8.How do I register the foals?

We will issue a covering certificate that will allow you to register your foal with your breed society. Please remember to confirm that the stallion you are planning to use is approved for your breed society.

9. How do I know I am getting the correct stallions semen?

Before the vet inseminates your mare he will examine the straws for their identification marks namely: The name of the stallion, the EU collection centre number, colour of the straws, and the reference numbers for the date the semen was collected.
This he compares with the paperwork that accompanied the semen which contains a signed health certificate from the vet who processed the semen for freezing, stating that the semen from these particular straws contains the semen from the stallion in question.

10.What documentation comes with the semen?

The semen will be accompanied by the Health certificate and Import license if appropriate. The post-thaw test result, a copy of the nomination form with a description of the mare and the suitability to breed form, our insemination and pregnancy examination form and our semen thawing and handling instructions.

11.My mare has never bred before. Will this be a problem?

We have not experienced any problems in the past with maiden mares and the success rate of getting them in foal is comparable with the other types of mare.

What we do find, is that once a mare is fifteen or older it is harder to get in foal and needs more careful management, whether she is a maiden or not.

12.Once I have booked a stallion is there anything else I need to do?

We will organise the import and health certificates, and the delivery of the semen to your designated insemination centre. All you are responsible for is delivering your mare to the centre in time for the insemination. It will help if you keep a record of the time and duration your mare was in season. The more information you can give the vet doing the insemination regarding your mare's breeding history, the better.

13.Will the vet doing the insemination have a tank for storing the semen?

All of the vets on our list of recognised insemination centres will have their own liquid nitrogen tank for transferring and storing the semen.

14. How do I know the Vet has done everything possible to get my mare in foal?

We supply the vet doing the insemination with our insemination and pregnancy examination form. Once completed this lets us check that the mare was inseminated with good quality semen at the correct time and the mare was in peak condition for breeding. That way we know that everything was done that could be done to get your mare in foal. After that we leave it up to nature.

15. Can my own vet do the insemination?

We are asked this many times. Unless your own vet has experience with frozen semen (not chilled or fresh) we would advise you to use one of our centres. There is nothing difficult in using frozen semen. It takes attention to detail and following the procedures correctly. Your vet would have to have the equipment and facilities for handling and thawing the semen and examining the mare every six hours when she is close to ovulating. If your vet wishes to be added to our list ask him to give me a call and I will explain what we require.

This is one of the most popular questions we are asked. There is no easy answer, as the results are dependent not only on the stallion, but on the mare, and the vet, doing the insemination. Over the years, from our own experience, and from speaking to vets in other countries we have an idea on the stallions we would expect the mare to be in foal after one insemination, the stallions we would expect to have to inseminate the mare several times, and the stallions not to use if the mare is a difficult breeder. We would be happy to share this experience with you.