|
The following suggestions and information are
offered to help us and you insure that your mare is in her best breeding
condition.
The suggestions in no way take the place of veterinary consultation, but
hopefully, will provide a guide for the breeding season just ahead.
1.
 Get yourself a
Calendar
just to keep track of your mares cycles so we are on the same page.
You are going to have to count days and make vet appointments in advance.
2.
 Please
return all paperwork to us and make your scheduling as requested by us. When
you call, please remember that we are on Pacific Standard Time and calls
before 8 pm
in the evening will be appreciated. (I go to bed with the chickens and get
up with them too). All breeding fees and collections fees and deposits are
due in advance. No shipment will be made without payment. We are
using
Pay Pal
Credit Card Services and you will need to set up a charge account with them
to charge your services. We will also need a Federal Express account for
you. Just call them at 1-800-GOFEDEX. Just take a few minutes. Now we are
ready to ship!
3.
24 Hour notice for Semen is REQUIRED!
We collect Monday, Wednesday and Friday ONLY. The reason is, that our
stallion would be "four legs up" if we collected every day and the semen
quality would be impaired.
4.
Tease your mare on a regular basis.
An open mare should begin to cycle regularly usually at least by the month
of April and will most likely begin to have regular heat cycles which will
be noted every 15 to 21 days with ovulation occurring approximately EVERY 21
DAYS. Day one is the first day of the heat cycle which usually lasts 5-7
days. So much depends on outside influences but regular teasing and
veterinary exams will help insure that you catch your mare's ovulation.
5.
Call us and your veterinarian on the FIRST DAY of your mare's heat
cycle and have her palpated as
advised by your vet. Unless circumstances warrant otherwise, please call for
semen when your mare has a 25-30 mm follicle. If possible the semen is
shipped on a
35mm follicle.
In order to stimulate ovulation and maximize conception, plan to use HCG as
advised by your veterinarian - approximately on the 35 mm or larger follicle
and 12-18 hours prior to insemination or just after. Ovulation will probably
occur roughly as early as 24 hours after the injection placing ovulation in
the evening or on the next day after insemination.
(Please Note:
Follicles usually develop 3-5 mm per day.)
6.
 Mares should be
cultured, especially if open and definitely if after three heat cycles she
is still open. Make sure that your mare is up on all her vaccinations and
has been wormed regularly (every two months recommended) prior to
insemination. It is recommended that you check your wormers and with your
vet to be certain that they are safe for a pregnant mare. Today, most are OK
to use in the first trimester, but do check to make sure.
7.
 If you miss the
ovulation, remember that you can short cycle your mare. Approximately 5 to
7 days after ovulation you may give her a prostaglandin/prostin shot and she
should return to heat within 3-5 days. Again, speak with your veterinarian,
but this is a well accepted practice. Also,
please call to coordinate this shot with our
calendar and schedule. Generally,
mare given the "prost" shot on
a Thursday
will have a breedable follicle the following Tuesday. If the mare "reads the
book" on breeding, you can make an appointment with your vet on that Monday
morning, we can ship by Monday noon, and you can breeding her that
Tuesday/Wednesday and we are done!
8.
 Timing is
important. Please remember that we collect only on Monday Wednesday and
Friday. We have mares ourselves and have used shipped semen - just like you,
and we know that all mares do not cooperate with the schedule. However,
please understand that
we use the schedule to protect the stallion’s
reproductive and mental health. This is not an arbitrary schedule
but one that has served that purpose well, while also successfully getting
mares in foal.
All semen is shipped in an extender.
When the semen arrives, DO NOT OPEN the Equitainer or Blue
Clipper Box, until your veterinarian arrives to inseminate your mare. Your
Vet will know to open
bag/syringe and inseminate immediately.
DO NOT WARM the semen. It
is normal for semen to be cold and sluggish if examined under a microscope
right out of the container, but as soon as it gets into the mare it will get
warm, vitalized and start swimming with a determined purpose! Semen is
fragile and is affected by light and temperature. The faster you can get it
into the mare, the more sperm cells will survive this amazing process. Two
doses will usually be included unless circumstances prevent. If needed,
semen will stay vigorous and viable for several days IF you care for it
properly - place the cardboard shipper or the specimen cup/syringes from the
Equitainer - in the refrigerator protected from light. Remember, no matter
what, if you don't breed the mare, she will not get in foal. As
simple as this seems, it is true. I have received semen that appeared to be
in hopeless shape and pleasantly surprised when the mare ckecks in foal. So
inseminate the mare as soon as possible and then make your semen evaluations
later. Every precious moment matters in the life and times of a hopeful
sperm! There is an amazing amount of opinions about "motility" and
"viability" of semen.
A lot depends on the person evaluating the motility under the microscope,
how long the sample has been warmed up, from where the sample was taken
(syringe tip, mixed from middle, or last drop after insemination, exposure
to light, etc.) Apparent "low motility" can change within minutes and many
factors must be taken into consideration before one should assume that their
shipment has "low motility". Generally, we always keep back a "test sample"
and check the same 24 hours later for quality control. In this way we can
detect any problems with extender or shipping method. There are more hard
feelings created by careless and/or "hurried" semen evaluations than I care
to confess, so please consider all factors. It is always easy to "blame the
stallion" for low motility. Working together as a "team" optimizes
conception, so, let's all work together to make this miracle happen for all
of us!
9.
 If your mare is
in foal and you wish to breed her on the Foal Heat: Palpate her on the 8th
day after foaling to check for a follicle. Most mares will ovulate on the
10-12th day after foaling. Short cycling is appropriate if you so desire.
Wait until after the 10th day as a courtesy to your mare. This allows her to
clean and repair.(A healthy mare will usually have another heat cycle 25 to
32 days after foaling -- palpate for follicle day 28/29.)
10.
Ultrasound your mare on day @14-17 after ovulation and insemination. Notify
us as to her status. This again
helps insure that you will be on the schedule for the next appropriate
collection period -- if needed.
11.
 VERY IMPORTANT to
help insure that your mare does not abort - Rhino pneumonitis inoculation -
Months 3,5 7 and 9 of pregnancy.
12.
Preg-check mare @ day @ 23/25 to make sure that she does not have twins and
that she is still in foal.
Your vet may be able to remove one twin rather than loose both. Re-breeding
a mare after 36-38 days of pregnancy is difficult due to her body changes.
Discuss with your veterinarian the appropriate procedure if your mare slips
her foal. Life is precious and whole process is amazing.
13.
Post the following telephone numbers and give
them to your veterinarian. Kit Calafato (858) 755-8033 Home or )541)
580-2327 Text Cell
(note, the cell phone does not always have reception).
Leave message and phone number. We are near by, just working with horses!
We will be at the Collection Barn on collection days only from @7AM
until Noon.
E-mail is also encouraged, but do not depend on leaving messages with a
machine or on the phone -
TALK to a person!!!
14.
 HAVE FUN!!!
This is a very exciting adventure. We love our horses and you love yours and
together we will be successful in breeding your mare/mares and enjoy seeing
the foals arrive the following year!
 
Kit Calafato
Spotz
Farm
4764 Sun Valley Rd
Del Mar, CA 92014
858-755-8033
asbpinto@aol.com
www.spotzsaddlebredpintos.com
|
