Bosen Land & Livestock
Horse Division
Cooled Transported Semen Procedures
  1. Equine pregnancy via shipped semen requires intensive mare management.  Consistent teasing and ultra sounding of mares is necessary to accurately predict time of ovulation which dictates time of shipped semen request. Your veterinarian should be familiar with the many aspects of equine reproduction including ultrasound of mare and motility evaluation of semen.
     
  2. Return a signed contract to Bosen Land & Livestock. Include the appropriate booking fee. This reserves a shipped semen breeding to the stallion.
     
  3. Prior to shipment the mare owner must pay the booking fee and balance of the stud fee. These fees may be paid by check or VISA or MasterCard.
     
  4. Once your veterinarian detects your mares first day of heat contact Bosen Land & Livestock for a tentative shipment date. Stallions are collected on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
     
  5. While in estrus the mare should be examined daily by ultrasound to follow follicular development HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is extremely useful in a shipped semen program. When the mare has a dominant follicle (35 mm or larger), estrus folds (as determined by ultrasound), and is in at least her third day of behavioral heat HCG (3300 IU given IV) can be administered and will predictably induce ovulation in approximately 36 hours (14-43 hour range). Ideally, HCG should be given after the veterinarian has ordered semen and 24 hours prior to expected time of mare insemination. Some veterinarians may prefer to administer HCG at time of insemination. HCG should not be utilized more than two or three times per season as mares become less responsive and there is an increased risk for allergic reaction. Avoid HCG usage in foal heat mares as decreased pregnancy rates have been noted in such mares.
     
  6. When the mare is ready for the semen shipment contact Bosen Land & Livestock prior to 9:00 am. of  the collection day to make an order. Orders may be canceled by 9:00 am. collection day with no penalties. For example, if your mare is to be bred on a Monday or Tuesday you must order semen prior to 9:00 am. Monday.
     
  7. We ship semen via Federal Express Priority Overnight under most conditions. Some areas of the country do not have Priority Overnight service, Therefore, the shipment will be standard overnight.  Priority arrives by next day 10:00 am. and Standard arrives by next day 3:00 p.m. Most areas have Saturday delivery. However, some areas do not.  Before requesting a Saturday shipment make sure Saturday delivery is an option for your area.  Federal Express is not open on Sundays or holidays.  Counter to Counter same day delivery service, via Delta Dash is available to most airports at an extra cost. Please call for details.
     
  8. When you receive the semen shipment, DO NOT OPEN THE Container UNTIL THE VETERINARIAN IS PRESENT AND READY TO INSEMINATE. Use one entire breeding dose when first received. The dose should be directly inseminated (cold) into the mare.  A 1-2 ml sample should be warmed to 37 degrees C for 1-3 minutes and evaluated for motility. If a second dose is included, use it within 36 hours of collection (a card is included with the shipment which gives information such as collection time, breeding dose, etc.). Generally one breeding dose of semen containing 1 billion motile sperm will be sent per shipment.  If extra semen is available, a second dose will be shipped to allow for a second insemination or to provide backup. Discard all unused semen. The blue packages (ballast bags) contained in the Equitainer serve as a cooling aid. These blue packages should not be opened and should be returned with the Equitainer the semen is intended for one specific mare and should not be used to inseminate other mares.
     
  9. Return the Equitainer by Federal Express Priority Overnight service. Penalties of $10/day will be charged Equitainer not returned by the third day
     
  10. It is strongly recommended that mares be checked for pregnancy at 14-16 days post ovulation by ultrasound. This will greatly reduce pregnancy losses from twins. We also encourage the mare be ultra sounded again at 15 days for a heart beat and to insure development is progressing normally. When the ‘mare has been checked 15 days in foal, please notify us that your mare is indeed in foal.
     
  11. Please call with questions and/or discussion. With good communication and an effort to work together we hope to get all your mares in foal. Our phone number is (208) 852-3130.