Breeding with Frozen Semen – Update
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I have taken my mares Dahlia and Cori to Va Tech twice now for inseminations. Once in late May. At that time neither became pregnant. I took them again in early June and got test results yesterday. Dahlia (being crossed with Onne 376) still did not catch. But Cori (crossed with Beart 411) is now pregnant at 16 days! I’ll keep checking her since it is not considered “completely successful” until day 75, but so far it is looking very good. Even the vet said yesterday that the embryo was really looking nicely formed.
Cori (daughter of Wander, damsire Lute) was born right here on the farm and has been lovingly raised by us. She has been an outstanding horse. 1st premie ster at her keuring, excellent breeder (this is her 4th foal), great mother, totally easy to handle, and smart/easy to train. And you know, she is also just damned pretty. She is now 10 years old and I am planning on putting her up for sale this summer since I wish to keep her last year’s baby Freya by Heinse 354. Cori will be a diamond for anyone’s breeding program. And with a Beart baby on the way, it is basically 2 for the price of 1.
Meanwhile, I have 2 more doses of Onne semen and plan to try once more with Dahlia. The semen is not very good but who knows – maybe the third time will be the charm!
Also, if I can get the heat cycle right, I will try one breeding with my 4 year old Tara. The season is over at the end of July, so there is not much time left. That one will be fresh semen and I am *still* settling on a stallion for her.
I will know a lot more about everything in a month’s time. What a crazy July awaits us at Tanbark Acres!
Two mares inseminated with frozen semen. Now we wait.
Quick update: Cori and Dahlia came home from Va Tech Equine hospital on Tuesday. They were there 8 days as they went through their cycle and were inseminated with frozen semen by the experts there. Cori ovulated much earlier than anyone forecasted. The vets did a post ovulation insemination but I feel certain it was too late and the opportunity passed by on this go ’round. I was trying to breed her to Beart 411. The semen quality was very good (for Friesian frozen) at 50% motility. But I think it was just too late.
Dahlia is being inseminated with semen from Onne 376. Although the semen quaility for that batch was not very great (20-25% motility), the vets had the timing almost spot on. So this one is a little more hopeful.
The pregnancy check for both is June 7. If one or either is not pregnant, I have enough frozen to give one more try.
Now, for Tara…. I still have not selected a stallion. Mostly because (a) she is not showing heat so I am unsure of when she is cycling, and (b) I am using all my funds for the other two right now. So, although I want Tara bred, she may have to wait a little longer. Possibly – though not desired – until next year.
People wonder why Friesian foals are expensive. They have no idea how difficult and expensive it is to get a Friesian mare – even the very good broodmares like I have – pregnant. It is a very tough thing.
More updates later…..
Time to decide about breeding my horses
It has been a crazy, busy winter. The snow and cold have been relentless and unusually extreme for my area. This has made even the small things a bit of a burden, so I feel very behind. But ya know, the days go by, and spring is here, and it is time to decide about breeding. What mares do I breed, and to what stallions?
I think this year I will try to blog more about the process. I’ll probably be doing something with the horses most every day. So why not write about it for others who might be interested.
I have 3 mares – all ster mares – of breeding age now. My parents have 1 (who is now pregnant and due to foal in early May). I will mostly speak about the 3 I have since I am making those decisions myself.
Due to economy I did not breed last year. I think that was a good decision. This year I am planning to try to breed all 3 mares and putting two up for sale afterwards. I only have a certain amount of space and these mares would make a terrific start for anyone wanting to become a breeder or expand their breeding operation. But if they do not sell that is fine. I love them and they are great mares. So I want to make sure I breed them in such as way as to produce the best foals possible since I could be selling foals instead of pregnant mares!
I decided to try frozen semen with my two proven broodmares – Cori and Dahlia. I ordered semen from two of the best stallions in the Netherlands, and two that would match either mare. This is my first real try with frozen semen and Va Tech is going to help me. I’ll talk about that more later.
Today I have been agonizing over what stallion to choose for the 4 year old maiden mare Tara. She is stam 102, a great but “old type” (think carriage horse) line. Tara’s father is Wander 352 and her damsire is Thomas 327. Tara is on the small side but a terrific mover. I would like to get more height and longer lines in a foal. A longer and more vertical neck would be great, as would a longer forearm. And shoot, a blacker coat and more hair, while I am wishing.
Since with Tara I am looking to US stallions (fresh semen vs. frozen) I am starting with ones who produce height, one of my biggest desires with this mare. Since Tara is a daughter of Wander 352, and his bloodlines are relatively uncommon, I have almost my choice of stallions. Do not have to worry really about inbreeding issues (thank you Wander for that). Anyhow, when looking at height, two of the top stallions in this area are Feike 395 and Nanning 374. Perhaps Fridse 423 (half brother to Nanning) is also a good choice. I also like thinking about the young stallions. Though there is not nearly as much published information about them, most of them are tall with longer lines. Perhaps one of them would be a good choice.
I have almost made up my mind. What about you folks – who would you pick? Write me and let me know
Here is a video of Tara, taken in the summer before her keuring:
Videos from the 2009 Keuring
These are of our horses. Tara made Ster with a 2nd premie. Ficus was 2nd premie and scored 7.5 on his trot. Freya achieved 2nd premie and was named Champion Filly. We had a nice day….
Pregnant Cori getting her feet trimmed
Today is day 339 of Cori’s pregnancy, which means she is due tomorrow. I have expected this baby for a week now and all of us who are staying up all night watching her on the webcam are getting pretty darned tired.
Today Blaine, the farrier, came to trim the horse’s feet. Dahlia went first, no issues. Cori was next and the poor thing had an awful time picking up a foot for him. She is soooo pregnant and soooo heavy that she needed all four feet to hold her up.
Three year old Tara starts training this month so she got new shoes in the front. I rarely put shoes on the horses since they are not working, bu since she is going into training, she will soon be working and therefore needs the extra protection. She did not like being shod, but for a three year old, she was not too badly behaved.
I really like my farrier a lot. He is good at his job, good with the horses, and a funny and nice guy as well. He and his son are going to help me get Tara into shape by teaching her to pull a work sled (Blaine and his boy have and train work horses). I also love Blaine’s accent.
I managed to capture a little video of Blaine working on the extremely pregnant Cori. Hope you enjoy it.
