Stallion owners in the United States and Europe have the potential to broaden their market by exploring the Australian breeding industry. The breeding season in the Northern Hemisphere winds down in August but the breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere is just about to heat up. That is when mare owners in Australia and New Zealand begin to think about the perfect stallion for their mare. Stallion owners in the US and Europe may wish to explore the Australian market not only to expand their stallion's genetic pool but also as a way to provide additional income during their “off” breeding season.
With the use of frozen semen it is no longer necessary for a stallion to board a plane in order to have offspring born on foreign soil. The days of “Dual Hemisphere” stallions is becoming part of the past for most breeds. Select Breeders Services (SBS) and its Affiliate Laboratory Network assist stallion owners and mare owners alike with the reality of having foals born in Australia as well as many other countries in the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, etc.) without the stallion ever leaving the ground. Many stallion owners choose to bring their stallions to our facilities in order to freeze semen for the Southern Hemisphere right after the Northern Hemisphere breeding season has ended. This allows enough time to collect and process the semen as well as have it shipped to its final destination in time for the start of the breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere.
Dr. Glenn Blodgett of the 6666 Ranch commented on how expanding into the Southern Hemisphere breeding industry has impacted their operation.
"Shipping and marketing semen to Australia has allowed us to maxmize our breeding operation. It is a whole new market and being in the Southern Hemisphere allows our office staff to focus on an entirely different season or time of year which improves our efficiency and productivity. In addition, our relationships in Australia have increased the Four Sixes' brand globally as well as our stallions."
Facilities within the SBS Affiliate Network are approved to export equine frozen semen to Australia. Most of the frozen semen shipped from SBS in Maryland and Select Breeders Southwest (SBSW) in Texas has been from AQHA halter and cutting horse stallions along with warmblood sporthorses and Standardbreds. However, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) has affiliate programs in Australia as well. Other breeds we have shipped down under include frozen semen from Arabians and Morgan Horses.
Jennifer Weske-Monroe of MEMC Morgans in Melissa, TX said,
“I've had a wonderful experience with the shipment of frozen semen to Australia from two of my Morgan stallions, MEMC Tequila Cuervo and MEMC Crown Royal. The entire process went smoothly from testing and quarantine of the stallions to the shipment and subsequent successful inseminations of all the mares. My stallions now have numerous foals throughout Australia thanks to Select Breeders and I have met many new friends in the process.”
She mentioned that between the two stallions there are 20 foals (17 from MEMC Tequila Cuervo and 3 from MEMC Crown Royal) on the ground with many more to come in the future. A couple of those foals are the MEMC Crown Royal colt (photo below right, taken by Michele Meijer) out of the mare Eagleview Benita and the MEMC Tequila Cuervo filly, Wirraway Chantilly Lace (photo above right taken by Wirraway Morgans), out of the mare Moonbah Fortunate One. 
Once the decision is made to have frozen semen qualified for export to Australia it is best to contact a facility which is well versed in the process. Several SBS Affiliate Labs send mulitple shipments to Australia each year and are familiar with the health testing and documentation required to have the frozen semen clear customs at the destination airport without issue. You can find additional information in our article about Exporting Frozen Semen From the United States. Or contact us via phone at (410) 885-3202 or email for more information.
Another advantage of using the SBS Affiliate Laboratory Network to freeze and qualify semen from your stallion for international distribution is the possibility of combining frozen semen from more than one stallion, or for more than one client, into a single shipment. Thereby some of the costs of the export can be shared.
SBS utilizes shipping containers which can hold as little as one dose or as many as 200 doses. We also have many shipments travelling to foreign destinations throughout the year. Coordinating and combining stallions/clients going to the same location into one container saves our clients on some of the costs associated with the export of the frozen semen. It is to your benefit to share a shipment whether you are a stallion owner wishing to send enough semen to store in Australia for twenty mares or a mare owner in Australia who only needs enough semen for one mare. Monroe said, “Select Breeders Southwest has worked to combine other breeds of stallions in the same tanks to reduce costs even more. It has been a very positive experience for all of us.”
We look forward to assisting you whether you are at the exploration phase to determine if the Australian market is for your stallion or you are ready to begin the process. If you would like to share a shipment to Australia please contact us via email or phone (410-885-3202).
This article was updated on April 4th, 2024.
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