Wendover Heights Equine Clinic is a British Equine Veterinary Association Approved centre for artificial insemination of mares and offers the following service to owners who wish their mares to be inseminated artificially.  We would also encourage all mare owners considering AI this year to discuss the process with Ben Wakeling BVMS, MRCVS who can be contacted at the clinic on 01296 623439.

 

Normal expectations of fertility

Unlike many other domestic animals, horses have never been selected for fertility.  Popular horses to breed from are those that can run fast, jump well or move beautifully.  Unfortunately, these are not necessarily the most inherently fertile horses! How the mare is managed has a huge influence on pregnancy rate and at Wendover Heights Equine we have been achieving over 80% pregnancy rates for chilled semen and over 70% for frozen semen.

 

We recommend that all barren or non-pregnant mares undergo a Pre-Breeding Examination before insemination. This is a comprehensive set of procedures to determine the mare’s potential to become pregnant and carry and deliver a foal to term.  It is carried out at the clinic and includes a full healthcheck, assessment of vulval conformation and cervix, examination of the vagina, clitoral (CEM) swab, blood sample for EVA, (both diseases cause infertility and abortion), endometrial (uterine) swab (allows early detection of uterine infection which reduces fertility) and finally, an ultrasound examination of the reproductive tract to assess ovarian function, cyst mapping and detection of uterine fluid.  The mare must be in season when the examination takes place.

 

The Pre-Breeding Examination is the gold standard for your mare and will determine her suitability (health wise) for breeding.  It is, however, optional and you may decide to opt only for the clitoral (CEM) swab and the blood sample(EVA), which are the minimal requirement.

 

Once the results are back for your mare (these take approximately 10 days) the mare can be admitted to our clinic as soon as signs of of oestrus (or season) are seen.  Some mares do not show obvious signs of being in season so it may be necessary to scan her uterus and inject her with Prostaglandin to bring her into season prior to her visit to the clinic.  An endometrial (uterine)swab will be taken as soon as possible and a smear made to check for any signs of infection which would reduce her chances to conceive.

 

The mare is stabled at the clinic and regular examinations and scans are performed to monitor the follicular development on the ovaries, allowing us to pinpoint the time of ovulation.  This is normally 3 - 5 days into her season but is highly variable which is why we often use ovulation-inducing drugs.  The semen will be ordered 24 hours in advance of the expected time of ovulation. On arrival, the semen is assessed for its fertility and, all being well, the mare is inseminated at the appropriate time.

 

The final scan is performed to check for ovulation and uterine fluid after insemination.  A uterine wash out is performed at this point if required*. (*This procedure is NOT included as standard and there would be an additional charge for this). The mare can then be sent home.

 

Further scans are performed at the clinic for pregnancy on day 14-16 (twin check), day 23-26 and day 33-36, at which point a heartbeat is visible.

 

For further information, please call  Ben Wakeling BVMS, MRCVS on 01296 623439.