Exodus grew out of a working breeding operation and spent years helping other farms set up theirs. The questions came down to two things: how horses and people move through the shed, and what the lab needs to process a collection without delay.
Start with what the farm does
Before drawing anything, Exodus asked farms to list their operations, because each one adds space and equipment:
- breeding mares to an outside stallion
- mares with foals
- standing a stallion and shipping semen
- freezing semen for storage
- embryo transfer
Short-term and long-term goals matter too. It is cheaper to leave room for a lab or a second phantom now than to add it later.
The zones of a breeding shed
Exodus’s layouts kept these areas separate but close together, with open floor between them so horses can move through without crowding:
- Teasing stocks, with a secondary phantom nearby
- The primary phantom, or a jump-mare area if a mare is used
- Wash area for the stallion, about 10 × 10 ft
- Holding stocks, about 10 × 2 ft each, and a row of stocks for mares
- Insemination area
- The lab, about 10 × 10 ft, right beside the collection area
Put the lab where the collector can hand the A.V. through within seconds. Time and temperature changes between collection and processing are one of the commonest reasons semen does not ship well.
Equipping the lab
A basic on-farm lab for evaluating, extending and shipping cooled semen needs:
- A.V.s and collection supplies: Missouri or Colorado A.V.s with covers, a fill kit and thermometer, disposable liners, gel filters and collection bottles
- Evaluation: a microscope, slides and coverslips, and a slide warmer
- Counting: a hemacytometer or a counting device such as the Quick Check
- Processing: all-plastic syringes, beakers and cylinders, an incubator, and a swing-out-rotor centrifuge with tubes if you have stallions that need spinning
- Shipping: Next Generation extenders and Equine Express II boxes, with coolant packs kept frozen
- Insemination: sterile sleeves, pipettes, sterile lubricant, tail wraps and breeding straps
If you plan to freeze semen, add liquid nitrogen storage, freezing straws and handling gear, and talk to your veterinarian or a freezing lab about the setup they recommend.
Adapted from Exodus breeding shed layouts, facility pre-design interview and breeding operation checklist. This guide covers handling and use only; breeding timing, insemination and anything involving medication are for your veterinarian.