STALLION MANAGEMENT

Lesson Eight

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

Breeding mares through the use of artificial insemination (AI) techniques is today the most common means of achieving a pregnancy. With the exception of the Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeds, breed associations generally accept for registration the offspring created through AI.

AI opened the door to “technology” breeding and now registries were also accepting foals produced by cooled and frozen shipped semen. Even “cloned” individuals are accepted for registration by some breed associations.

For “technology” produced pregnancies, the first step is to collect the stallion semen.

CONDOMS

Yes, there is such a thing as a condom for a stallion. On certain occasions when the stallion is unable to be collected with an artificial vagina or it is difficult to obtain such an apparatus, use of a condom may provide the best specimen for evaluation. There are problems, however, associated with getting the condom on and off. And during false mounts and failures to maintain an erection, the rubber cover is difficult to keep in place.

ARTIFICIAL VAGINA AND DUMMIES OR PHANTOMS

The use of the artificial vagina (AV) allows for more safety precautions and is usually the means of choice for collecting a good quality stallion ejaculate for artificial insemination or for fertility evaluation.

One of the main advantages of this method of collection is the option of using a phantom, or manufactured dummy, instead of a live mare - thus eliminating one element of danger from this procedure. Training a stallion to mount a phantom and serve an artificial vagina may seem like a hefty task, but for most stallions with a normal sex drive (libido), this is not the case.

When phantoms first hit the market, extreme measures were used to hoodwink the supposedly unsuspecting male into mounting and breeding what appeared to be a cloth covered barrel. Urine from an in-heat mare was splashed over the mounting site. A mare in standing estrus was placed next to the dummy. The stallion was blindfolded and led up to the mare.

After teasing the mare, before the final approach to mount, the mare was slipped out of the way and the stallion brought to the back of the phantom. Achieving a mount, his penis was quickly diverted into an AV in the hope that he would stay hooked and provide the collector with the much desired ejaculate.

While these ploys may still be of use in dealing with the reluctant participant, they are usually not necessary. Most sexually excited stallions will quickly get over their hesitation in mounting the dummy if they find the collection to be a pleasurable experience.

But perfecting a model for the artificial vagina and developing the technique necessary to achieve this goal has been no easy task. The next lesson will continue the discussion on artificial insemination as it relates to the breeding stallion. Artificial insemination as it relates to the mare is covered in detail in the Equine Reproduction course.

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ASSIGNMENT (No Quiz)

Please submit answers to the following questions. Resources other than the written text are encouraged as well as personal experiences. Please site your resources – include the link if you used the internet; book title and author if you used hard copy.

Send your report to Dr. Sales at jsales@horsecoursesonline.com

Include your full name and email address on the document.

1. Describe what is meant by the use of artificial insemination in the horse breeding industry.

2. Describe, in detail, what a dummy (phantom) is and how it is utilized in the use of artificial insemination in the horse breeding industry.

3. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages in the use of artificial insemination verses the use of pasture breeding or hand breeding in a horse breeding operation.