Timing of mare insemination with cooled and frozen semen was one of the hot topics at a session of veterinarians at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention in Las Vegas, Nev. The topics discussed in the AI With Cooled and Frozen Semen Table Topic section ranged from industry preference for frozen or cooled semen, to strategies for insemination for optimizing pregnancy rates, to the nuts and bolts of shipping (i.e., companies, containers), to biosecurity issues with transported semen.

The most lively discussion centered around timing of insemination with respect to ovulation as well as questioning the necessity of deep horn insemination in routine reproduction work. Insemination dose for maximizing pregnancy rates was again discussed, and there was general agreement that this number is highly stallion dependent and caution should be exercised in minimizing doses so that pregnancy rates are not compromised.

Perhaps the best part of this highly interactive session lay in the globalization of experience and opinion, as participants represented a great range of countries and continents, including South America, the Middle East, Australia, many countries within the European Union, as well as the United States.

Since genetic material is easily transported throughout the world, it is important that veterinarians share ideas not only to enhance fertility, but to limit the transmission of disease