The advent of frozen semen techniques, and the acceptance by the Arab
Horse Society of foals born from artificial insemination (AI), allow
a far greater use of overseas stallions. The facilities now exist for
breeders to widen the pool of our precious Crabbet genes from fine Australian
stallions such as the Sarafire son, Pevensey Safari and endurance champion
Magic Prophecy, and from America, the glamorous Crabbet Royalty.
As well as re-introducing long-lost lines from early importations from
Crabbet Park, these boys are all bay, a coat colour we haven't seen
since my AHS Premium stallion Hachim left for Abu Dhabi and his sire,
Achim's Silver Magic, was gelded following an accident.
The Warmblood fraternity have used AI for years, but its use in Arabs
is only gaining popularity as the success rate improves and vets develop
their skills. Many will only inseminate non-maiden mares under the age
of 13 to ensure a greater chance of conception. Certainly, a breeder
is best using a young, healthy, proven mare.
The method is not cheap as it involves buying the semen from the stallion
owner AND paying the vet to inseminate the straws, plus keep fees at
the vets for at least 6 days, probably more. Most specialist practices
offer a package rate.
I would not recommend using vets who have no proven experience and
success in this field. You could well waste valuable money, straws and
time.
The vets with the longest track record include West Kington Stud on
the Glos/Wilts border, Jonathan Pycock's practice in Yorkshire, the
Willesley Clinic in Gloucestershire and Twemlows Hall in Shropshire.
Dr Micahela Koelling at Twemlows is certainly one of the most effective
and respected vets in the field of AI and ET (no, not THAT one - embryo
transfer). She was 100% successful with frozen semen I imported in 2006
from the American WAHO winner Remington Steele*++ (57% Crabbet). All
three of his mares got in foal, two on the first insemination with just
four straws - an almost unheard-of conception rate.
"Well, Rem's semen is of excellent quality, up in the 60% post-thaw
motility bracket," reckons Dr Koelling.
All mares safely had colts in spring 2007, including our own AHS Premium
mare Jazmyn. Her grey colt is called Remynisce.
The window of opportunity for conception is far smaller with frozen
semen than fresh chilled (or live covering), so the vet needs to keep
the mare at the surgery to check her state of ovulation every 6 hours
by rectal ultra-sound. At the moment of ovulation, when the follicle
is around 35mm across, they quickly thaw the straws, ideally each containing
0.5ml of semen which is inseminated through a catheter.
The post-thaw progressive motility of the semen needs to be over 30%
- and better over 40% - to be effective, so all those little squiggles
are live and swimming in the right direction.
Gadebrook AI Services has a small amount of Remington Steele's frozen
semen with specialist storage, Genus, in Northants ready to be sent
to any approved AI specialist vet.
Package rates at Twemlows for insemination with frozen semen are from:
£220 per cycle, plus £135 once the mare is in foal. If she
is not in foal after the third cycle, the clinic will probably do the
fourth for free, assuming the stallion owner allows them the straws.
This latter point needs stressing as you are dealing with two different
sets of people: 1) the stallion owner/seller of the straws; and 2) the
inseminating vet. Keep at Twemlows is £7.90 a day at grass or
£12 a day stabled, for a mare without foal at foot. All rates
will have VAT added at 17.5%.
The West Kington package using nearby Willesley vets is from £315
+ VAT which covers all vet costs for AI, with a reduced fee on the second
(or third) cycle if the mare doesn't take, plus £70 per cycle
to prepare the mare for AI using frozen semen and £35 a week for
basic keep at grass.
Some clinics will require mares to be swabbed clear of CEM and be blood
tested clear of EVA before arrival.
Jonathan Pycock stresses the importance of communication between the
semen provider, mare-owner and inseminating vet. "You need to liaise
with each other well before the start of such an enterprise," he
advises.
You also need to know that the owner or agent for the semen has all
the necessary paperwork in order. The AHS requires a permit each year
for every stallion whose semen will be used by AI.
For registration of the foal, the stallion also needs to be registered
with WAHO (World Arab Horse Organisation), and his DNA must be on file
and the owner's signature recorded with the Arab registry of the stallion's
home country.
You also need to know that the semen has been safely transported and
stored so that none of its viability has been lost in transit. Semen
has such a delicate vulnerability to temperature and light that it must
be kept perfect conditions either at a responsible vets or at Genus.
Copyright Anne Brown 2007
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