BREEDING YOUR FRIESIAN ( Aust. & NZ )

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

AI is becoming more common in the Friesian world and for Australia and New Zealand it is currently the only method available if you wish to breed Main Studbook Foalbook foals. 

AI can also be useful if you wish to breed to an Approved Breeding Permit Stallion but cannot arrange a natural breeding due to distance etc.

The first step to in AI breeding is to select a Stallion that suits your mare. Selecting the right Stallion is very important as you will be wanting to produce the highest quality foal from your mare and you will be wanting to improve any of her faults or lesser qualities but you do not want to 'import' problems from an unsuitable sire. If you go to the 'Stallion' page you will find more information about selecting the right sire.

Once you have selected an appropriate Stallion you must find out if he is approved for semen freezing and export by the FPS. Contacting the Secretary of the ANZFHS is possibly the easiest way to do this. Then you need to contact the Stallion Station where the Stallion is standing to confirm they have AQIS ( Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) approval for export of his semen to Australia. Alternatively Friesian straws are available from companies specialising in importing straws. Go to the Links page to visit International Horse Breeders who import Friesian straws.

Next step is to contact your veterinarian and discuss the AI procedure. They may not be experienced in equine AI and if so you should ask for their recommendations on the most experienced equine reproduction vets in your area. ( we will include a page with some of these useful contacts in the near future ). The reality is that you may not have anyone suitable in your area and you may have to consider transporting your mare some distance to take advantage of an experienced vet.  It is vital that you only use the services of an experienced equine reproduction vet as  AI is not something you should take chances with, a poor choice of vet can easily result in a hefty vet bill and no foal.

Once you have engaged an experienced vet your next step is to sort out a timetable for the coming events. 

You really should start to talk to your vet some months before the attempted AI as this gives everyone enough time to get it right. You cannot contact your vet, tell him you have the straws and expect the AI to be done within a few days. You may be able to find a vet willing to comply but do you really want to rush things and risk a bad result simply because you didn't do your planning and homework months in advance. It takes 11 1/2 months for your mare to give you a foal, you should be prepared to put a bit of time in yourself for planning this event.  

You need to discuss the most likely date for the AI with your vet and make sure you arrange for  the straws to arrive at least a week before they are actually required. Next you need to make sure your mare is fit and healthy prior to attempting the AI. Your vet should inspect her and confirm she has a clean (no infections), healthy reproductive system and is sufficiently mature to carry the pregnancy to term. Your vet will very likely want your mare at their breeding centre a number of days prior to the attempted AI so they can monitor her season. It is important that you allow  your vet to become fully involved with the breeding, this is a partnership between you and your vet and the more you work with your vet the better the likelihood of a successful outcome. Don't  treat your vet as  a 'necessary evil', someone that just wants your money. Get them involved and allow them to spend as much time as is necessary with your mare. After all, they want to produce a foal just as much as you do, their reputation and 'batting average' is at stake and the last thing they want is to be restricted by an owner that thinks an AI is like getting a tetanus shot. 

Once the AI has been performed, a pregnancy can be detected after approximately 10 days. Usually your vet will contact you to confirm that the AI has been performed. They would then usually contact you after about 10 days and advise if the AI has taken. They will probably want to do a couple of ultrasounds to confirm the pregnancy is still on track over the next couple of weeks. You should not move your mare until you have a confirmed pregnancy of at least 35 days. Moving her prior to this risks loosing the foetus as it does not attach itself to the wall of the uterus until approximately day 35. When your mare is past this stage she can be safely transported. Hopefully 10 1/2  months later she will present you with a healthy foal. 

Sounds easy? Well it is not really all that difficult but there are pitfalls along the way and generally the average success rate for AI is 60 - 70%. This is with a highly experienced vet, healthy viable semen and a well managed, healthy mare. Should there be any  weak link in the chain your chances of success reduce dramatically. Mares can also 'absorb' the foetus if they become ill or stressed in the early stages of pregnancy so it is a good idea to treat your mare as if she is a little 'fragile' and not put demands on her that you would not normally expect of her. Keep her happy and calm and well cared for and she will do the rest.

Good luck with your breeding program