All You Need To Know About Horse Reproduction Services
In this post, we explore the world of horse reproduction and when and why you would use these services
Breeding horses can be an extremely rewarding experience.
It can also be emotionally draining, heart breaking, and expensive!
You can DIY if you have the knowledge and experience to do so, or you can seek the help of horse reproduction specialists.
Equine Reproduction Services
For many horse owners, horse breeding is an exciting prospect. The idea of continuing your horse’s bloodline and potentially producing a champion can be very appealing.
However, breeding horses is not always as simple as it seems, and this is where the services of a horse reproduction specialist come in.
It’s a complex process that can be affected by many things including the age, health, and genetics of the horses concerned.
So, if you’re relatively new to the world of horse breeding, it helps to seek out the help of a trained and knowledgeable equine reproduction specialist.
When Should You Consider Using Horse Reproduction Services?
If you are planning to breed your horse and want to maximise the chances of success, it’s a good idea to consult with a horse-breeding specialist.
They can provide you with guidance on choosing the right stallion for your mare, manage the breeding process for you, and even perform artificial insemination (AI) if necessary.
In addition, an equine reproduction specialist can also help you diagnose and treat any reproductive problems your horse may have.
This could include issues such as infertility, hormonal imbalances, or infections. If this is the case, the specialist will work with your veterinarian (or may be a vet themselves) to come up with a treatment plan that can help restore your horse’s reproductive health.
What Services Are Offered By Horse Reproduction Services?
Breeding is just one aspect of equine reproduction services.
These services also offer a range of other services such as:
· Ensuring the health and wellbeing of mares before, during, and after the foaling process.
· Artificial insemination,
· Embryo transfer,
· Stallion services, and
· Foal delivery, or ‘foaling down’.
Artificial Insemination
Artificial insemination (AI) is a process that involves the introduction of sperm into the mare’s reproductive system without natural mating.
This process is carried out when the stallion and mare are in different locations. The stallion may be overseas, or in another state or when the stallion is not able to mate.
One advantage of AI is that it ensures both the mare and stallion are not harmed during the mating process. The semen used in AI is collected, stored, and transported, ensuring that optimal breeding is achieved.
Another advantage is that it allows mare owners to use stallions that are not locally available for live cover.
This opens up the possibility for improving local gene pools. This improves the performance capabilities of a mare, and breeding for specific bloodlines or purposes.
A dressage horse owner for example can access top dressage stallions in Europe for their mare to produce a foal that carries internationally acclaimed performance bloodlines.
Note: ALL thoroughbreds worldwide (whether used for racing or not) must be produced by LIVE COVER ONLY if you want to register them with any legitimate Thoroughbred studbook or Register.
Embryo Transfer
Embryo transfer (ET) is an advanced equine reproduction service that involves flushing a fertilised egg from the mare’s uterus and transferring it to the uterus of a surrogate mare.
This process allows breeders to produce multiple offspring from the same mare in a breeding season, or to breed mares that cannot carry the foal to term.
ET also allows the mare to continue competing without the interruption of pregnancy.
However, if you want to register the foal, always check with the respective breed society. Some societies will only accept 1 foal per breeding year from a mare, in line with natural breeding (mares have an 11 month gestation period so in most cases can only produce 1 foal per breeding year).
Stallion Services
Some horse reproduction services act as agents for stallion owners. They either stand the stallions at special ‘stallion stations’ or have contracts for providing semen for AI.
They may store the semen in special facilities, or act as go-betweens for chilled semen transport.
Foal Delivery And Foaling Down
Foal delivery is a crucial aspect of equine reproduction services. Foaling is a challenging process. It requires the mare to be in peak condition. This is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both herself and her foal.
It’s also something that can go disastrously wrong very quickly!
Thus, breeders usually monitor mares very closely before foaling and ensure they have available veterinary care.
This involves regular health checks and assessments as foaling approaches to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Equipment like foaling alarms can also be invaluable during the lead up to foaling.
Many mares foal at night, and conveniently wait until you’ve gone to bed to foal.
A foaling alarm contains a mechanism that triggers an alarm when she lies prostrate for more than a certain amount of time.
Unfortunately, though some mares don’t do this for long enough during foaling to trigger the alarm. Sometimes they just lie down to sleep, which does trigger the alarm!
Key Takeaways About Horse Reproduction
As a horse owner or breeder, understanding horse reproduction and being aware of what is normal and what is not, is essential.
If you don’t have this expertise, or simply want peace of mind, entrusting the care of your mare, or stallion, to a horse reproduction specialist during the breeding process, is a logical alternative.
These professionals can provide invaluable knowledge, experience, and resources to ensure the breeding process is as successful as possible.
