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Basic Broodmare Management
A healthy, frolicking foal is the result of a well-designed broodmare management program. Although many other factors are involved in the total breeding program, without basic broodmare care and management, conception is much more difficult. By following the discussed broodmare management practices, your chances of producing a live, healthy foal are significantly increased.
Volumes of material have been written on broodmare management. However, much of the material is extremely detailed and is of little use to the average horse owner
… The Stallion: Breeding Soundness Examination and Reproductive Anatomy
Stallion owners or potential owners, must be critical of the stallions they use for breeding, taking into account their physical conformation, reproductive anatomy and semen quality in order to continue to introduce and produce the highest quality horses. The following article discusses breeding soundness examinations of the stallion and their importance.
Evaluate your stallion to be sure he is physically ready for the breeding season.
A breeding soundness exam of a stallion includes not only examination of various seminal …
Why Won’t My Mare Get Pregnant? – Webinar
Learn about common problems in the breeding barn and how to increase the chances of getting a mare in foal. Join us in this FREE webcast provided by My Horse University and eXtension HorseQuest.
A mare’s fertility can be influenced by a variety of factors including her health, age, and reproductive anatomy. In addition, stallion fertility and technician skills all play an important role in successfully breeding the mare.
Dr. Kathy Anderson, University of Nebraska, presents information on fertility …
Stallion Reproduction
Basically, the role of a breeding stallion is to impregnate mares. This means producing semen containing adequate quality and numbers of spermatozoa to fertilize a mare’s ovum. Spermatozoa are produced daily in the seminiferous tubules of the stallion’s testes. The testes are housed in the protective covering of the scrotum, which functions to regulate the temperature of the testes. Temperature regulation is important because abnormal rises in temperature — such as those caused by injury or infection — will decrease …
Breeding Horses
The vast majority of stallions are hand-mated naturally or collected for artificial insemination. While total conception rates are no less with pasture breeding, most mare owners require specific breeding dates so that expected foaling dates can be accurately calculated.
Mating Management
Conception rates are highest when mares with reasonably good fertility are mated to stallions which meet high fertility standards (semen volume, sperm concentration, and percentage of live sperm).
Mares with unknown or poor reproductive histories should be evaluated by …
Manipulation of the Mare’s Reproductive Cycle
There are several management tools used to bring about the onset of the breeding season or to alter the estrous cycle itself. The most reliable method used to induce the ovulatory season is the use of artificial lights to alter the mare’s perception of day length. The easiest light management program is to use lights at the end of the day to extend the perceived day length (or photoperiod) to 16 hours. This practice entails turning on an artificial light …
Mare Seasonality
The mare is a seasonal breeder with a series of estrous cycle normally occurring the breeding season which coincides with long day lengths. The longest day of the year is June 22 and the shortest is December 22. Therefore mares should reach a peak in their reproductive activity around June 22 and be the least reproductively active in late December.
Anestrous period
The period in which the mare is the least reproductively active is termed the “anestrus” period and typically …
Pasture Breeding Horses
While total conception rates are no less with pasture breeding, most mare owners require specific breeding dates so that expected foaling dates can be accurately calculated. Some breed registries, most notably The Jockey Club, require natural cover. In addition to requirements imposed by registries, some managers prefer natural service because of lower investments in labor and equipment. Conversely, natural matings can be more dangerous because of the differences in mares’ acceptance to a stallion and the stallion’s conduct around them. …
Evaluation of Stallion Semen
Evaluating Semen Quality
Keep all equipment used in semen evaluation at 37°C and free of any spermicidal agents. Evaluate each ejaculate to assure the maximum number of normal, progressively motile spermatozoa. The following criteria are used to determine semen quality, total sperm output and insemination dose: volume, concentration, motility and morphology.
Volume
Volume is simply the total amount of gel-free semen in a single ejaculate and is usually measured in milliliters.
Concentration
Concentration is determined by using a hemocytometer or …