A successful breeding calls for the latest gadgets and technology.

Whether reproduction occurs through natural breeding or artificial insemination, techniques and tools exist to help mare and stallion owners achieve their final goal: a complication-free conception, a problem-free pregnancy, and a healthy foal. A successful one-time breeding is the best scenario; however, Mother Nature often has other plans. When fertility problems occur, a veterinarian with a specialty in equine reproduction can help provide the tools–both high- and low-tech–to ensure breeding success.

On the Mare Side …

Inducing Ovulation Regardless of breeding method, inseminating the mare only once during her estrous cycle is ideal. Because there is a very limited window of time for insemination, the mare must be ready (ovulating) at the same time that the stallion is available. "The only way to effectively do this is to induce ovulation," says Ed Squires, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACT, executive director of the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation. To induce ovulation, veterinarians can inject the mare with deslorelin, a synthetic hormone that stimulates the development of the ovarian follicle and release of the oocyte (egg)

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