That the TB industry is still so vehemently opposed to the use of AI continues to be a source of surprise, in many ways, to advanced reproductive technicians everywhere.
The arguments that are put forward about the use of AI allowing too many mares to be bred to a single popular stallion really don't hold water these days. That was a valid argument perhaps 35 years ago, when the average stallion live covered 40 or so mares a year, but today, with the advent of ultrasound and better palpation techniques to pinpoint ovulation, intead of a mare needing to be bred "every other day until the end of her cycle", the stallion only needs to breed her once to achieve pregnancy. Consequently, we can see stallions breeding 200 mares a year by live cover. One has only to look at the phenomenal impact that a horse such as Northern Dancer has had to realise the "40 a year" really isn't the way any more! So with that, we see instead today the limiting feature being how much money people can afford to spend in breeding to these top stallions. i.e., can they afford the stud fee? If AI were introduced, I think that feature would still remain the limiting factor on the top stallions. At the lower end of things, it would "open up" the market dramatically. Currently, we see the small local mare owner breeder limited to breeding to the TB stallion that is close enough to them to travel their mare to be bred live cover. What this actually achieves, is a LIMITING of the gene pool in certain areas where there are few TB stallions standing - the exact same thing that opponents of AI claim would happen if it were allowed by the Jockey Club!! In addition to this, we are now seeing the advent of "dual hemisphere stallions", and this is an arrangement that has raised eyebrows in the TB world, and has actually led to serious discussion about allowing AI. What is happening is that a few top stallions travel every year from the Northern hemisphere to the South - Australia in particular, where it has been estimated that up to 10% of the entire Thoroughbred foal crop in Australia is now sired by a mere handful of dual-hemisphere stallions (sadly, www.studbook.aust.com has become another site that requires a paid log-in to access this useful information) - to breed during the breeding season there, which is of course, the opposite to the breeding season in the north. Once again, there is a narrowing of a gene pool as a result, and there is a contingent who believe that the introduction of AI would allow a greater number of stallions the opportunity to breed outside their home hemisphere by the use of transported semen.
The question of safety for stallions certainly comes into play, and there is no doubt that the use of AI would make it safer yet. The subject of the danger associated with having a multi-million dollar stallion live covering a mare is one aspect often mentioned. Although there is undoubtedly still danger involved, one has to give kudos where kudos is deserved - the top horses stand at top studs, and those managers have a tremendous system in place, not the least of which is the "teaser" stallion, which is not often seen in the smaller breeding operation. This poor chap gets to mount the mare before the "main man" does, and as a result of an intricate "bib" system, he is unable to actually breed her, and merely determines whether the mare will kick when mounted. (It's a poor life being a teaser....!) So, yes, there is always an element of danger still, and AI would make it safer, but I have tremendous respect for the big breeding farms methods in place now.
The industry itself is the great leveler. A popular stallion is going to be used excessively, no matter what, just as the stallion that doesn't produce will, in time, not be used. This applies not only to racing, but to the sport horse industry as a whole. My feeling is that we should do everything we can to aid the breeder, and then allow the product to determine it's own quality.
For another opinion on this topic, click here (this article is not currently available), where the Australian Veterinary Association speaks out in support of A.I. in T.B.'s; or click here to review the information brought forward in the debate at the Asian Racing Conference in Thailand (this contains some very interesting statistical comments that support the use of AI in the Thoroughbred).
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