Advantages & Disadvantaged of Cooled Shipped Semen
There are both advantages and disadvantages to using cooled shipped semen. As with any new management technique, you must weigh the advantages against the disadvantages.
Advantages
- Eliminates cost and stress of shipping mare (foal)
- Cash outlay for mare care reduced (home labor)
- Decreased disease transmission to mare
- Genetic pool increased (can use stallions from far away)
- Increased number of horse owners
- Decrease use of genetically poor stallions
Disadvantages
- Skill, technology, practice required to collect process and evaluate semen
- Cost and communication needed to assure semen is collected and shipped at the time it is needed
- Not all stallions produce semen that can be cooled
- Skill, technology and practice needed for insemination
- Reproductive management of the mare needed- work closely with veterinarian
