AI in mini ?

[delia]

Hi I haven't been on for a long time. :saludando: I have been lurking. Just wondering about AI in the minis? How successful is it? I don't see it offered and am wondering about it.

I know it was talked about before, I did a search and can't find any info on it.

Thanks!

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

AI isn't common in minis, but I don't know of any reason why it shouldn't be just as successful as it is with any other breed! The biggest problem is the expense. The second biggest is the size of the inseminator's arm

 

[lyn_j]

I have a friend with personal experience, the semen doesnt hold over well. While there is good motility before implantation, somehow the sperm is lots less potent. Two tries resulted in a big vet bill and no pregnancies.

Lyn

 

[delia]

[SIZE=18pt]Yes, Lynn I remember someone talking about how the minis don't AI very easy, conception is next to none. There was a study or something done on it. I remember reading something about it but couldn't find it on here. I did do a search but nothing comes up. I thought someone who had been on the forum along time would remember who it was or where I could find the information. I was just hoping![/SIZE]

 

[Kendra]

I believe part of the problem is that no one has any solid research on how large a Miniature Horse follicle will get before it ovulates, and mares aren't being bred at the right time.

 

[Jill]

I know AI is tricky in any breed from speaking w/ friends who have done it, however, true or false, I have always heard that it is even trickier with minis because of something to do with the sperm. I do not know if that is factual, but that is the popular rumor.

 

[faithfarm]

If you are referring to cooled shipped semen, there is some problems with the minis, although I know that there have been successful pregnancies from shipped semen.

As far as AI, there are no problems with minis and I have a friend that AI's most of her mares and produces 20 to 30 foals a year this way. I have done it myself with success but don't normally have that many mares in heat at one time to justify the work of bringing them to the barn. It is not expensive, as you can use a magnum condom on the stallion for collection; and when extended, inseminate several mares with the collected semen. It is a fairly quick and easy process taking less than 10 minutes to collect and inseminate 3 to 5 mares.

 

[lyn_j]

I was refering to frozen semen. Vet costs for insemination from 400-800. I would imagine with fresh semen the results would be much better.

I wouldnt see the point of fresh insemination if you have the stallion handy.

Lyn

 

[Kendra]

Fresh AI is very useful if you're breeding a large number of mares, so that you don't over use your stallion, or even if you just want to eliminate the possibility of injury to your stallion.

Cooled semen is very commonly and successfully used in the horse industry in general, and I think it'd be great if someone would do a study and figure our the variables for Miniature Horses.

Frozen semen is another ballgame, it's used with increasing regularity, but still doesn't have the conception rates of cooled semen, and there are a fewer number of stallions who are good "freezers".

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Frozen semen with minis is very uncommon... which very few exceptions. Its just not worth the expense. It generally costs between $400 and 600 dollars per collection, with maybe 6 doses per collection (that's 3 cycles). That means that each time you breed a mare, you are spending $200 for the semen, plus storage costs, plus vet costs, plus insemination costs, etc etc. When you consider that the average mini stud fee is $200-500, its just not worth it. You need a really good mini to justify the price. I can't say that I've ever frozen a miniature, but I have collected them. Their semen quality is generally on par with drafts, which is on the poor side. Plus their testicles are smaller, which means less sperm production. Overall frozen semen just isn't justified unless the stallion's genetics make it worth while.

Condoms are a very unprefered way to collect semen

AV's are very easy to use and are far, far prefered.

Lyn: The advantage to AI with fresh semen is safety and and health. Less disease transmission and more safety to those involved, both horses and humans. Plus you know the attributes of his ejaculate, letting you moniter the semen quality over time.

 

[delia]

Yes, I guess there is success in breeding on farm AI. But what about cooled shipped semen? How successful is that? How does the extender effect the sperm? What would the motlilty be? I am just wondering.

Did they loose all the old posts off here? There was someone who did a study on this that had posted information a few years back.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Semen extender keeps the cells alive, keeps bacteria from growing in it, and helps the cells survive the cooling process.

There is great success in fresh/cooled semen with most breeds. Minis and draft horses have more trouble because of lower sperm quality, in general. Of course there are lots of exceptions!

Motility varies in each stallion. You really can't make any generalizations

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

It is my understanding from those that I have talked to that shipping semen is where the issue lays with minis and it is not really very reliable however AI I have heard from those that have used it and are very pleased wtih the results

 

[delia]

Lisa is that on farm or shipped semen? Are they using it to AI their own mares or shipping to other breeders?

And Nathan, I know about extenders. Some work with some horses and some don't. Just depends on the stallion. I just remember reading that the motility was lower in minis. There used to be a really good topic on here about AI. Wish it was still here.

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

one of my vets says that the more "primitive" breeds (drafts, ponies, icelandics, etc.) generally don't ship well.... so that would put the "blame" on the semen somehow... motility, quantity, reaction to extender or reaction to cooling... something or another.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Its a combination of quality and reaction to cooling. The cells aren't quite as robust and "high quality" as other breeds, which leads to more damage through the cooling process. Its not as much an extender problem (since there is very rarely an extender that won't work!) as it is an issue with the actual formation of the spermatozoa cells themselves.

 

[kaykay]

i talked to my neighbor (they do AI, breeding, foaling out for others etc) again about this yesterday and he insists that AI is just as effective in miniatures AS LONG as the person on the mare side knows what they are doing. He said too many times the person on the mare end tries to inseminate the mare their self instead of using a vet and ultra sounding etc.

He was adamant that they have had just as much success with miniatures as standabreds. He also said he really wished this "myth" would stop lol