Shipping cooled semen with the Equine Express II

The Equine Express II does its job best when every box is packed the same way. These are Exodus’s own sending and receiving instructions, lightly updated.

Before collection day

• Freeze the Special Coolant Pac. It needs at least six hours in the freezer. Keep a spare frozen through the season.
• Have extender mixed and at room temperature. Next Generation extenders need 20 minutes after mixing to dissolve fully.
• Know your stallion. Every stallion ships differently. Testing extenders and extension rates before the season tells you what your stallion’s semen needs to travel well.

What goes in a dose

Exodus’s long-standing guideline for a cooled, transported dose is:

• 750 million to 1 billion progressively motile sperm
• 20 to 25 million progressively motile sperm per mL of extended semen
• an extension rate of at least 5 parts extender to 1 part semen; 7:1 is better, and 10:1 is worth trying
• a Next Generation Universal or Dr. Kenney’s Formula extender

If you are not sure how to work out the numbers, see counting sperm and calculating a dose.

Packing the box (sending farm)

1. Label every syringe with the stallion’s name and registration number and the mare’s name and registration number.
2. Draw the extended semen into the syringes, cap them with the sterile caps provided and lay them in the bottom of the Equine Express II.
3. One dose is fine on its own. Do not add a second syringe of water to “balance” the load. The box is designed to cool consistently across a wide range of volumes.
4. Take the frozen coolant pack out of the freezer.
5. Place the ported foam plate on top of the syringes.
6. Lay the coolant pack on the plate.
7. Press the Dual-Seal Lid down onto the body until both edges are sealed all the way round.
8. Put the unit in the corrugated outer carton and tuck the flaps into the sides. No shipping tape is needed.

When the box arrives (receiving farm)

1. Open the lid. It is tight by design, to protect the cooling. Because the seal is what keeps the semen cool, the box is single-use.
2. Do not pre-warm the semen.
3. Prepare the mare. Put her in stocks, wrap her tail and tie it out of the way to reduce contamination and give the inseminator room to work.
4. Wash the vulva and surrounding area with warm water, cotton and a gentle antibacterial scrub. Rinse off all the soap, working from just below the rectum downward, and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
5. Leave the insemination to an experienced technician or your veterinarian. Exodus has always said it will only improve the chance of conception.

Good to know

• Semen quality on arrival depends on the stallion, the collection and how the dose was processed. If results are poor, start with why a stallion’s semen might not ship well.
• The Equine Express II also ships embryos. Your embryo-transfer veterinarian will tell you how they want embryos packaged.
• Refill kits and spare coolant packs are sold separately at RevivalAnimal.com.

Adapted from Exodus "Equine Express II Sending & Receiving" instruction sheet (2009). This guide covers handling and use only; breeding timing, insemination and anything involving medication are for your veterinarian.