The first thing you should do is READ YOUR CONTRACT. Get a yellow marker and highlight areas that are VERY important to a successful breeding relationship with the stallion owner. The following are those areas:
Collection days
The contract should state on what days they will collect the stallion. Some stallion owners will collect everyday, some only on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. If they only collect on certain days check with the farm and see if there are any exceptions to those days. Some stallion owners like to collect only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays but mares are not always co-operating so if the stallion has a light schedule they will try to send out a shipment on an “off” day. However, keep in mind the farm does not have to co-operate so you will need to plan ahead for shipments.
Ordering semen requirements
The contract should state the requirements for ordering semen. It will state by what times the order must be in. Some farms have a first come first served policy so the earlier you can contact them with your order the better chance you have of getting it. Some farms have a 24-hour notice policy while others will require notification by mid-morning on collection day. READ the contract and don’t lose out on a shipment because you call the stallion owner too late.
Once you have the above information, you and your vet can then plan how to check your mare for breeding readiness. If you are breeding to a stallion that ships on Mon/Wed/Fri, then it is often best for your vet to check your mare on the days prior to a collection day so you can give the stallion owner plenty of notice. If for some reason your vet can only check your mare on a breeding day then note the time the facility must be notified by and try to schedule at least an hour prior to that time. REMEMBER to check time zones.
One of the best things you can do for a stallion owner is to keep them up-to-date on what is happening with your mare. Call the facility when your mare is getting close and give them a heads up–help them plan for shipments that will be needed. Also if you let them know you might need a shipment then they can be prepared. For example–if you are breeding to a stallion that requires notification for shipped semen by 9am on a collection day but your vet can not check your mare until 10am, then call the farm and let them know what is going on and that you might need a shipment. In most cases, they can go ahead and collect the stallion for other customers and save a dose for you in case you need it or collect other stallions first and wait to hear from you. You will find that most stallion owners will try to work with you if you just let them know what is going on. Their goal is to get your mare pregnant.
Do they offer counter to counter shipments
This is a shipment sent by air–the semen is delivered to the airport and you must pick it up from an airport but you get the shipment the same day as it is collected. This type of service is an asset if you have a mare that suddenly progresses and probably will not hold until the next day. As is implied before, mares do not always read the book and can do some strange things. We find that most stallion owners often send counter to counter shipments on Saturdays for the mares that can not wait until Monday; and on Mondays, for the mares that could hold over the weekend but owners are unsure can wait until Tuesday. There will usually be an additional fee of $100-200 for this service and a drive involved for picking up the semen at the airport, but it is cheaper than missing your mare’s ovulation.
Requirements before semen will be shipped
Does your contract state any requirements be met before a shipment will be shipped to you. Most owners require the stud fee and shipping fees be paid in full before semen will be shipped. Some contracts will require that your mare be cultured prior to the first shipment of semen. Even is this is not a requirement it is one you should consider doing anyway. If your mare is infected you are wasting your money on a shipment when in all probability your mare will not catch. Give your mare the best chance for getting pregnant. Plan to do the culture at least 3 weeks prior to breeding. This will give you time to get the mare treated if she is infected and you will not miss a cycle. Some contracts do not require a culture with the first shipment however if the mare does not get pregnant they will require a culture before sending a second shipment. Doing it in the middle of breeding season can cause you to lose a cycle, which will mean breeding later in the season. Try to eliminate anything that could be wrong on your end so the only thing you need to contend with is the semen and timing.Equitainers and Return Policy
This is a VERY important part of your contract. Most contracts will plainly state that the Equitainer is to be returned within so many days. KNOW when it is to be returned and by what method (again, some contracts will state exactly what company is to be used–FedEx, UPS) and how fast (overnight or 2nd day). These return policies are not in the contract to take up space. Most farms do not have an unlimited supply of Equitainers and they can easily run low during peak breeding season! The best advice I can give is that unless the contract requires overnight return, send the container back 2nd day air with FedEx or UPS the day after your mare is bred. Use the post office at your own risk. Also note if there are any late fees for late return of Equitainers. These fees can be a certain amount each day if late (usually starting at $35/day) or the full Equitainer cost if late ($300).
Be sure to let the vet know the return policies if they receive the Equitainer and are responsible for returning it. YOU will be charged the fee whether you forget or your vet forgets. Going out of town or illness will not be accepted as an excuse. SO—get it back or get ready to pay the fee! (Failure to pay the fees can prevent you from getting your breeding certificate when the foal is born)
Live foal guarantee
Although you will not need this information until the foal is born it should be known from the start. Does the contract have a live foal guarantee, what requirement must be met for a rebreed if you do not get a live, viable foal? Our contract states a live foal is defined as a foal that stands and nurses and remains alive for the first 24 hours after birth. Keep in mind that some facilities will make exceptions for foals that die within the first week or two.
The following does not require a full description, but may be helpful for your upcoming breeding season:
—Be sure to return the breed association shipped semen forms. When possible, put in the filled out form in the returning Equitainer.
—If you feel the quality of your semen shipment is questionable, call the shipping facility IMMEDIATELY. Do not wait until your mare comes up open and then tell them you received bad semen. When possible have your vet call the facility as the facility will have questions about the semen handling. Once the semen leaves our facility we have no control on how it is handled. The shipping company may not have handled the shipment properly, the vet may not have handled the shipment properly etc. The stallion facility wants to correct any problems as soon as possible.
—Remember to call the stallion facility when your mare is determined to be in foal. They are usually just as excited as you are—so spread the joy!
-Do not always expect to get two doses of semen with each shipment. While most facilities will try to send two doses, if the stallion has a heavy shipment load it is not always possible to send two. If your mare is timed properly, one dose should be more than enough.
—Ensure that the vet has experience in equine reproduction. If you are unsure–ASK. If they are not used to doing reproduction then you might want to consider leaving your mare with a breeding facility.
Good luck with your breeding season and try to make friends with your stallion owner—most will bend over backwards to help you if you are nice and cooperative.
REMEMBER – pregnancy is the goal for both sides of the contract.
Bio: Barbara Kelly, DVM: Barbara is a graduate of Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Before graduation, she spent 2 months at New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania working in their reproduction unit. As owner of Cedar Hollow Equine (an equine only vet clinic), Dr Kelly does routine horse care and specializes in reproduction; standing champion stallions, providing foaling services, and all mare reproductive work. At this time, she is working on becoming board certified in theriogenology.