Equine Breeding Program

MARE BREEDING SERVICES

The Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Sul Ross State University offers a full range of commercial mare breeding services. The objectives of these services are to provide horse owners with the most current technology available for the reproductive management of their mares.

Mare breeding services include breeding with live-cover or artificial insemination with fresh, shipped-cooled or frozen-thawed semen. Mare breeding service are provided on an outpatient (trailer-in) or inpatient basis (mare housed at the Equine Reproduction Laboratory). All services are charged on a per-procedure basis.

In order to determine the optimal time of breeding, when mares are in heat, they are examined with ultrasonography as frequently as deemed necessary based on the method of breeding. Mares being bred with natural cover or artificial insemination with fresh semen are generally examined every other day while they are in heat. Mares being bred with shipped-cooled semen are generally examined on a daily basis while they are in heat. Mares being bred with frozen-thawed semen are generally examined on a daily basis when they first enter heat and then two or three times daily when a preovulatory follicle develops. After breeding, mares are examined for pregnancy 14 or 16 days after ovulation.

STALLION BREEDING SERVICES

The Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Sul Ross State University offers a full range of commercial stallion breeding services including fertility evaluations, semen collection, evaluation and processing. The objectives of these services are to provide horse owners with the most current technology available for the reproductive management of their stallions.

Stallion breeding services are designed to allow owners the use of their stallion's semen in a fresh, cooled-shipped or frozen semen breeding program. Stallion breeding services are provided on an outpatient (trailer-in) or inpatient basis (stallions housed at the Equine Center). All breeding services are charged on a per-procedure basis. The stallion owner is responsible for paying applicable fees at the time services are rendered.

Semen collection is performed at the laboratory using routine techniques. After semen is collected, it is immediately evaluated and processed for fresh or cooled-shipped use. The initial semen evaluation includes determination of: 1) gel-free volume, 2) percent sperm motility (total and progressive) and 3) sperm concentration. If the semen is to be used for fresh insemination, the appropriate volume of raw semen is mixed with semen extender so that each insemination dose contains at least 500 million progressively motile sperm cells. If the semen is to be used for shipped-cooled insemination, the appropriate volume of raw semen is mixed with semen extender so that each insemination dose contains at least one billion progressively motile sperm cells. After processing, the semen is packaged into an appropriate shipping/cooling container and sent to the mare owner. The stallion owner may provide their own shipping container or use an equine express container from the Equine Reproduction Laboratory. Cooled-transported semen is generally shipped to the mare owner via UPS and the stallion owner is responsible for paying shipping charges. If semen is shipped for same day delivery using commercial airlines (i.e. counter-to-counter), the stallion owner is responsible for transporting the semen from the Equine Reproduction Laboratory to the airport and paying appropriate fees at the airport.