1. General Preparation
The planning should be put in place well before your artificial insemination program begins. It is important that you understand exactly what is involved and put in place a program that suits your requirements and can be made to fit into a satisfactory veterinary module.
2. Preparation of the Mare
1) All mares require a physical examination including rectal examination & ultrasound. At this examination the mare's full reproductive history is considered.
2) Some mares will require additional treatments prior to insemination to ensure that the mare’s reproductive tract is ready for conception & pregnancy.
3) The mare will need to be scheduled to cycle to coordinate the program to suit you, the owner and the veterinary staff as well as the transporter of the semen. This cycling program will be coordinated to specifically meet your needs. This may involve several hormone preparations to ensure that the mare is ready to inseminate at the coordinated time.
3. Pre Insemination Examinations
1) Follicle Scans
Your mare will need to have ultrasound examinations to measure the development of your mare's follicles (eggs or ova) while they are on the ovary. The aim is to achieve at least 1 follicle with a diameter of 38mm.
2) Follicle Therapeutics
Once the follicle 'ripens' to 38mm your mare will require a drug to induce a predictable ovulation. For example 'Chorulon' generally causes ovulation in around 36 hours so is normally given after the scan recognizes the ripe follicle.
4. Semen Collection
At this stage the stallion's Stud needs to be contacted and the semen collected and chilled for delivery within 24 hours.
5. Insemination
The insemination should take place the day after the follicle is recognized as ripe and the ovulation drug given. The insemination process is reasonably straightforward and involves delivery of the chilled semen through the cervix to the uterine body. The sperm then make their way to the oviducts where the egg is met and conception occurs.
There are several post insemination treatments that may be required in the 5 days after insemination to prepare the uterus to accept the new conceptus after it leaves the fallopian tube or oviduct.
6. Pregnancy Checks
The pregnancy scan initially takes place at 14 - 18 days so as early detection of twins allows selection of one healthy pregnancy. A subsequent check is then made at 6 weeks to assess embryonic growth.
14 day (left) and 18 day (right) ultrasounds
7. Costs
Preparation for a mare costs approximatley $500 per cycle. Costs vary according to the specific needs of a mare.
8. Success Rates
The success rate or percentage chance that a mare will conceive in a given preparation is dependant on that mare’s individual characteristics, the fertility of the semen used to inseminate the mare as well as several environmental factors.
Industry accepted conception rates per cycle are
- chilled semen - 75%
- frozen semen - 40%
The Mid North Coast Equine Centre boasts conception rates above these levels for each year of operation.
Our figures are based on only a small number of mares. The small numbers of mares that are cared for at the Centre allows us to provide a high level of care & attention to detail which has allowed us to achieve such high percentages.
However, because the insemination process is based on a modification of a natural process there are many areas of failure. Even the most stringently followed program can fail to produce a follicle of adequate size or a pregnancy. In these circumstances the program must start again.