Hunter Valley Equine Reproduction Centre (HVERC) is a purpose designed and built horse breeding facility located at Strathearn Park just 3km South of Scone NSW. Since its inception, HVERC has been developed into an exceptional equine breeding centre that offers the full range of services to horse breeders.

Scone is known as ‘The Horse Capital of Australia’ and is the second-largest horse breeding area in the world after Kentucky in the United States. This region boasts the largest breed Societies in Australia; The Australian Stock Horse Society, The Australian Quarter Horse Association, The Australian Bushman’s Campdrafting and Rodeo Association and the National Cutting Horse Association.

HVERC is 400 acres of carefully designed and managed paddocks purpose built to safely house the large number of horses that spend time at the facility to fulfil their owners breeding programs. There is agistment paddocks for breeding mares, separate paddocks for mares and foals and stallions.

The HVERC breeding enclosure is adjacent to a yard facility with a breeding crush, holding pens & individual day yards. This work area is the centre of daily activities at HVERC and is surrounded by larger paddocks in which horses spend the majority of their time. All agisted mares are hand fed daily in the day yards where they can be examined, treated and managed through their breeding cycles.

Our partner Laboratory has all the equipment to assist with the large number of breeding services that are performed daily during breeding season. The centre receives orders, collects, processes and freights chilled semen from several stallions on a daily basis to areas all over the southern hemisphere. Semen freezing is also available at HVERC.

Breeding programs are designed to suit mare owners’ specific requests with the centre offering a choice of natural service preparation, chilled or frozen semen insemination. Following joining there is then an option to transfer embryos to recipient mares so as to rebreed or keep a mare performing.

 

Services

Mare Insemination

The process of inseminating a mare involves timing the delivery of the semen to the mare’s oviduct to coincide with the best time to maximize conception. Whether it is a natural service (Stallion serving the mare) or insemination with chilled or frozen semen the same principals apply.

Mares are prepared by monitoring their ovarian cycle through their “heat” or estrus period. During this time they grow and eventually ovulate a follicle from their ovary. The ovum released at ovulation is then fertilized by semen in the mare’s oviduct to form the embryo.

HVERC aims to maximize the success of each insemination or natural service by managing the mare’s cycle and the insemination time to best suit the particular needs of the breeding program of an individual mare.

HVERC also offers breeding services for mares that have been problem breeders. These mares are admitted and examined and specific programs put in place to correct problems and improve fertility.

 

Routine Breeding Fees. (Gst Inclusive).

Natural Service preparation costs $550 per cycle,

Chilled insemination $660 per cycle, and

Frozen semen Insemination $880 per cycle.

Problem Mares – prices vary depending on assessment.

 

Stallion Collection

HVERC collects several stallions on a routine basis for chilled semen insemination. Stallions are either housed at MERC or walked on daily as required for collection. 

Stallions are teased and then collected using an artificial vagina, before the ejaculate is examined and then processed into inseminatory doses. The semen is then extended and packed for daily overnight freight to the mare breeder.

Timing and freight are the two most limiting factors in any breeding program. HVERC has a proven system to try and eliminate all possible areas of failure with collection and freight of semen and hence maximize conception rates. Mare owners book in for a semen collection by completing a Stallion booking form online. Freight routes and quotes are then organised and paperwork prepared so that when the mare is in season things are organised.

To book in with HVERC for a semen collection complete a Stallion booking form online before the mare comes into season. On the day of collection, the order is then made by phone before 9am and the semen will arrive the following day ready for insemination.

Collection Fees. (Inclusive of GST).

Semen Collection, processing and extension $275

Overnight Freight $ Quoted depending on delivery address. (Most destinations in Eastern Australia are around $150)

 

Agistment

Stallions are housed in their own Stallion stations in a separate area of the property where they are cared for daily in their own private premises.

All horses at HVERC are fed well to ensure maximum fertility during their stay. All horses agisted at HVERC are hand fed daily. There are communal paddocks as well as some individual agistment pens for mares that don’t mix with others.

 

Agistment Fees (Gst Inclusive).

Agistment costs are included while mares are in season

Mares $33/day

Individual Yards $33/day

Stallions – POA

All routine health care while agisted (drenching, hoof trimming etc) is additional

 

HVERC Fees (Gst Inclusive).

Standard Mare Breeding Programs (Natural or AI)

Price includes all drugs used in a standard preparation, ultrasound examinations throughout the oestrus cycle as required, agistment during estrus, insemination, 16 day pregnancy scan and 45 day pregnancy day scan. GST also included.

Price is charged on a per cycle basis irrespective of result.

All communications with the stallion owners and vet are taken care of to make the process as easy as possible for the mare owner.

Mare owners need to sort their stud booking with their chosen stallion then complete a “MARE BOOKING FORM” and submit or email it in and the rest will be organised for them.

In a normal healthy mare in the unusual event where the mare does not become pregnant after 2 cycles the third cycle will be at no charge

Fees (Gst Inclusive).

Chilled or Fresh Insemination program - $660

Frozen Semen Insemination program - $880

Natural Service preparation - $550

Stallion Collection for Chilled Semen AI

Price includes provision of a jump mare for collection, collection of the stallion’s semen, semen extender, professional processing the semen and preparation for shipment of a single inseminatory dose of chilled semen, semen shipper hire, and next day quality assurance testing of shipped samples.

Price is per shipped dose of semen and irrespective of how many collections are required to make up that shipment or of how many shipments are processed per collection.

Mare owners need to book at least 7 days in advance of beginning breeding programs by submitting an emailed “STALLION BOOKING FORM”. This includes freight details to allow a freight quote to be prepared.

Freight is in addition to fees and will be quoted and organised using HVERC chosen Freight Company for the delivery area.

Full payment including freight must be received before collection

Fees (Gst Inclusive).

Single dose semen shipment $275 (plus freight)

Short Notice Chilled semen Collection (no booking received prior to day of collection) $440

Freight – varies depending on delivery address.

 

Stallion Collection and Freezing

Price includes provision of a jump mare for collection, collection of the stallion’s semen, semen extender, professional processing the semen and freezing, thawing and motility assessments of each collection.

Stallion owners must understand that the number of doses able to be frozen per collection varies between stallions.

It is normal that the first 2 collections will not result in stored doses but rather be used to assess stallion freezability and compatibility with freezing techniques.

Fees (Gst Inclusive).

 $550 per collection.

 

Hendra Virus

All horses agisted at HVERC must have current Hendra vaccination status

Horses that are not vaccinated will be vaccinated on arrival at a cost of $110

Microchipping ($40) is compulsory for horses receiving the Hendra vaccination

Horses presenting for scans or semen collection that will be handled by their owners do not have to be vaccinated but it is recommended.