Artificial Insemination

[Gabe Ayers]

We are taking our aged stallion “Rudy” to test for A.I. capacity today. I will report back any findings from this experimental run. Hope it works our, because it cost money to try.

Anyone here have any experience with this?

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[Charlie B]

Are you planning on breeding several mares with fresh semen, or are you shipping chilled semen, or are you freezing semen for future use? All of these are possible and each horse has his own problems with collection, dilution, and storage. Some semen stores well and has great livability. But some really top horses(big money spent) can’t get the sperm to process and still be a breeder. Horse semen was some of the first to be AIed but has proven to be about the hardest to use. There are some great reproductive vet’s out there and they are not all created equal. The greatest drugs and techniques come out of Kentucky, due to the money spent on the thorobreds. Alot of the Vets will have consultations with clinics in Kentucky to work out any problems. If all goes well it is economical, but all doesn’t always go well. Seems like the less you have invested in the horse the better breeder he is…….go figure.

[Gabe Ayers]

We are trying to collect this horse for shipment to distant mares that are isolated from an appropriate stallion. So we are planning chilled semen shipment.

Our aged stallion was easily trained for collection with the phantom and a mare in estrus on the other side of the fence. After three attempts he did ejaculate and his semen was not the strongest in the horse world but appears to be suitable for shipment. The vets added two types of extender and are monitoring the motility within the shipping time line to determine which is best for shipment later, probably next week and another collection.

I wasn’t aware that thoroughbreds were allowed to A.I. I know the restrictions (rules) on the processes required to satisfy associations is not always supportive of the technique in that it adds cost to the procedure that makes is less likely that an owner of a single mare will be able to afford the cost of A.I. Given the advent of DNA testing all this seems redundant and may be more of a reflection of resistance to modernization and a threat to the market for colts.

A funny part of this collection experience was seeing it all happen with the vet wearing a Va. Tech football helmet and the vet tech wearing a lacrosse helmet. Apparently there has been some difficulty collecting other stallions and that had become a safety feature. I should have video taped it for later laughs, but was just happy that it was successful and that we are using modern technology to reproduce a very rare breed and in this case an exceptional animal.

This is a homegrown horse that has proven his usefulness in harness in the woods and every other application asked of him. He doesn’t owe us a penny so the expense of owning him is more of a blessing than a cost. So maybe he is a cheap one that will be successful for A.I. For all of us that know this horse he is priceless. If disposition counts he is worth whatever it cost to have his genes.

Thanks for the comments and thoughts, we will keep the board informed as to the eventual results of this effort.

[Charlie B]

The Thorobreds can’t ship the semen but they can collect and use the semen fresh on the farm. I used to work with a vet and we were breeding 1000 to 1500 Standardbreds here in Illinois (plus the occasional Paint, Quarter Horse, and draft). I would handle the studs and the vet would do the collecting, then he would do the ultrasounding of the mares and I would AI them. Each stud is an individual with his likes and dislikes and attitude. One day a lady came to us with an 18 hand warmblood that had been shown in dressage at the olympics. We were to colect him and ship the semen off on next day air. He was a great horse to handle and was about 10-11 years old, quiet as a dead hog. This was the first time I had seen this horse but his demeanor was super quiet. Well when I led him into the breeding barn with a teaser mare at the far end, we went the full lenght of the barn in 3 leaps. I still had hold of him but he caught me by surprise. Two days later they were back to collect him again, this time I asked if I could have an educational moment with him. When I walked him into the barn that morning his eyes were on me and we slowly walked to the teaser mare pen, and only when I let him did he pay attention to the mare in heat. He was perfect to handle after that, but they told me after the first session that noone wanted to handle him twice. Studs need to be respected and have manners at all times. Breeding horses might not be rocket science but its close.

[Gabe Ayers]

We shipped our first semen to Florida today. The horse has learned the routine and the active sperm levels are increasing. Several more to go, we’ll see if we can get these mares from far away in foal.

[blue80]

Are they giving those mares a hot shot or are they really in tune to the natural cycle?

Kevin

[Donn Hewes]

My mare will get a shot this week for a collection next Monday, insemination on Tues. I didn’t plan a good way to detect heat, (no pony stud, one gelded mule) and don’t want to wait two more weeks to see if her next heat is more obvious than her last. I know breeding this way will likely cause a shorter window to breed to. The vet is very experienced, and we will see what happens.

[Gabe Ayers]

The mare in Florida is in her foal heat at nine days after birth.

The rest of the mares they are trying to catch in natural cycles. The Florida mare is a vet’s horse so palpation can detect if she is in heat or has a swollen follicle. I think the vet is used on the other mares too.

A teaser stud or hot natured gelding is the old traditional way of detecting heat. Usually the mare is ovulated during the latter stages of the heat cycle.

No question with the registered Suffolk having a vet involved, it is required by the association, along with other papers that are negated once the foal is DNA tested, but they have to have a paper trail for everyone records.

[Maxwell]

I had a mare bred via AI back in ’03. She was given a shot to make her ovulate and inseminated a few days later. She caught the first time and was confirmed in foal. The only problem that arose was that the ultrasound to confirm pregnancy showed that she was actually carrying twins. We had to wait a week or so and than the vets pinched off one of the embryos as we did not want the life threatening complications associated with twins.

This is the only major drawback that I see to AI. Twinning is much more common with AI then it is with natural cover. As long as you do all the follow-up ultrasounds and have a vet who can handle the problem if it comes up, it works well. My mare had a very nice baby who is now steadily and happily employed.

By the way, I did some work in an AI lab a long time ago (before they started using phantom mares) and I think the football helmets are a wonderful idea!

[Gabe Ayers]

Hey Maxwell,

Was your A.I. a Suffolk?

Twining is a problem for sure, but I wasn’t aware that the A.I. was more likely to make twins. Is it the shot that does it more than a natural cover?
I think all these mares will be checked at 17 days and hopefully they can pinch any twins.

We are hopeful to get a few mares in foal with this technique.

If there is room I am going to try to attach a photo of the event. It’s not the best one, I am saving that for an article. The old horse learns fast.
He is 17 now.

Thanks for the post. Off to the woods for a lovely spring afternoon in Appalachia!

The staff has bought new Bull Riding helmets, so I am glad to have the photos of the vet wearing the football helmet. Both these staff members had been injured in the past also.

My new job title is Cheerleader! Go Hokies!

~

Jason

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[Charlie B]

In my experience a good number of pregnancies start with twins (multiple eggs ovulate)maybe as high as 60%. We never had any studies done that showed that regumate/lute was producing more eggs than a natural heat. But I can tell you we seen more twins at 12-16 days than you did at 18 days. Nature took care of most twins but sometimes the vet would pinch one off and a few times we would abort a pregnancy on a good mare at 30-45 days to do away with the twins. Very few twins make it full term, and those that do have to many problems afterwards. The use of ultrasound by a good reproductive vet takes a lot of guess work out of breeding. Cyst and small amounts of fluid in the uterus can be confused with embreyo’s. That’s why good records and pictures are so important at the breeding farms.

[Maxwell]

Hi Jason,
My mare was not a Suffolk, she was a Percheron/trakehaner cross. I have always admired suffolks but have never had one. Maybe someday.

I do think the shot can contribute to twinning but there are a lot of factors that can influence the outcome. Where exactly in her cycle the mare is when she is given the shot is one of those factors as well as the number of follicles that are close to maturing. Of course, if you know exactly where your mare is in her cycle you may not need to give her a shot. It is the logistics that will probably determine whether you use it or not. Getting everything in the right place at the right time can be tricky which is why being able to regulate the mare’s cycle is so helpful. The benefits generally outweigh the risks.

Often twinning does take care of itself but not always, which was the case for my mare. We waited as long as we thought safe then went ahead and pinched one of the embryos off.

Overall, I think that AI is often easier and less risky for the mare then live cover is. If I ever breed another mare I would probably chose AI again. The twinning risk is nominal and easily eliminated compared to the other risks associated with breeding.

It seems like you have a good team working with you. I hope it works out well, it sounds as though you have a really nice horse whose genes are well worth preserving.

Spring in Appalachia sounds good too!

QUOTE=Biological Woodsman;17865]Hey Maxwell,

Was your A.I. a Suffolk?

Twining is a problem for sure, but I wasn’t aware that the A.I. was more likely to make twins. Is it the shot that does it more than a natural cover?
I think all these mares will be checked at 17 days and hopefully they can pinch any twins.

We are hopeful to get a few mares in foal with this technique.

If there is room I am going to try to attach a photo of the event. It’s not the best one, I am saving that for an article. The old horse learns fast.
He is 17 now.

Thanks for the post. Off to the woods for a lovely spring afternoon in Appalachia!

The staff has bought new Bull Riding helmets, so I am glad to have the photos of the vet wearing the football helmet. Both these staff members had been injured in the past also.

My new job title is Cheerleader! Go Hokies!

~

Jason

`

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