Artificial Insemination

What does it involve?

• Regular ultrasound examination of the mare’s uterus and ovaries to find the optimal timing for a single insemination with fresh, chilled, or frozen semen.
• Fresh semen can be collected on site.
• Chilled semen can be couriered from anywhere in Australia and New Zealand to our facility for insemination upon arrival.
• Frozen semen can be used from stallions that are not available in Australia or New Zealand. Frozen semen can be ordered ahead of time to be stored and then thawed and inseminated when required.

What does the Artificial Insemination Procedure involve?

• You may bring your mare in at any time or when you think it is the start of her cycle.
• A thorough breeding soundness examination is performed when your mare arrives at the Reproduction Centre.
• Your mare will be regularly scanned to determine the size of her follicles on her ovaries, which is necessary to establish the optimal time for breeding.
• WestVETS will coordinate with the stallion owner and order semen when required. When using chilled semen, the goal is to inseminate the mare 12-24 hours prior to ovulation.
• If using frozen semen, the semen should arrive before the mare is transported to WestVETS Reproduction Centre. Frozen semen does not survive as long as chilled semen following insemination, therefore the mare will be scanned more frequently so insemination occurs at the time of ovulation.
• The mare will be scanned to ensure ovulation has occurred and monitor for abnormal fluid accumulations in the uterus.
• A pregnancy scan is performed 14 days after ovulation.