FREE EQUINE
VETERINARY ADVICE
Over the past five years, vet Stephen Ashdown has written many
articles, spoken on equine matters and contributed widely to horse
magazines.
Here he reproduces
in the form of questions and answers about 100 topics, all of
them common problems which afflict horses.
To access
Topics click on Vet Advice Menu.
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The Mating
Game
Q I would like to know about artificial insemination, and whether
it is very expensive. I have grown out of my 13.3hh 14-year old
mare and would like to know if she can still breed.

I would
also like to know whether there is any chance of breeding a foal
that would grow to 15.3hh.
A There
are advantages and disadvantages to using artificial insemination
(A1) to obtain a foal from your mare. A1 is a technical procedure
that involves the safe introduction of frozen semen into your mare
to make her pregnant
. By using
A1 you can more easily choose from large varieties of stallion and
thus stand a better chance of getting a foal who would grow to 15.3hh.
There is also less risk of disease and injury to your horse. On
the other hand, the procedure may be more expensive than using a
local stallion.
A1 inseminations
may need to be repeated several times in order to be successful
but if you use the services of really skilled practitioners, fertility
can be better than with natural mating. I suggest you read up a
little more on artificial insemination and even visit a stud yard
if you are really interested.
If your
question has not been covered adequately in the Vet Advice Topic
Section, please feel free to start a thread in the Forum,
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