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Artificial insemination & stallion book size “were among the more controversial topics discussed” as university professors from the US, UK, Australia & Israel gathered in Kentucky for the Third International Equine Industry Program Academic Conference, reported bloodhorse.com. Because frozen sperm could be used to breed the genetic material of stallions long dead with contemporary mares, “artificial insemination may actually produce better-quality racehorses” said Dr Phillip Coelho of Ball State University.

While modern technologies such as artificial insemination, embryo transfer & "super-ovulation" are currently banned in the breeding of thoroughbreds, Coelho argued such restrictive practices “have spawned monopoly distortions within the thoroughbred industry, which in turn has created an unnatural barrier in the market for stud services.” And Dr Robert Losey of American University tackled the thorny question of how many mares a stallion should be bred to & how that number effects stud fees. He declared: "The traditionalist, or old-school approach, wants to limit the number of mares. It's the old 6-gun theory: the stallion only has so many bullets."

During his research, Losey discovered that in the early years of a stallion's career, breeding to more mares tends to result in a lower average quality of mares bred, but higher numbers of note-worthy runners: "Stallion managers should try to produce a large number of foals in the early years. The goal is to hit the big time in your 1st 2 or 3 crops.”

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