Wellness Tips

So, you want to breed your mare…

It is important to know that raising a foal is probably the most expensive way to acquire a new horse, especially if you want to do it the right way. Whether breeding naturally, with fresh cooled semen, or with frozen semen you will probably find that the stud fee is the least of your expenses. On the other hand, to see a newborn foal stand for the first time and nurse on the mare is a priceless experience. Once you have decided which stallion you want to sire your foal, the next decision is which breeding process you want to use. The equine breeding industry has benefited greatly from the development of artificial insemination of the mare. It allows a mare owner to select a superior stallion without worrying about geographical barriers.

We at Murdoch Veterinary Clinic have an excellent success rate with artificial insemination (AI) breeding using shipped semen. Part of the reason for this is that we are willing to go “the extra mile”. We expend a lot of time and energy into preparing your mare for AI. When we agree to breed your mare, we are making a commitment to do everything possible to ensure a successful outcome. This means that if your mare has to be bred on a Sunday, late evening, early morning, holiday, etc, it will be done. If we have to play telephone tag with the stallion owner to request semen, it will be done. In return, we expect you to be aware of and prepared for the financial commitment involved.

The process involved in the AI breeding of your mare is as follows:

  1. A thorough pre-breeding evaluation, this involves:
    1. an ultrasound examination of your mare’s reproductive tract to evaluate for fluid, cysts, and ovarian function
    2. a general health exam
    3. an uterine culture or biopsy if indicated
    4. this should be performed at least 1 cycle prior to the cycle that you intend to breed mare on
  2. Ultrasound evaluations at the breeding heat to determine when to order semen and the optimum time for insemination
  3. Requesting shipment of the semen from the stallion owner, pick–up of semen from the carrier, microscopic evaluation of the semen for motility, insemination of the mare, return of the semen container back to the stallion owner and processing the necessary paperwork
  4. Ultrasound evaluation of the mare 24-48 hours after insemination to ensure that she has ovulated
  5. Ultrasound evaluation of the mare 14 days post-ovulation for pregnancy determination

If the mare does not conceive on the first insemination, then the following procedures are repeated on the next heat:

  1. Ultrasound evaluations as the mare comes into heat to determine optimum timing of insemination
  2. Requesting shipment of the semen from the stallion owner, pick-up of the semen from the carrier, microscopic evaluation of the semen for motility, insemination of the mare, return of the semen container back to the stallion owner and processing the necessary paperwork
  3. Ultrasound evaluation of the mare 24-48 hours after insemination to ensure that she has ovulated
  4. Ultrasound evaluation of the mare 14 days post-ovulation for pregnancy determination

Our breeding fees do not include: shipping fees of semen container from stallion owner or back to stallion owner, any lab fees incurred from uterine cultures or biopsy, uterine flushing if indicated, any hormones used to induce estrus, ovulation or uterine clearance, Caslick’s surgery if deemed necessary.

Please be sure that your mare is vaccinated against influenza, eastern and western encephalitis virus, tetanus(4-way) and the abortion form of rhinopneumonitis prior to the breeding season. Once your mare is diagnosed in foal, it is your responsibility to keep her that way. We recommend deworming every 8 weeks, rhinopneumonitis vaccination at 5, 7, and 9 months of pregnancy and a 4-way vaccination 1 month prior to the expected foaling date. Feed your mare a balanced ration throughout her pregnancy making sure that she is receiving adequate amounts of vitamins and trace minerals. This may require having your hay tested for nutrient content.

For our out of town clients, we offer stabling while your mare is being bred, and we have facilities to foal out your mare when the time arrives. Our foaling stalls have surveillance cameras installed to allow 24 hour monitoring.

Light Schedule

If you want to breed your mare early in the year, it is important that she start coming into heat and ovulating early. This means that you may have to “fool” her system into thinking that spring is coming or has arrived. To do this we add light to their environment at the end of the day to decrease the hours of darkness and thus lengthen the days. The schedule for this is as follow: starting ˝ hour before sunset, add 3 ˝ hours of light at the end of the day. The minimum light required to be effective is one 100 watt bulb in a 12’x12’ stall. This lighting schedule should be started a minimum of 2 months before you want to breed your mare.

Other Fees that may be incurred

GST will be added to all services.