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Featured News: Collecting Semen from the Young Stallion

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April 23, 2013

At SBS, we are often presented with young stallions for semen collection and evaluation. There are a variety of reasons that stallion owners want to have semen collected from their young stallions including; 1) evaluation of sperm production and quality to assess suitability as a breeding stallion, 2) training to collect on a phantom with an artificial vagina in preparation for a breeding career and 3) to collect and preserve semen from a young stallion prior to castration or starting a performance career.

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Featured Blog: It Only Takes One.....Right?

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April 23, 2013

How many sperm does it take to get a mare pregnant?
1 billion?...500 million?... One? Actually, any one of those answers could be correct under certain conditions. The only way to really answer that question is... "it depends". Fertilization is a complex process requiring that both the sperm and egg possess a myriad of functional attributes expressed at the right time and in the right place. A motile sperm is not necessarily a fertile sperm. So, how many sperm must be deposited in the mare for "acceptable" fertility? It would seem that this would be the logical basis for determining sperm numbers in an insemination dose for commercially distributed semen. To achieve the goals of both the mare and stallion owner it is necessary for each dose of semen to contain sufficient numbers of functionally competent sperm to maximize the probability of conception. The relationship between sperm number and fertility is expressed as a typical dose response curve (see figure1). However, the slope of the curve and the maximum level of fertility are different for individual stallions.

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Featured Question

Is My Mare Too Old to Breed with Frozen Semen?

In older and problem mares, pregnancy rates after insemination with frozen semen are lower than AI with fresh semen. Data collected from a large number of mares indicated that pregnancy rates per cycle were reduced in mares aged ≥ 16 years old (<16yr 54% verses ≥16yr 42%). The deposition of semen in the uterus, by natural breeding or artificial insemination, causes a strong inflammatory reaction. This is a natural process designed to remove excess sperm, seminal plasma and contaminants from the uterus. Older mares appear to be less efficient at clearing this natural inflammatory process that follows mating. An inflammatory uterine environment 5 days after fertilization is incompatible with survival of the embryo. Older mares, at risk of developing a persistent inflammatory reaction after semen deposition require additional management at breeding time. Treatment strategies for this population of mares should include prompt correction of anatomical defects of the caudal reproductive tract, limited uterine exposure to semen and bacteria and support of uterine clearance from contaminants and products of inflammation. Ideally, only semen of good fertility should be used in these mares.

See also: Use of Frozen Semen in an A.I. Center: Technical Management and Obtainable Results 

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