The Well-Equipped Breeding Shed

The Jockey Club rule book states: “To be eligible for registration, a foal must be the result of a stallion’s Breeding with a broodmare (which is the physical mounting of a broodmare by a stallion with intromission of the penis and ejaculation of semen into the reproductive tract). As an aid to the Breeding, a portion of the ejaculate produced by the stallion during such mating may immediately be placed in the uterus of the broodmare being bred. A natural gestation must take place in, and delivery must be from the body of the same broodmare in which the foal was conceived. Without limiting the above, any foal resulting from or produced by the processes of Artificial Insemination, Embryo Transfer or Transplant, Cloning or any other form of genetic manipulation not herein specified, shall not be eligible for registration.”

Given these constraints, the Thoroughbred breeding shed still has many tools to assist in getting a mare pregnant, and these tools have been around for many, many years. However, technology is creeping its way into the shed, particularly for documentation purposes.

For this article we draw on the years of expertise from Gainesway Farm’s resident veterinarian Dr. Tom Little and stallion manager Marion Gross, and Three Chimneys Farm stallion manager Sandy Hatfield. Both farms are located in Central Kentucky.

Little put the goals of the shed very clearly: “We are trying to get as many mares in foal as we can, but we’ve gotta do it safely, and we’ve gotta do it efficiently. Safety, productivity, and efficiency—preferably in that order. In order to accomplish that, you have to start with good people.”

Continue Reading [*PDF file, 1 MB download]

*Adobe Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download it for free.