Breeding Areas

Please share your setup

We would love to share your breeding area for others to learn from.  We can even link back to you if you would like!

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE

If you are lucky and have enough room inside would be the way to go.  But you do need plenty of space to be safe.  However, the SMS Breeding Phantom is designed to withstand the elements if you do locate it outside.  Also, our phantoms can be removed when not in use.  The lower legs are 3 feet in the ground but only stick up a few inches and can be covered up or counter sunk.

 

Footing

I personally like DG (decomposed granite).   It is forgiving and not dusty.  Sand is a big no-no.  A stallion can kick that up into the AV where it would stick to the lube.  Cement is nice and clean but be sure and use good quality mats as young stallions are known to pass out and fall.   Be careful of the rubber pavers.  I don’t recommend them for outside as they warp from the weather and cause a tripping hazard for you and your stallion.  Stallions need a smooth service when dismounting, nothing to get hung up on as they back off the mount.

SPACE

You will need more space than you will ever imagine.  And always leave yourself and your horses escape routes in case something goes wrong.  During training you need room to maneuver a tease mare at the front of the phantom and be able to “escape” with her, if the stallion gets too close.  Mares and stallions can both be unpredictable, space will be your friend.  I will go over this in the photos below.

 

Phantom Breeding Area #1

This is actually my second facility I had.  We are in sunny California, so being outside is not too bad.  This is a breeding chute I designed and will be putting the plans up on the website soon.  I have made changes too it since these photos.  This area is fairly large, and I loved it.  If the stallion needed a little more stimulation from the mare, I could take her out of the chute and tie her to the back post and that would put her hind end close to the phantom if he needed.  With this set up I could easily collect by myself.  I had a post just out of view to quickly tie the stallion too and then rush the semen to the lab.  I could usually get the semen processed in less than 15 minutes then go put the horses away.

The post that is closest to the phantom and camera is the one I will tie the mare to if I need her closer to the phantom.  This can happen when the stallion has been collecting frequently or is new to the process.

This wall makes a nice stout teasing wall and then you can go back to the phantom and collect.  I have seen some phantoms installed so you just turn, and the stallion jumps on.  But I like them looking at the mare while they are on the phantom.  Plus, I don’t always need to tease or even need a mare.

The first chute I made in the 80’s was just two sheets of plywood and 3 round posts.  It worked OK, but I didn’t like the 90 degree angle the mare was wedged in to.  The grass was also a nice footing as it was dust free.  

Phantom Breeding Area #2

This is at Pacific International Genetics with Dr. Paul Mennick.  He specializes in animal reproduction, including embryo transfer, semen cryopreservation, import/export, breeding laboratory design, custom training courses for breeders and veterinarians, plus seasonal expertise for practices and breeding farms worldwide.  He is not just limited to equines.  This was when I was working there, and they were a USDA-approved equine frozen semen export facility.  This area is in the middle of the reproduction barn.  The lab is on the right side.  Then no stalls were installed in this area, but further to the left there is a stallion stall.  Even with as much space as we had it still got a little tight sometimes.  This is at the beginning of a stallion being trained and we needed a mare right at the phantom.  He was in his late teens and had always live covered, so this was new to him.

This is a really good picture showing how 3 people are really needed during training.  It is good to have an experienced person handling the mare, so they can evaluate the situation and know if the mare needs to be moved.  The stallion handler’s responsibility is to maneuver the stallion on to phantom, keep him steady, and protect the person handling the artificial vaginal.

This shows how the stallion is “tricked” on to the phantom.  He can just barely reach the mare.

Phantom Breeding Area #3

This is another indoor set up, but it is in the corner of an arena.  They installed gates on each side so they could block it off if need be.  They also only had it in there during breeding season.  You would have to be careful of not getting dirt in the A.V. during collection.  Maybe wet it down a little first.

 

Phantom Breeding Area #4

Another sunny California Reproduction Facility.  This is Flying H Ranch and shows the same phantom at two locations.  Kris has installed her phantom off in a quiet location.  Her lab is in the barn right by her Palpation Chute.
www.flyinghranch.com

Kris left herself lots of room for training.  She handles quite a few stallions every year.  Again, nothing fancy for footing.  Grass makes a nice clean area.

It can get quite hot in Cottonwood, CA so it’s nice to have her Palpation Chute in the shade right by her lab.  You can see the phantom in the distance on the right.

This was their facility when they bought their SMS Breeding Phantom.  She then easily moved it to the new place.

Phantom Breeding Area #5

This phantom was set up to only be used when needed.  It was actually located where to barn aisles crossed.  It was located outside the stallion’s stall.  But since the SMS Breeding Phantom is portable, they could just put it away when not in use.

This is looking in from the outside.  The stallion’s stall is there on the right.  If a mare was needed her escape route would be forward as the barn door to the outside was in front of the phantom.

This shows the door to the outside, and the other aisle would be to the left in this picture.

This is the view coming down the aisle from the other direction.  The stallion’s stall is now on the left in this picture.

Phantom Breeding Area #6

This is a super simple set up that has all you need.  They put up a teasing wall for the mares and located it in the shade.  Sometimes all you need is simple especially if you are just handing your own stallion.