Reproductive Services

Ultrasound Pregnancy Exam

• Ultrasound can be used to determine pregnancy in a mare as early as 14 days! This is commonly done after artificial insemination when an exact breeding date is known. Ultrasound pregnancy exams can be done at your farm or at our equine facility.

Artificial Insemination

• At Athens Veterinary Service we offer AI breeding in the form of cooled or frozen semen. We also offer storage of frozen semen for future breeding. Ultrasound examinations determine when a mare is getting ready to ovulate; we then decide when to order semen. Ultrasound can be done on the farm or at our clinic.
• We offer reproductive boarding options where you drop your mare off at our equine clinic, she is examined as needed to determine ovulation, from there is it up to the mare owner to contact the stallion owner to order semen. Then mare is here and ready to be inseminated as soon as the semen arrives.
• This is an efficient way to manage AI breeding and allows our doctors to more accurately determine when a mare is due to ovulate because ultrasounds can be done several times a day rather than just once during a farm visit. Please call for more details if you are interested in artificial insemination for your mare.

Breeding Soundness Exams

• Mares
  •  Before breeding a mare, we recommend a breeding soundness exam to determine your chances of a successful and healthy pregnancy. Breeding soundness exams are often required by stallion owners shipping semen to ensure your mare is likely to become pregnant. These exams include vaginal and cervical exams, ultrasound of the uterus, and the option to take uterine biopsy and culture.
• Stallions
  • Physical exams of the horse and reproductive anatomy can be done to look for any indicators of poor performance. If trained or being trained for collection, stallions can have a semen evaluation done to determine quality and shipping ability. This process can be involved if the stallion is untrained for collection.

Please call with any questions about this service.

Caslick's Performed and Removed

• Aged mares, or mares with a "tipped" pelvis, often require a Caslick's procedure to ensure no manure can enter their vaginal vault. This can cause problems with infertility and chronic irritation. A Caslick's can be performed quickly and safely in our equine facility. Removing a Caslick's is required at least 2-3 weeks before a mare is due to foal. Failing to remove a Caslick's can result in problems with foaling including delayed delivery, tearing of the vulva and recto-vaginal fistulas. If you are not sure if your mare has a Caslick's please call for an appointment to have her evaluated.

Emergency Non-Surgical Dystocias

• A dystocia is defined as an abnormal or difficult labor. Dystocias in horses can be the result of improper foal position at the time labor starts, abortion due to infections, congenital deformities of the foal, a sick or unhealthy mare, or simply bad luck.
• Many dystocias can be resolved successfully with quick response. The longer a mare is in trouble, the more likely a foal will be born dead. Some dystocias require a cesarean-section to resolve. This can only be done at a surgical referral center. Our doctors are trained to know when your mare needs surgery.

Please, NEVER hesitate to call if you think your mare is having problems during foaling.

Embryo Transfer

• Athens Veterinary Service offers limited Embryo Transfer to our clients. This can be an excellent way to continue bloodlines in mares that will ovulate but are unable to settle. This can also be a successful way to breed mares without having to sacrifice their athletic endeavors. If you are interested in ET, please call our office for more details.

Fetal Sexing

• Can't wait to buy either a blue or pink foal halter? Fetal sexing is an excellent way to determine the sex of your foal. Sexing can be done as early as 60-65 days gestation. But can also be checked from 60-90 days. 

Semen Collections and Storage

• Semen Collection for Cooled Shipping
  • We are able to offer our services for stallion collection and shipping cooled semen Monday through Friday. Training of the stallion for collection is required and can be done here with our phantom mount. Please call for more details or to set up an appointment for collection.
• Frozen Semen Storage
  • Frozen semen is an excellent option for shipping of semen or to keep semen from your stallion on hand for shipping year round. We only offer frozen semen storage and breeding at our equine facility. We are unable at this time to collect semen and freeze it. Please call for details.
• Stallion Phantom Training for Collection
  • Considering shipping cooled semen or artificially inseminating your own or local mares? Before being able to ship semen with quality consistency the stallion they must be trained to collect from the phantom. We offer phantom training for collection at our facility. We do highly recommend consulting with one of our veterinarians to set up the most effective training schedule for your stallion. Most stallions that are new to the collecting process (even if they have live covered mares) will need 1-2 weeks of daily training. Having a properly trained stallion will ensure safety of handlers and horse along with the production of a quality sample. 
  • It is strongly advised to plan ahead when thinking about collecting semen. Training should be scheduled months in advance to prior to the first shipment of semen. Stallions that are familiar with the process tend produce higher quality semen.