The following article appeared in the USIHC Quarterly a few years ago. It is reprinted here with permission from the author (me). We now have a second filly, Freyja, who was also the result of artificial insemination.

You bet they can! And we have the filly to prove it.

Iounn: Filly: Bred (AI) 15-May-1998; Born 19-April-1999; 339 days

There is an old saw about breeding Thoroughbreds which I am sure applies to Icelandics just as well, "Breed the best mare (you can afford) to the best stallion (you have access to) and hope for the best." The big advantage of artificial insemination (AI) is that those of us who live in the hinterland can gain access to stallions that we otherwise would not have access to. The converse is also true: stallions can obviously service mares over a much larger area not to mention serving a greater number.

There are pros and cons to every type of breeding program: pasture breeding, stable breeding and AI. I don't want to participate in that debate. I just want to tell you that AI worked for us and a little bit about how it works.

There is a myth that AI (artificial insemination) does not work for Icelandics. Myths are fun to debunk. This is a success story about using AI. Logically I should begin with, or during the preparation for, the AI itself. But I think I'll start with the real fun stuff (the birth). If I set the hook well enough, you, the reader, may be more likely to stay with me through the drier details. Actually, I know it's the details you really want but I'm eager to tell about the birth and I have the pen (keyboard) in my hand.

The foal will soon be four weeks old and my wife and I are still as excited about it as we were with our own children; truth to tell maybe more but we wouldn't want that to get around.

We spent the week before the delivery sleeping out in the elements to be there for our mare Mylla (Phoenetic: Mitla) in her time of need; no sacrifice was too great for our beloved Mylla. Actually our horse trailer which we parked close to the shed where Mylla was to foal has rather comfortable living quarters so we didn't experience too many hardships. The closed circuit TV camera in the shed also made our discomfort a little more bearable; all we had to do was roll over and turn on the TV set to see how she was doing. We did have to wake up every hour or two so I think we deserve some recognition for meritorious service. As the story procedes you will see that Mylla did it all on her own with little or no help needed from us but I know she appreciated our moral support.

Saturday evening Mylla's teats were more swollen than they had been and were waxed up with colostrum. I put on my clean apron and my rubber gloves and prepared to boil water or to be of whatever assistance I could. My wife called our vet, Dr. Jeanne Rankin, and told her the situation. Dr. Rankin told us not to get too excited and that she would come out in the morning if the foal was delivered per the schedule she had outlined for us. Of course she would come out immediately if something went awry. Nothing outstanding happened that night but the next night was more eventful.

The alarm woke me up about 3:00 am so I could check on Mylla from the comfort of my bed. She was restless and obviously uncomfortable; she was either having a colic attack or going into the first stages of labor. I wanted to go out to her right then but I didn't because I didn't want to upset her in any way at that point. About 3:40 her water broke and I figured it was too late for Mother Nature to change her mind so I woke up my family and I dressed warmly enough to spend the rest of the night outside. By the time I got there one fore foot was already visible (it was about 3:41 am--I guess I was a little eager myself). Mylla got up and down several times during the next 10 minutes or so after which both forelegs were protruding. Another 10 minutes of similar activity and the foal's muzzle was clear. About this time (4:05 am) my whole family showed up and Mylla laid down and started having hard contractions about every 4-5 minutes. Three hours later (according to my wife's clock--she suffered every contraction right along with the mare) Mylla delivered at 4:25. I was almost frantic by now because I had forgotten how long our vet had said we should wait to clear the caul from the foal's nose. Once again Mother Nature saved my bacon. The foal's nose broke through as she was delivered and we could see her breathing. At this point we didn't know she was a filly because we didn't want to interfere any more than necessary before the mare and foal had bonded. In just a couple of minutes the foal was clawing her way out of the foal sack (amnion) up towards Mylla's head and within minutes they were nuzzling muzzles. Mylla lay there for another 15-20 minutes just as if she had heard our vet tell us she should. This allows for maximun transfer of blood from the placenta to the foal. At this point the mare got up to inspect her foal who had been trying to stand with limited success. Then our initial observation revealed a foal with all four legs, a head, and a tail as well as the body parts which defined her as a filly. And she had an anus. Our vet told us that foals are sometimes born without one--this would have ruined our whole day. The umbilical cord separated with just a few inches protruding from the filly's body and all we had to do was swab on a generous amount of iodine. Now it was time to call our vet and tell her the good news and that no emergency had developed. Dr. Rankin rearranged her schedule to come see our proud new mother and baby as her first visit of the day, Dr. Rankin reminded us to save the entire placenta for her to inspect. The placenta was delivered about 45 minutes after the filly was born and we did indeed put on our rubber gloves and save it in a bucket which we put in a safe place where no animals could get at it. Later Dr. Rankin verified that it was all there and had been healthy. By the time Dr. Rankin arrived the filly was walking around on wobbly legs, had suckled several times, and had passed her first manure (meconium). Dr. Rankin thought an enema was still in order so the foal got her first experience with that particular orfice being invaded. After the filly was at least an hour old and she had suckled at least twice, we imprinted her by handling her all over and rubbing her ears, feet, and anything else that either moved or didn't move. Several years ago I attended a lecture by the guru of imprinting, Dr. Robert Miller; he said you should rub every part 40 times. We weren't quite that conscientious but we did rub her a lot, especially her feet. She won't fear clippers or the vacumn cleaner because my wife went to the house and brought back her very own hair dryer to dry her hair (the filly's hair, that is). Clearly the mare and foal were not the only individuals bonding during these first few hours.

Since you are still reading, you've earned the details of the AI; but not too many details--I am not a veterinarian! You have all heard the story about the three most important considerations when buying real estate: 1) location, 2) location, and 3) location. Well with AI it's: 1) attention, 2) attention, and 3) attention to detail on both ends. The stud owner and the mare owner have to coordinate and communicate freely. The mare owner has to track the estrous cycle and let the stud owner know what is happening. After all, the stud probably has other duties to perform (or the same duty for other mares) and the vet on the semen collecting end has to be scheduled. As much lead time and as many updates as possible will help with the scheduling on the stud side. The owner and vet on the mare side have to be very vigilant. Our vet has a portable ultrasound machine which is an indispensable tool--I don't know how we would have been able to do without it. There are a couple of timing problems which you would not expect--at least we didn't. Fed Ex will deliver on Saturday but only if you are willing to give them your first born foal (actually they do not accept livestock as payment but it is expensive). You will probably need to adjust the mare's cycle to avoid the weekend; you know Murphy's Law. This is where the sonogram becomes essential. A follicle has to be at least 30 mm (I think it is) in order to stimulate it with a shot (I think it was hcg but ask your vet to be sure) after which it will develop fully (60 mm I think it is) and rupture or, in otherwords, ovulate. The time from shot to ovulation is fairly predictable--48 hours, I think. Anyway it gives you time to order the semen a day ahead and give the stud end a day for the collection. The semen must be delivered over night to be inseminated the next day. Horse semen must be shipped cooled. Other species use frozen semen all the time but not horses at least not yet. The shipping veterinarian used a special insulated, biologically safe, shipping container--the Fed Ex people are very sensitive about handling any biological material--imagine that. Here another problem arose which we did not anticipate. We were successful on our second attempt at AI. Our first attempt was made in July which is too late in the year. This was entirely my fault not the mare's nor the semen supplier's. As you undoubtly know, AI in Icelandics is a new experience. It took me a while to find Dan Slott at Mill Farm Icelandic Sports, Inc in New York who was all set up and had the experience of shipping semen from any one of his five outstanding stallions. Dan could not have been more cooperative and we can not recommend Mill Farm enough. Anyway back to the point, the semen arrived on a very hot day in July and the Fed Ex truck arrived before noon as promised. However, the container was evidently setting in the sun for about three hours because it was very warm, hot even, to the touch. It was still cool inside when we opened it to place the two sacks of semen in a refigerator until our vet could use one of them to inseminate Mylla. The AI took place witin an hour of the delivery. You can't be a day late or a dollar short with this operation. Also, we think the mare's cycle had been effected by the extreme heat we had in July 1997. Anyway the mare did not get in foal and we decided to wait until the next spring to try again; that time, in May 1998, the mare was successfully impregnated. But this time I had the semen held for me at Boulder Fed Ex distribution center which is about 30 minutes from us. And I was able to pick it up personally at 9:00 am. This is a trick you might want to consider too. Our vet checked the motility of the sperm after the first try and it was less than she wanted to see (50% I think) but on the second try 80-90% of the little devils were swimming around under her microscope. I think the trip to the Fed Ex center was worth while; at least I kept the container out of the sun. Our vet inseminated the mare again 24 hours later with the second sack of semen. The semen has to be used within 36 hours so the 48 hour repeat which is common for a live cover is not practical with AI. The semen remains viable for 12-24 hours once it is inserted so inseminating the mare twice pretty much covers the bases (no pun intended) as long as you are not too late and miss the ovulation.

The probabilty of success with AI is very much dependant on the attention to detail and dedication by all of the parties, both owners and veterinarians, on both sides of the equation. Obviously Dan Slott is trying to maintain and improve this wonderful Icelandic breed and he is willing to put in the time and effort required to do it. As for veterinary care, if you live anywhere near the Longmont/Ft Collins Colorado area we can't say enough to recommend Dr. Jeanne Rankin. If horses were given god parents, Dan and Jeanne would be Iounn's.

By the way we named the filly Iouun. The "o" carries a diacritic accent like a backward "6" which my keyboard never heard of. This is the letter "eth"; phoenetically it makes the "th" sound. Iounn is the Norse goddess who is the keeper of the special apples which the god's eat in order to stay forever young. The name "Iounn" connotes good luck which we certainly feel we have had. By the way kudos are in order for my grandson Gregory who did the research on the Icelandic names and also the original research which led us to get Icelandic horses in the first place.