AQHA MAGAZINE May / June 2020 AQHA May-June YB 2020 WEB LR | Page 72

PG.70
HORSE HEALTH
stallionmanagement
long term storage of semen. Some owners use this as
an insurance policy ensuring semen is stored in case
the stallion is no longer able to breed. Some owners
look to export semen and frozen storage is the most
convenient method but requires semen to be collected
in an approved facility with quarantine and health
testing performed. Some semen is collected and stored
in speculation, a young colt or stallion might show some
promise, the owner will store some frozen semen and
then have the colt/stallion castrated.
How is a stallion collected?
The most common way to collect semen is to have the
stallion mount either a mare or a dummy horse. The
semen is collected from the artificial dummy, assessed,
processed and inseminated.
There are other ways to collect semen. Some horses
can be trained to collect on the ground.
This can be used for an older stallion that might have
hind limb pain that prevents him from mounting.
Alternatively chemically induced ejaculation can be
used in selected cases.
How many people does it take to collect a stallion?
It is possible with a very well trained stallion and
personnel to have one person handling and collecting
the stallion. This is the exception and it is much safer
to have a dedicated stallion handler, a dedicated mare
handler and then the person collecting the semen, a
total of three people.
Is there an optimum reproductive
age for the stallion?
Stallions all mature at different rates and different ages.
There can also be some breed differences.
Most stallions start puberty between 1-2 years of age
depending on when they are born. Final maturation is
probably about 4 years of age. It is possible with over
use of a young stallion, or the use of some drugs to
reduce fertility. It is essential to carefully manage a
young stallion that is breeding so that no damage is
done to his fertility.
Does the stallion need to be sound?
Soundness generally refers to the horse not being lame.
A mature stallion with a large breeding commitment
needs to be fit and strong for the season.
Any soreness can become a problem with the stallion
potentially refusing to mount due to pain. Also the
quality and amount of semen can be less with a horse
that is in pain. The last point about soundness is an
ethical dilemma. The physical appearance of a horse
(conformation) is important in determining whether
there are likely to be problems with soundness. The
physical appearance is also passed on to the offspring
and so offspring can inherit the physical appearance
of their parents and inherit some of the problems that
may go with that physical appearance.
What are the various methods
of inseminating a mare?
There are several methods to inseminate a mare.
The general principles are cleanliness and no trauma.
With a large volume of semen the method is to use a
insemination pipette to place the semen in the body
of the uterus. With smaller semen doses, the ideal is
to place the semen further up the uterus closer to the
ovary. This might be achieved with different pipettes
that are capable of bending around corners and might
require manipulation via rectum with or without
sedation. With very low doses it is possible to place
semen at the very tip of the uterus. This can be done
with an endoscope and very small semen doses.
What are the pros and cons
of these methods?
Large volume insemination is relatively easy and cheap.
The more involved inseminations with low semen doses
can be more involved and expensive as they might
require drugs and equipment to achieve insemination.
How long does semen last in the
various types of storage?
Fresh semen should be used in a few hours. Chilled
semen can last 24-72 hours depending on the stallion
and the way it is processed. Generally it should be used
within 24 hours. Frozen semen can last indefinitely, if it
is looked after properly.
How do I ascertain if my stallion’s semen
is viable and/or decent quality?
This can be very important for a number of reasons. If
you are considering purchasing a stallion as a breeding
prospect then evaluating the fertility of the horse is
very important. Also if you want to have an idea of
how many mares can be booked into a stallion for the
season then an evaluation is important.
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