Breeding season is right around the corner and now is the time to work with your veterinarian to get a plan in place. At Iron Spring Farm, we work closely with Dr. Christine Foster at Unionville Equine Associates throughout the breeding process. This is our five-step breeding system for inseminating with cooled semen.
1) We always make sure each mare is healthy and ready to breed by scheduling a breeding exam prior to breeding season. This might include a uterine culture or biopsy. By starting early, there is plenty of time to clear up any small infections or other issues that might prevent a pregnancy.
2) When the mare starts to show signs of heat, our veterinarian palpates and uses ultrasound to measure her follicles on the second or third day of her heat cycle. Examinations continue every 1-2 days until one of the follicles is 35-40mm in diameter. There are exceptions to this general rule of follicle size. Some Friesian mares develop very large follicles, so we take this variation among breeds into account. When the follicle is at the appropriate size (greater than 35mm) to respond to deslorelin and close to ovulation, we ensure semen will be available within 36 hours. If we’re using an outside stallion, we order semen at this time.
3) Once the semen has shipped, or we know that our stallion is available, the mare is injected with deslorelin. (Some veterinarians use human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).) Either medication should cause the mare to ovulate within 36-48 hours.
4) Before we inseminate, Dr. Foster will check the mare for ovulation. With cooled semen, it’s important to inseminate before ovulation. Cooled semen has longer viability than frozen and it’s preferred to have the semen in the oviduct when the follicle ovulates. If she hasn’t ovulated, we will inseminate the mare. This is usually about 24 hours after the deslorelin injection.
5) The next morning, approximately 24 hours after the first insemination, our veterinarian examines the mare again for ovulation, possible fluid, or reaction to the semen. If she hasn’t ovulated and the uterus is normal, Dr. Foster inseminates with a second dose of semen, if needed.
This protocol has proven very effective with cooled semen here at Iron Spring Farm. Be sure to work closely with your veterinarian to develop a plan for your breeding season.
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