A little about A.I.

For serious breeders, who are thinking ahead and looking to improve the stock they produce, AI is the obvious answer. The technique of AI and transport of chilled semen allows owners to get round problems which might otherwise prevent their mares from being used for breeding.

People are often deterred from using AI because of the costs involved. However, in our case the cost is no problem as the services are free. There are both advantages and disadvantages in A.I. but the pros generally outweigh the cons; for instance, animals that are unable to travel, or animals that have suffered an injury that prevents them from supporting a natural mating can all benefit from AI. More importantly the use of AI can prevent the transmission of infection and lessen the risk of injury to both the males and females.

With the use of chilled or frozen semen, the female can be covered at home or at the A I Clinic with none of the stress,either for her or her owner, which is usually associated with transportation, strange surroundings and unfamiliar people.

A.I. allows you to select the best stallion possible for you mare, a stallion you might not have been able to use otherwise, due to travel costs or other conditions. it is safer for both the mare and handelers then traditional breeding methods, and at the HF reproduction clinic it is ABSOLUTLY free.

a.i. the hfrc, and you.

We offer serveral options regarding A.I. here at the HFRC. All are safe and effective, and best of all free.

Semen Collection

PHANTOM OR GROUND COLLECTION TRAINING
Phantom or ground collection training consists of teaching the stallion to either mount a phantom mare and ejaculate into an artificial vagina; or ejaculate into an AV or while undergoing manual stimulation while standing on the ground. This is carried out once on the first day, and then on two occasions one hour apart on the next day or the day after. The first semen sample is discarded, serving only to "clean" the stallion. On the day when two samples are taken one hour apart, both samples are evaluated for sperm concentration levels, motility and morphology.

COOLED SEMEN ANALYSIS
Once the stallion is trained to breed a phantom, it may be desirable to evaluate the ability of the stallion's semen to ship in an Equitainer, cooled. The semen is evaluated and extended using several different extenders and concentrations. Samples are then packed into an Equitainer and evaluated again at 24 hours and if suitable at 48 and 72 hours.

shipping of cooled semen

we ship all our cooled semen express mail. directly to you, or the the facility of your choice. there is no charge for semen shipping, unless you do not send us the shipping container back, then you will be charged the price of said container

shipping container

The cryogenic vapor shipper is designed to maintain a constant temperature of minus 196 degrees C. for five days ONLY. It is not a storage tank and must be returned to us immediately.

semen storage

HFRC offers a semen freezing service for those horse owners looking to expand their breeding program and/or preserve their stallion's ability to produce offspring even after injury or death. The first step taken is to determine whether or not the stallion is a good candidate for semen freezing. This determination is based on the findings from a full reproductive evaluation and test freezing. Our freezing program is based on the vapor freezing method utilizing two different protocols and two different types of extenders. If an acceptable protocol is achieved, the stallion is collected every other day and the semen processed and frozen until the desired number of breeding doses is obtained. The frozen semen is cryogenically preserved in a tank filled with liquid nitrogen which maintains a temperature of -196C.Frozen semen can be stored at our facility for a yearly fee. semen will stay useable for up to five years.

Artificial Insemination

Artificial insemination has become common place in the industry today however the breeding process can still be rather intimidating to many horse owners. We at HFRC offer a program to help alleviate the mare owner from the worries of breeding. Once a mare is dropped off at our facility, she is reproductively managed in a manner that optimizes her chances of getting in foal. Evaluation of follicle growth, determination of appropriate breeding time, ordering, evaluation and insemination of semen, and assessment of any potential complications are all part ofour general services. We personally have a 70-80% conception rate using frozen semen, and have never bred any mare more than three cycles. Most mares have achieved a pregnancy within two cycles, and a few have settled on one cycle.

insemination

one it has been acertained that a mrae is ovulating the mare is placed in a breeding gate, and the perenium is thouroghly cleaned and disinfected. thawed or fresh semen is placed in an insemination tube and is inserted into mares vagina. the mare will be inseminated twice more withing a 24 hour period to ensure conception. ultrasounds will be done on the mare to ensure she is pregnant.