Horse Semen Collection

Horse semen collection is simulation of the act of sexual intercourse between a stud horse for breeding and an estrous mare. The desired end result is the stallion ejaculating horse semen into an artificial vagina that has been prepared to mimic that of the estrous mare.

Since its first documentation in Russia, in 1899, equine artificial insemination and horse semen collection has advanced from positioning a rubber collecting bag in the vagina of a mare in heat, to the advent of the first artificial vagina in the 1930s.

Modified versions of this piece of horse breeding equipment are used today. These include the Missouri AV, Colorado Style AV, French (INRA Model), and the Roanoke.

The procedure of horse semen collection usually begins with the presence of the teaser mare, also called a "jump mare". The teaser can be a receptive mare in heat or a spayed mare that has been treated with estrogen as to exhibit the signs of a mare in estrous cycle.

During the teasing process, prior to stallion collection, it is recommended that horse sheath cleaning take place by rinsing the equine penis in warm, clean water. Using practical cotton to swab away any horse smegma as needed.

Some horse breeders will allow the breeding stallion to mount this mare for collection. Unless this "jump mare" is extremely safe and reliable it is recommended to outfit her with horse breeding hobbles to inhibit her kicking the stallion or person handling the artificial vagina.

An alternative method employs a horse breeding mount, also called a "phantom mare" or "breeding dummy mare". This is used in place of the live mare for actual mounting by the stallion.

Although the stud won`t be mounting the live "jump mare" it is likely that she will need to be next to the horse breeding mount for teasing purposes (providing sexual encouragement) until the stallion has been successfully collected.

The powerful, sometimes dangerous, act of horse copulation must always be recognized and respected. Utilizing a horse breeding mount will greatly reduce the risk of human and horse injuries.

Only skilled personnel should participate in stallion collection.

Safety for all involved must always be paramount!

Horse semen collection creates the possibility of numerous horse mating advantages as well as advancements in equine reproduction. We now have the ability to evaluate the horse semen of each breeding stallion collected. The horse sperm information gathered will allow us to make informed choices about horse breeding.

Equine artificial insemination cannot occur without prior stallion collection. Depending on the quality and volume, one act of semen collection can provide the option of breeding multiple broodmares, via artificial insemination.

Nationwide, even worldwide, equine semen shipping is another huge advantage to breeding horse farms.

Collected horse semen can also be processed into equine frozen semen for shipping and indefinite storage.

If you are standing a stallion, keeping a store of his frozen horse semen as back up, when, or if, he is unavailable to produce fresh cooled horse semen is an option to consider.

Some horse breeds do not allow registration of baby horses produced by artificial insemination.

There are many valid pros and cons to be considered in the vast world of horse breeding information, and the subject of horse semen collection is no different.