple doses and have them on-hand, ready-to-go and only pay one shipping fee–this really adds up with multiple mares. Some fresh stallions are only offered on M-W-F, or have a limited season due to competition.

Edited to add: Anecdotally, my maiden mare’s foal this year was from frozen. She caught on the second try (switched clinics though, so it was the second vet’s first try). The first mare I bred was with fresh, but it took three tries. I have had seasons where I never got a foal (fresh or frozen). Breeding can be quite expensive. This year my foal had surgery! I’ll stop now…

[MissingASock]

Thank you so much TrotTrotPumpkn! I will check out that website you suggested while I am at work, and make notes.
My coach bred a Voltair mare this year, her first time, and it took them two goes with fresh. First time she had twins and ended up terminating both, second time vet said she had three folicals so didn’t try that time, and third time was the charm! I’ve asked my coach to keep me in the loop as they’ve had lots of foals before, but this is the first time where I’m old enough to want to know everything. This mare was a good one to learn on since everthing has been worst case thus far from a wallets perspective.

[RanchoAdobe]

I use frozen only in my program, BUT I have a fabulous repro vet who I trust implicitly and has had great percentages. Why frozen? First and foremost is the availability of stallions. Using frozen allows me to use the stallion that best matches my mare (both on paper and phenotype). Also, I like the convenience of frozen. With fresh, I’ve had issues with late collections, FedEx screw ups, mares not cooperating with timing, ect. If you are a first time breeder I would probably stick with LFG frozen semen (VDL/Nijhoff) rather than single dose as it can be shocking the first few times you “throw” semen away. And I cannot stress enough the above posters who said to find a great repro vet, one that specializes in frozen semen, ET, ect. The vet makes all the difference in the world.