What is Artificial Insemination?

Artificial insemination is deposition of spermatozoa into the female’s reproductive tract utilizing instruments rather than by natural service involving a male.

Advantages of Artificial Insemination:

• Permits disease control.  Accomplished 2 ways:  the amount of semen is reduced sufficiently so that the number of organisms is reduced below the number necessary to “cause” the disease.  Also, an extender that contains antibiotics that either kill or destroy pathogenicity of organisms can be used to dilute the semen.
• Reduces the possibility of injury to the mare and/or the stallion.  
• Permits use of stallions that have developed poor breeding habits or have been injured.  
• Permits evaluation of semen at each collection and immediate recognition of minor changes in quality of semen.    
• Aids in identification of reproductive problems.  
• Prevents overuse of a stallion, particularly early in the breeding season.
• Allows more mares to be bred to the same stallion on a given day.
• Permits breeding of abnormal mares that could not be bred by natural service.
• Permits more effective use of older, more valuable stallions.
• Enables mares to be bred at the most opportune time for maximum chance of conception.
• Increases genetic pool.
• Results in higher pregnancy rates than natural service.