This may be old news since I don’t do a lot of breeding but the semen I got in yesterday for the stallion I am using this year came in the older style equitainer when it seems a lot of repro facilities have gone to the disposable styrofoam containers. I remarked to my vet that I hadn’t seen one of those in a while and he said that to “those in the know” the pendulum has swung back in the direction of favor for the equitainers because the semen quality is preserved and arrives to the mare owner in much better quality than with a styrofoam container. He examined the semen received and declared it excellent. Just passing along FWIW. I’m sure YMMV.
This is not something new…many Stallion Owners just choose not to listen. And unfortunately, many Stallion Owners abuse the disposable shipping containers and use them over and over again. There is a reason they are called disposable! They are not meant to ship semen 4, 5, 6…or more times! :eek: Most people don’t realize that the styrofoam seal starts to give way, the box can become compromised with a crack, etc. and then you take the chance that the semen doesn’t show up in great condition because of the quality of the shipping container. Maybe in most cases, a brand new disposable allows the semen to show up in good condition…but what about that one disposable box that gets lost in transit for 24 hours and the mare is still hanging on? What about the one disposable box that gets left out on the hot tarmac at the airport in 100+ degree heat? In those cases, I would much rather have the semen sitting in a well sealed Equitainer than in a disposable foam container. 
In this day and age, one HUGE advantage to using Equitainers now is that it is recyclable. They can be used over and over again, year after year. Whereas, the disposables eventually need to be discarded and sit in a land fill.
We stopped using disposables approximately two years ago. We have definitely had a few Mare Owners give us a really hard time about it, but when we’ve educated them on the difference between the two, everyone has been OK with our decision to only ship in Equitainers.
What I DON’T like is Stallion Owners charging a daily rental fee on the containers. The Mare Owner is on the hook for enough expenses already. We charge a flat refundable Equitainer deposit and the deposit is 100% refunded upon return of the Equitainer.
Makes sense. I know the last time I AIed I wound up spending $2k for nothing and the semen came in the disposable styrofoam container. The first semen was not great by my vet’s assessment and the 2nd was acceptable but not fabulous or anything. The analysis though of when it left both times was that it was fine. The mare sold and was AIed again the following spring and caught on the first cycle so it wasn’t the mare which is what the SO kept insisting. It was extremely frustrating. Hoping for much better luck this time to say the least. Anyway, I thought the observation was worth mentioning and it might well be in the mare owner’s best interest to request an equitainer and not a disposable.
Amended to add though that I have had conception using the disposable container on another mare previous year but it was with a knowledgeable stallion owner collecting and shipping her own stallion.
[QUOTE=FatCatFarm;7547322]
This may be old news since I don’t do a lot of breeding but the semen I got in yesterday for the stallion I am using this year came in the older style equitainer when it seems a lot of repro facilities have gone to the disposable styrofoam containers. I remarked to my vet that I hadn’t seen one of those in a while and he said that to “those in the know” the pendulum has swung back in the direction of favor for the equitainers because the semen quality is preserved and arrives to the mare owner in much better quality than with a styrofoam container. He examined the semen received and declared it excellent. Just passing along FWIW. I’m sure YMMV.[/QUOTE]
It’s not news that Equitainers are better than disposables, and the pendulum hasn’t swung anywhere. Equitainers have always been the superior choice or the “gold standard”. Disposables have grown in popularity because they are CHEAPER, period. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to ship.
Most reputable farms will offer mare owners a choice.
This thread can be a good reminder to breeders: disposable are popular because they’re cheaper, not because they’re better, don’t misunderstand their popularity!
who sends the Styrofoam container back to the SO? I’ve only ever seen the ones we’ve received go to landfill not back to the SO for another use…
I’m aware of one stallion owner who charges $60 for a disposable, and returns $30 of that when the disposable is returned. They charge $250 for an Equitainer and return $125 when it is returned.
The fee schedule of that particular farm makes me shake my head.
I wonder if more mare owners would contemplate purchasing their own Equitainers to use during the breeding season?
Send it to the stallion owner prior to breeding, have it returned for your shipment, and with any luck at all your mare cooperates and gets in foal.
I did this, and it worked really well! 
I bought my equitainer second-hand, and I would imagine for the serious breeder a brand new one would be a reasonable investment.
I had semen shipped in a disposable equitainer and it was of excellent quality, even after being “ignored” for several hours on the freight dock of the vet school. I was very happy. IMO the quality of semen after shipping has way more to do with the stallion than the container it arrives in.
[QUOTE=K~2;7548716]
I wonder if more mare owners would contemplate purchasing their own Equitainers to use during the breeding season?
Send it to the stallion owner prior to breeding, have it returned for your shipment, and with any luck at all your mare cooperates and gets in foal.
I did this, and it worked really well!
I bought my equitainer second-hand, and I would imagine for the serious breeder a brand new one would be a reasonable investment.[/QUOTE]
Where did you get your used Equitainer? I have a bunch I want to sell but not sure of the best place to do that. Thanks.
I use both. But I definitely prefer to ship in an Equitaner, simply because of the ‘what if’ factors - what if the semen is left sitting on the tarmac in the blazing hot sun, etc.
I just feel more confident, especially if the semen is going to the southern US.
I don’t charge rental or a deposit on them either. I do ask that the Equitaners be returned, and will charge the MO if they are not
I don’t want the disposables returned.
Generally speaking, the disposables work very well, and although I don’t prefer them, I have never had a problem using them either.
I used to collect my stallion at a big standardbred farm and they moved completely to disposables. This farm was state of the art so I don’t think if the semen quality was compromised they would have used them.
But they were definitely easier for the staff to work with - they had them stacked up like in a factory - and then they would be piled up on dollies to go out to the front to be picked up or taken to the airport. I’m sure the shippers prefer them too, because they can be stacked.
Many vets prefer the disposables too, because the semen is already in a syringe for them.
I have a problem with the disposables mainly for environmental reasons. I have about 20 of them stacked in my barn right now, because I just can’t stand the idea of them just being more ‘garbage’. 
I give the MO the choice. Although I prefer to use an Equitaner, it is an added cost for her to ship it back to me, so that is her decision.
Like sid, I also have a number of Equitaners to sell, now that I too am retired.
Fred and Sid, I know someone who might be interested in purchasing some equitainers. How much are you looking to sell them for?
Regarding where to sell them, the Equine Repro website, or better yet, the Equine Repro Facebook page (both run by Kathy and Jos) would be great places to advertise them.
[QUOTE=TigerTrick;7548905]
I had semen shipped in a disposable equitainer and it was of excellent quality, even after being “ignored” for several hours on the freight dock of the vet school. I was very happy. IMO the quality of semen after shipping has way more to do with the stallion than the container it arrives in.[/QUOTE]
Yep…in the last 10 years all but 1 or 2 of the shipments I’ve received have been in a disposable. Gotten plenty of mares pregnant with that semen.
Usually what I do is buy my own disposable and have it shipped to the breeder instead of me. Back when I had my own stallion, I would then use it to ship semen to a mare owner.
So 2 uses…and that is assuming it wasn’t damaged in any way.
I’ve been very happy with the disposables and they sure do save on shipping costs!
[QUOTE=New Horizons;7548976]
Fred and Sid, I know someone who might be interested in purchasing some equitainers. How much are you looking to sell them for?
Regarding where to sell them, the Equine Repro website, or better yet, the Equine Repro Facebook page (both run by Kathy and Jos) would be great places to advertise them.[/QUOTE]
I purchased mine off of Kathy & Jos’ Equine Reproduction Bulletin Board.
[QUOTE=New Horizons;7548976]
Fred and Sid, I know someone who might be interested in purchasing some equitainers. How much are you looking to sell them for?
Regarding where to sell them, the Equine Repro website, or better yet, the Equine Repro Facebook page (both run by Kathy and Jos) would be great places to advertise them.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, someone sent me a PM already. I wasn’t aware of Jos and Kathy’s site. I have a ton of breeding equip I should sell. Fire under my butt from this thread. Thanks!
