Stretching Semen in the Aged Stallion (AAEP 2004)

As breeding stallions age, their reproductive abilities can wane, leaving their breeding managers with a problem–too many mares to breed, and not enough sperm. J. Scott Weems, DVM, of Weems & Stephens Equine Hospital in Aubrey, Texas, has successfully incorporated low-dose hysteroscopic insemination (LDHI)–direct placement of sperm at the site of the oviductal papilla (an ideal site for

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As breeding stallions age, their reproductive abilities can wane, leaving their breeding managers with a problem–too many mares to breed, and not enough sperm. J. Scott Weems, DVM, of Weems & Stephens Equine Hospital in Aubrey, Texas, has successfully incorporated low-dose hysteroscopic insemination (LDHI)–direct placement of sperm at the site of the oviductal papilla (an ideal site for fertilization) via use of an endoscope and catheter–and he presented information gained from its use during past two breeding seasons at the 2004 AAEP Convention, held Dec. 3-8 in Denver, Colo.

In early 2003, Weems was faced with a problem: A client's 24-year-old Quarter Horse stallion had limited daily sperm output, a demanding mare book, and some very concerned syndicate owners. "They were missing many cycles, creating a large backlog, and had a looming PR disaster on their hands," he said. He was able to incorporate LDHI into an existing artificial insemination (AI) program to inseminate all mares each breeding day without decreasing the number of mares in the stallion book, sacrificing pregnancy rate, or reducing the number of pregnancies produced.

Weems said that 136 mares were to be bred to this stallion during the 2003 season. Mares for breeding were selected by estrus and were examined by rectal ultrasound in order to find softening ovarian follicles. The mares were bred by either standard AI or LDHI, based on the amount of mares presented that day and the available semen.

What made the challenge even more difficult was that "approximately 10% of this horse's book was 20-year-old and older barren mares. There were a lot of performance horse mares too (that must be kept on a training schedule)

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Written by:

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding with her former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, It Happened Again (“Happy”). Stephanie and Happy are based in Lexington, Kentucky.

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