Breeding horses today often involves the use of artificial insemination (AI) with fresh, cooled, or frozen semen (except for Thoroughbreds). But whether you are using AI or live cover, the main goal is to get a viable sperm to fertilize a mature, healthy ovum (also known as an oocyte or egg). Therefore, it is important to evaluate and understand the sperm-producing capabilities of a stallion and understanding the quality of his semen.

Terry Blanchard, DVM, MS, Dipl ACT, of Texas A&M University, says that in general, if a stallion has good-quality fresh semen, that semen has a good chance of surviving the cooling process. Figuring prominently into the equation of semen survivability is the human handling factor during collection and insemination. The handling of semen at every level can be improved through education and experience, but that won’t affect the initial quality of the semen a particular stallion produces.

Thus, says Blanchard, it is highly important to evaluate a stallion’s semen well in advance of collecting and shipping it. If it is not of the best quality, there might be some steps that can be taken to improve the survivability of spermatozoa, but determining what those steps should be will come in the wake of semen evaluation