Frozen vs. Cooled Semen

Now that you know the basic process involved for cooled semen, the desicion of whether or not to use it (given you have the choice) is a big one. Frozen semen, even the technology is now fairly common, is still considered "new" by many equine producers. For this reason, a lot of people are reluctant to use it. These skeptics do have some good points.

Frozen semen can be cost prohibitive for some. In order to freeze semen you must have all the proper equipment, and if your farm can not afford this (many cannot) then you must pay someone to collect and freeze the semen for you. Depending on how much you would like to freeze, this can be several thousand dollars. Another, almost more obvious negative quality of frozen semen, is that the first-heat pregnancy rates are lower than fresh or cooled-shipped semen. However, these rates are increasing and, if the semen is frozen by the right person many think that the pregnancy rates are higher. Another factor that affects the cost of using frozen semen (for the mare owner) is how much constitutes a dose and how many doses you need to get your mare pregnant. Another downfall is that some stallions are unable to be frozen because their sperm isnt high enough quality and by the time it were frozen and thawed, there would be no viable sperm left. It is theoretically possible for a farm to have someone skilled enough to depodit frozen semen into the mare, but it is probably a good idea to have a veterinarian on site so that you have the option of breeding pre, post or both pre and post ovulation. This will figure into cost and convenience of using frozen semen.

Some benefits of frozen semen, and I believe they outweigh the risks, include the ability to breed to many stallions, even those that are deceased. Also, because of growing use and proficiency by veterinarians and technicians, I think that there will be national rates higher than those of cooled shipped semen. Frozen semen is convienent because it can be used at any time, there is no necessary coordination between the mare and stallion owners.

So, the use of frozen vs. cooled semen is a personal choice. I think it makes a lot of sense to freeze a valuable or high performing stallion because lots of people have access to it and they can breed to him any time, it does not hinder the stallion's ability to work or perform during the time.