Hi everyone, so Here’s the situation. I have a maiden friesian mare. On Tuesday she had a 30 mm follicle. On Friday, it was 37 mm. Saturday night at 6 pm she had a shot of deslorelin. Brought on Sunday to clinic and at 5 pm she was checked and vet said she had ovulated before she arrived. Vet said she ovulated earlier than he had expected. Vet said cervix was still wide open and she had edema so he inseminated with a single dose of frozen semen right then and there. How long after a mare ovulates can she be inseminated and still get pregnant with frozen? Does cervix being open mean she could have still been receptive? Thanks.
I would be optimistic. You will know in 16 days.
Optimum time for inseminating with frozen semen is 6 hours post ovulation. As said, you will know in 15ish days.
Don’t know much about AI, I’m a TB breeder, live cover only. Not a big broodmare manager compared to my KY friends. But breed 20-30 mares a season at times.
The majority of the mares I managed “moved” about 5 mm per day on average. Pretty much like clock work on the majority. Maidens can be a bit tricky but never found them to be much different then the norm. IMO and experience teasing is the BEST way to get a handle on all mares. The trick is to get to “know” them as individuals and how they show, react to the teaser. Get a handle when they are approaching or at the “top”.
We tend to always breed on at least a 40, closer to a 45. Never had any luck under that. Never had one go from a 37 to ovulating over night. I never give “des” until right after the mare is covered. I feel I have failed at my job if a mare doesn’t get in foal on the first cover/breeding.
TB breeders are on the “clock” we want the mares in foal as early as possible during our breeding season. Which starts in mid February. If a mare has gone over the top when checked the day of breeding. I don’t take the chance and loose time/days. We pretty much always short cycle.
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Thank you all for your responses. I find out next Monday!! Crossing fingers.
We had one that never got very big follicles, ovulated right after 35 and never got to 40. Very fertile though, got pregnant on first try the two times we bred her and got pregnant with second time with her subsequent owner. I’m riding her lovely daughter right now, good luck!
Breeding via live cover is not the same as breeding with frozen semen. Thoroughbred management practices are also not always the same as with other breeds. When breeding with frozen semen, ideally you want to breed the mare within 12 hours of ovulation up until 6 hours after ovulation. Inseminating later than 6 hours after ovulation can result in a decreased chance of conception and an increased incidence of early embryonic death. When breeding with frozen semen, it is beneficial to ultrasound the mare every 6 hours around the clock in order to determine the optimum time to inseminate and give your mare the best chance of conceiving.
Also, every mare is different in regards to follicle size. I have one mare that regularly ovulates on a 35 to 36 mm follicle. While one mare might ovulate on a 45, the next mare might ovulate on a 38. Follicle size can also change depending on the time of year.
turtl1, when breeding with frozen semen, the experts suggest that the oxytocin protocol should be used until 3 1/2 days post-ovulation. Was oxytocin used? Normally, edema will disappear before a mare ovulates. If edema is still noticeable at the time of ovulation, you are likely dealing with some uterine clearance issues. As a result, oxytocin will help with this issue.
All you can do now is wait two weeks and see whether you have a pregnancy. If she is not pregnant, I would not breed her again unless the vet is willing to use the oxytocin protocol and ultrasound her every 6 hours, as this gives you the best chance for success. In general, Friesians are not known for their fertility, so the more you can help her out will give you the best chance at getting her in foal. Here is more information on the subject: http://www.equine-reproduction.com/a…s/oxytocin.htm
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