Difference in bovine and equine semen

[Show Heifer]

What is the difference in bovine and equine semen that allows cool shipping and AI'ing of equine semen, and yet bovine semen must be processed and flash frozen to be used at a later date for AI'ing?

 

[occ]

Not sure it has anything to do with the semen (quality, etc.), it is the requirements of the breed associations for stud reports, and (along with DNA testing) to insure animals are being mated as reported on stud reports and registration applications.  Also keeps the stud fees up, and keeps the market from being flooded with the really good genetics.  Small supply, high demand = high prices.  Horse semen can be frozen same as bull semen.  The syndicate that owns the great cutting horse sire, Smart Little Lena, has a vault full.

 

[knabe]

the frozen semen i would want is boon bar.  there is some.

i would use some on the soundest, most athletic, lowest hocked, secretariat daughter i could find, then cross back with peptoboonsmal.

 

[bradycreek]

I've always been under the impression that stud semen does not respond well to freezing so its shipped fresh.  Stud semen also doesn't have as high of a sperm count per vol like a bull does. I know from AI'ing pigs that their semen is shipped fresh as well most of the time.

Not sure this is right but I know that's what our equine proffessor told us 10 years ago...ha not exactly up to date as I think of it.
dh

 

[C-CROSS]

A studs semen isn't as high in sperm count there for it takes alot bigger quantity to inseminate a mare.  We have done several mares and it is more time consuming and expensive to do than cattle.  you now can used frozen semen, however not all studs work especially if they are older.

 

[rmbcows]

The answer is actually simple biology.  Horses stay in heat for several days, cows don't.  Therefore you can schedule the mare insemination and ovulation to coincide with overnight shipping of semen.  You can't do this with cattle because not even FedEx moves that fast!  Cooling semen is less damaging to the sperm cells than freezing it, so insemination with cooled semen is usually a first choice with horses.  As a rule, horse semen does not freeze as reliably as bovine semen does.  Shipped semen also means mare owners don't have to maintain a tank. 

 

[knabe]

Shipped semen also means mare owners don't have to maintain a tank. 

i just knew that cost was recovered somewhere.