Mare Breeding Services

The Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University offers a full range of commercial mare breeding services. The objectives of these services are to provide horse owners with the most current technology available for reproductive management of their mares. For more complete details and a fee schedule, please contact the Equine Reproduction Laboratory at (970) 491-8626 (tel) or (970) 491-7005 (fax).

Mare breeding services include breeding with live-cover or artificial insemination with fresh, shipped-cooled or frozen-thawed semen. Mare breeding service are provided on an outpatient (trailer-in) or inpatient basis (mare housed at the Equine Reproduction Laboratory). All services are charged on a per-procedure basis.

In order to determine the optimal time of breeding, when mares are in heat, they are examined with transrectal palpation and ultrasonography as frequently as deemed necessary based on the method of breeding. Mares being bred with natural cover or artificial insemination with fresh semen are generally examined every other day while they are in heat.

Mares being bred with shipped-cooled semen are generally examined on a daily basis while they are in heat. Mares being bred with frozen-thawed semen are generally examined on a daily basis when they first enter heat and then two or three times daily when a preovulatory follicle develops. After breeding, mares are examined for pregnancy 12 or 14 days after ovulation.

Routine hormone treatments are administered as necessary to bring mares into heat (i.e. prostaglandin) and to hasten ovulation (i.e. human chorionic gonadotropin). In addition, uterine treatments (i.e. antibiotic therapy and/or uterine lavage) are performed as deemed necessary based on transrectal ultrasonography examinations (i.e. presence of uterine fluid) or other diagnostic techniques (i.e. uterine culture).

Fees:
1. Board
a. Mares without foals	$ 17.00 / day
b. Mares with foals	$ 19.00 / day
c. Enhanced board	$ 21.00 / day
2. Transrectal Palpation and Ultrasonography	$ 35.00 / exam
3. Artificial Insemination (includes semen motility evaluation)	$ 32.00 / insemination
4. Natural Breeding	$ 75.00 / cover
5. Caslick Procedure	$ 50.00
6. Hormone Treatments
a. Oxytocin	$ 15.00 / day
b. Prostaglandin	$ 21.00 / treatment
c. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)	$ 21.00 / treatment
d. Deslorelin	$ 35.00 / treatment
7. Uterine Therapy
a. Uterine Lavage	$ 37.00 / lavage
b. Intrauterine Antibiotics	$ 32.00 / treatment
c. Uterine Culture and Sensitivity	$ 50.00
d. Uterine Cytology	$ 26.00