By Stacy Pearsall (May 2018)
If you’re contemplating importing equine frozen semen, I’ve got some helpful tips and guidance for you. It seems overwhelming initially, but in the end it’s not too bad. Here’s some food for thought and a quick guide to help minimize your stress.
The first task is ensuring your mare is a candidate for frozen artificial insemination breeding. Ideal maiden mares range from three to seven years of age, while wet mares are best from four to sixteen years old. Their anatomical confirmation should be correct and their estrus cycles normal. Any mares with intra-uterine fluid aren’t good candidates for the process, and neither are mares that have had a history of slipping foals or difficult labors. It’s also important to have your mare checked by your veterinarian for infections before beginning the fertility process. A basic culture panel may run you around $50.
The next stage in the process is identifying the right stallion. If you are importing semen from overseas, the stud handler’s must follow stringent guidelines during semen collection. Each collection must be well documented by a licensed veterinarian and supervised by the national animal health service of the country. These procedures are paramount, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires these procedural documents in order to approve any import permit applications.
Above and beyond the regulations of semen collection, not all studs are trained to use the phantom teaser mares required for such collections, which may limit your choices. Plus, some studs are eliminated from being frozen semen candidates because their semen does not meet the minimum motility requirement post-thaw. Once you’ve identified a potential candidate, be sure to inquire after the stud’s post-thaw motility percentage, which should be 30% motility or greater post-thaw. The post-thaw motility will give you a good idea how well the sperm withstands the freezing and thawing process, and indicate how viable it will be for insemination once it reaches you. A semen evaluation will run you around $175 on the average.
It’s standard for the purchaser (or mare owner) to incur the cost of semen collection and peripheral vet care expense of the stud. Additionally, the purchaser may be responsible for paying for any permitting and certificates required for semen export. Be prepared to pay upwards of €200 for these services. It’s also important for you to know that you’ll be paying per dose of frozen semen, which is cryogenically stored in “straws.” A veterinarian calculates the number of straws required per dose. The cost per dose will vary based on the prominence of the stud, and often has no live foal guarantees.
Just like live-cover breeding, not every coupling will result in pregnancy. Frozen A.I. is no different. I encourage you to consider purchasing multiple doses. In doing so, you will avoid the additional expense of import, provide more chances of insemination success and perhaps lower the overall cost per dose by buying more than one or two. This lower “bulk” rate may be negotiated with the stud owner.
If your mare is a good candidate and you’ve identified the right stud, the next step is the shipping arrangements and import permit(s) applications. It’s most efficient if the dry-ship canister moves directly from its country of origin to one of the listed USDA approved customs and quarantine facility nearest you. For me, that was Jamaica, NY.
To minimize undue stress, I suggest engaging an agent within the country of origin and an agent in the USA. In most cases, the originating agent will have counterparts in the USA, so they can make the necessary arrangements. I used Agricon Logistics for the overseas handling of the dry-ship canister, and they in-turn hired Mersant International, LTD, to handle the U.S. customs transfer. I’ll touch more on that in a moment. The agent fees, shipping costs and canister rental expenses will vary, but be prepared to spend anywhere from €1,700 to €2,000.
In the meantime, you’ll need to start your USDA permit applications. Once you’ve got your shipping arrangements locked you, you’ll need to complete an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA VS FORM 17-129 which specifies the goods you’re importing, how you’re importing them (airlines), through which ports you’re exporting and importing and the canister’s final destination. Of course, there’s an application fee of $150 too. Once the application has been approved, it’s only valid for fourteen days. If any of the shipping plans change, there’s a change fee of $75 for that too.
The cryogenic dry-ship canister is charged and only good for certain durations of time. Delays may result in the thawing and ruin of the frozen semen. If all goes well, the canister will arrive at your predetermined entry port location where the USA-based agent will retrieve it. In order to act on your behalf, the agent will require a Limited Power of Attorney signed by you prior to the canister’s arrival. The agent will then take the canister to APHIS/USDA and customs where it will be inspected and the paper work analyzed. Once cleared, the agent will transfer the canister to the next stage of shipping; usually FedEx to the cryogenic storage facility.
At some point early on in the process, you’ll have to research and decide on the equine clinic that will be storing the semen and performing the frozen semen A.I. on your mare(s). Much of the success in breeding is dependent upon the competency and acumen of the veterinarian and staff, so choose wisely. Just remember all you went through to import the semen in the first place. You don’t want to cut corners where it really matters. Most equine fertility clinics have frozen semen storage facilities and charge on a monthly or quarterly basis. Fees vary, but be prepared to pay anywhere from $25 to $50 per month.
Finally, when it’s time to cover your mare you’ll need to be prepared to monitor your mare for signs of heat. An ultrasound to determine the mare’s follicle size will better indicate when she’s near ovulation. When she’s developed a follicle 50mm or larger, it’s time to admit her to the clinic for service. The vet staff will perform ultrasound scans of the follicle every six to eight hours until ovulation takes place. Once she’s ovulated, she will be inseminated promptly as frozen semen’s fertilizing capacity only last from twelve to twenty hours. You should be prepared to have your mare at the clinic from one to four days during this process and expect to pay between $450 to $600.
If you’re looking for breed diversity and confirmation, importing semen from abroad may be key. It’s not cheap, but neither is importing a yearling, which starts at $10,000, plus the cost of the horse itself. To go the route of importing frozen semen, you will be looking at an investment of roughly $3,200, plus the cost per dose of semen.
Text © Stacy Pearsall, StacyPearsall@me.com
August 26, 2018: Imported frozen semen by Matteo van ‘t Rietenhof successfully inseminated in USA born Brabant mare, Silver Meadows Salsa, proves successful.
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