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Posted by lilac on December 18, 2001 at 19:16:18:
In Reply to: Breeding posted by Mike on January 21, 2001 at 21:04:56:
: Hi,
: I was wondering if anyone knew how to use frozen semen properly. And also i wold want to know when exactly it should be used. I don't know how to tell when my mare is in heat and i really want to breed this season. I don't know if this is the 1st season you are breeding your mare but if it is I would suggest using a local stallion 1st time and sending her to him. It is difficult and expensive to use Frozen semen and if the mare is a maiden, then I would not risk it until after she has had one foal.
The quality of frozen semen is often not that good, apparently it should be above 30% total motility for commercial sale (this means 30% of the total wigglers are moving!). I bought some last year that ended up being 15% motility, but the company that sold it to me just blamed it on my vet's thawing of the semen so I couldn't do anything about it. A friend of mine who is a vet said that even with good frozen semen there is only a 30% chance of the mare going in vs. a 70% chance with chilled or fresh.
If you do decide to do frozen I would make sure you had a good vet and went to a well known company. Just send your mare to the vet in spring?summer and he will do it all for you (although you need to ring the frozen semen people and get the semen sent to him). To know whether she's cycling you will see her wink and squirt liquid and possibly get narky and try and kick other horses or squeal. Often though, when it gets to breeding season the vet will give her a pg shot to regulate her cycle so he knows when she will ovulate. Usually 4-7 days after you give it to her (unless you caught her as she was just about to ovulate anyway) so either talk to your vet and work out when you can give it to her yourself or send her to him and then let him do it.
You will have to send her to him at some stage anyway as frozen semen does not have a long life once it is thawed and he will end up checking her every 3 hours before she ovulates. If I was you I would send her to a nice stud near you this year and then send her to frozen next year after she has had a foal.
Hope that helps:)
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