Justa Roan Cat

If you want to get a mare pregnant, you just give her a shot, breed her and it's all good....... right? I only wish it was that easy. Often, it is a pretty s...imple process.... however, sometimes everything seems to be "perfect" and the mare doesn't get pregnant. These can be frustrating cases, but not impossible! Here are some of the steps we need to take next: the mare needs to be examined when she is in heat. During this time we can see any inflammation of the uterine lining or fluid build up. The cervix is closed to us when the mare is not in heat Uterine Culture and Cytology- that little embryo will not survive if it lands on infected, angry tissue. Knowing what what there will help direct how we treat it. Ideally we collect a culture 1 month prior to when you want to breed Treatment may include uterine lavage and infusions based on what bacteria or level of inflammation is present. Ultrasounds through ovulation is important. If she does not ovulate properly.... well.... she can't get pregnant if there's no egg for the sperm Don't forget about the boy..... if he is no good... well... again... we can't expect a pregnancy These mares can be a fun puzzle to solve Not all mares can get pregnant right away, but the challenges are often worth it!

Stallion Auction Spotlight A huge thank you to Dr. Megan Williams of Blue Sky Veterinary Services for donating one month of breeding for one mare for one cy...cle. Value of this donation is $1,000. About Blue Sky Veterinary Services Blue Sky Veterinary Services offers a range of services to the pet and livestock owners in Medicine Hat and the surrounding areas. These include diagnostic services, reproductive services, as well as medical and surgical procedures. Blue Sky Veterinary Service Ltd. was founded by Dr. Megan Williams in 2012. Their mission is to provide outstanding service to their large animal clients. They emphasize strong communication, and providing clients with the knowledge and ability to care for their animals. Their commitment is not only for the animals they care for, but their clients and community as a whole. Plus a huge thank you to Dr. Megan Williams for donating a breeding to her great stallion, Justa Roan Cat. Media Links Website: www.blueskyveterinaryservices.com Facebook: Blue Sky Veterinary Services Contact Email: [email protected] Phone: 403-580-7331 BID NOW at www.32auctions.com/CCHASTALLIONAUCTION21

FRESH VS. FROZEN SEMEN As a whole, there is a preference of fresh to frozen, but there are certainly advantages to frozen that need to be taken into considerati...on. Frozen is convenient. Especially for US stallions that have fixed collection days, and we can only get shipments certain days. It's far from impossible to time a mare up for that, but when frozen semen is available, you can pick any day of the week to use it, and you don't have to worry about shipping delays Frozen requires more of a "set up" of the mare to get best results. This requires a few more ultrasounds to make sure that she ovulates when we want her to. Often we can time it to breed within 1-3 hours of ovulation Frozen often gives you more availability to stallions that are still showing.... or have died! Techniques have changed over the years, and we are now doing low-dose, deep horn insemination at time of ovulation- find a veterinarian comfortable with these techniques and the difference of conception rates between fresh and frozen will be minimal If you have more questions, fire us off a message and we will do our best to help out!

How long after breeding your mare can you find out if she is pregnant? This picture shows a perfectly made 12 day pregnancy. These are small, and not all mares ...will show theirs at 12 days, but as a whole they are easily seen by 14 days ( mind blowing really) The important thing to remember is that we don't want to stop checking there. The next important ultrasound is at 25 days- we can see if there is a heartbeat developing. Then at 35-40 days - at that point the uterus is starting to take over maintaining the pregnancy ("locking in" the pregnancy). The highest risk of pregnancy loss is before 42 days, and it's important to know at which stage it happens at. Plan on a minimum of 3 ultrasounds after breeding- more for high risk mares.

LIVE COVER OR AI? We get asked about this all the time. Which is best? Here are some of the things to consider when answering that question: 1. To start- most s...tud owners don't offer live cover. The high end stallions have had a LOT of money put in them for training, purchase, etc. It is not worth the risk to the stallion to cover mares 2. The more times a stallion breeds in a day, the weaker the collection. For example, the first collection may be 60mLs at 120million sperm per mL. As he continues through the day, there will be a large volume and smaller concentration per time..... down as low as 20million per mL. This means, the more often the stallion breeds, the poorer the semen the mare is exposed to, and the more opportunities for debris to enter the uterus 3. A breeding dose of cooled semen is 1 BILLION progressively mobile sperm- often in 60mL or less. 4. Older mares and mares with uterine pathology actually do WORSE with live cover because they are being exposed to large volumes of poorer quality semen, leading to fluid build up and inflammation within the uterus 5. With AI, the mare is timed to ovulate within 12-24 hours of insemination, allowing for only 1 dose of good quality semen to be used. This reduces the opportunities for inflammation and fluid build up. She is also washed and sterile sleeves and pipettes are used, lowering transfer of bacteria even further 6. Mares with foals at side can be very protective (they are good mammas!). Some will not allow a stallion near, even if they are in heat. See more

Coming 3yo gelding. Currently in training with Amos Abrahamson.

Are you wondering what to expect when breeding your mare to Roanie? Check out some of these foals from previous years! The early breeding discount ends December 31st, along with your opportunity to get a FREE 2021 breeding!

This guy sure loves to cut some cows

Is anyone wanting to breed their mare early? If so- now is the time to put them under lights

2021 BREEDING SPECIAL Let's kiss 2020 Goodbye and plan for a better 2021 The first 5 breeding contracts returned and paid for will receive FREE collection fees for 2021 ($250 in savings). ... The first 10 mare owners booked in will have their names put in a draw for a FREE BREEDING.