What/how is frozen semen used??

[spook1]

Hi All,
I have some breeding questions…bare with me and use small words…lol:lol::lol:

What is involved in using frozen seman? How many doses does it take to get in foal? What kinda care/prep does the mare need? If I am buying frozen how many doses would I need? What is the average cost to have a vet do the repo work involved? Can the mare stay at home or would she need to be sent to a clinic? Is Fresh better?

I am not really into the breeding aspect of horses (if you couldn’t tell:winkgrin:) But I may have the chance at a very nice stallion but its frozen only. This would be a breeding for myself. The only breeding I have ever had anything to do with was 20 yrs ago and it was all live cover.

Any info would be great…at this point its just a thought.

T.I.A

[Simkie]

These are all really basic questions, and you might find hitting up Kathy’s site a lot easier than trying trying to glean this info from a message board.

http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/index.shtml

This is going to be a good starting point to at least give you a base amount of knowledge:

http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/FrozenSemen1.htm
http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/FrozenSemen2.htm
http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/AppFroz.shtml

[Select_Breeders_Serv]

Hello,

Many of the answers to these questions you can find on our website, we have a knowledge Library with >60 FAQs about frozen semen, including:

Is it difficult to thaw and inseminate with frozen semen?

[URL=“http://www.selectbreeders.com/system/attachments/215/original/SBSThaw0.5ml_MareManagement.pdf?1302573162”]
Management of insemination with frozen semen

The number of doses it takes to get your mare pregnant is going to depend upon how many doses are provided per cycle in your breeding contract and how many cycles it takes to get the mare pregnant. You might find these blog articles helpful:

[URL=“http://info.selectbreeders.com/blog/bid/96412/Questions-Mare-Owners-Should-Ask-Before-Breeding-With-Frozen-Semen”]
Questions mare owners should ask before breeding with frozen semen

The pros and cons of one or two dose insemination protocols

Preparing your mare for breeding

Contract considerations

Whether the mare can stay at home or whether she needs to go to a clinic to be bred depends upon the experience of your veterinarian. Have they bred mares before? Are they comfortable handing frozen semen? Also, how many doses of semen you get per cycle may dictate how the mare is managed - having only one dose per cycle requires more frequent checks and some vets may not be willing to make farm visits out of regular office hours.
We have an SBS affiliate lab in Ocala:
Peterson and Smith Equine Reproduction Center

With regard to pregnancy rate, see the FAQ:
Is frozen semen less fertile than fresh or cooled semen
Fertility of fresh semen is usually better than cooled or frozen semen, and you will get conflicting feedback on the difference between fertility of cooled and frozen semen. At SBS we feel you can get comparable pregnancy rates to cooled semen using a two dose timed insemination protocol with frozen semen. Here is some SBS-MD data from 2010.
In 2010, for three breeding farms in MD managing a combined total of 36 stallions shipping either cooled or frozen semen to a total of 648 mares, the first cycle pregnancy rate was 63% for cooled semen and 60% for frozen semen. The end of season pregnancy rate was 79% for cooled semen and 76% for frozen semen.

Our website is a great resource and if you have any other questions, please feel free to call or email.
Julie

[oppsie2]

In 2011 my maiden mare (then 14) was bred for the first time using frozen. Select Breeders Service in Chesapeake City, MD did all the work for me. My mare co-operated (was in season, had a nice folicle, ovulated) and SBS did a great job (can’t say enough about their service). My mare took on 2 straws and foaled out this spring. Easy peasy!

I nearly did NOT breed my mare because my vet (who is not a repo specialist - but is good at repo work) told me the cost would be much higher because of farm calls for regular palpations. It ended up being less expensive to drive 90 minutes, drop off my mare, pay for boarding, have people who really only do repo work do everything and pick my mare up after she was inseminated.

The first time we lucked out, my mare was in raging heat. We bred again but just missed my mare and had to short cycle her. I let SBS do all of that and we are expecting a baby next June!

I heard so many horror stories about using frozen, but by using a reputable repo vet or breeding service, your sucess rate should be fairly good - if the semen was viable to start with, was frozen properly and stored/shipped correctly. My 2012 foal was my first try at frozen. All others that I have done were either live cover (1) or AI using fresh (6). This was just as smooth. I would absolutely do it again!