When considering whether a stallion is going to be suitable for breeding, our vets will take a thorough history and perform a physical examination paying particular attention to the following matters:

• Has the stallion bred before, was this natural cover or is he trained to be collected from? If so, is this using a phantom dummy, a jump mare or ground collection?
• How many mares will he need to breed and over what period of time? 
• Has he already produced successful pregnancies?
• Does he have any underlying medical conditions?
• Does he have any orthopaedic conditions that may limit his ability to be collected from or cover naturally
• What is the stallion's temprament and libido like? 
• What is the stallion's age? 
• Is his conformation suitable? 
• Are there any licensing conditions needed to allow progeny to be registered with specific breed societies?
• Are both testicles descended correctly?

Once the above has been considered we would recommend a trial collection and semen analysis. Semen analysis should include assessment of motility and morphology as well as getting an idea for the number of spermatozoa (sperm cells) the stallion typically produces per ejaculation. Whilst we do not currently have the facilities to perform this service at RVC Equine please do contact us so we can refer you to one of our trusted partners. 

Before collection or cover the stallion will need to have pre-breeding swabs and bloods taken which can be done by us. We follow HBLB guidelines to ensure strict compliance in preventing sexually transmitted infections. 

https://codes.hblb.org.uk/index.php/page/39

Pre-breeding stallion examinations

This often involves:

• General physical examination including external genitalia
• Review of previous breeding history
• Pre breeding swabs for CEM (2 sets of swabs required 7 days apart) 
• Pre breeding bloods for infectious diseases EVA and EIA
• Test semen collection if appropriate
• Motility and morphology assessment of semen 

Enhancing success rates by checking sperm quality

The RVC use an analysis process called ‘iSperm’

When shipped semen samples are sent to us for breeding, these are routinely checked with our mobile computer-assisted sperm analysis process called ‘iSperm’ 

This method of semen analysis greatly enhances our clinical ability to evaluate semen specimens in the field without the need to travel to a laboratory. Evaluation on site avoids insemination with poor quality semen which can cause unnecessary endometrial reactions and delays requesting fresh semen.  Therefore, we are checking that it has travelled well and still has the ability to produce a pregnancy.  For example, a typical fresh or chilled equine semen dose (per mare) will hopefully be sent with 1 billion spermatozoa.  It is expected that approximately 50% of those spermatozoa will die in a 24-hour transit period.  Using the iSperm technology, we can check that no further deterioration has occurred. If there are any issues then a fresh dose can then be requested from the stud or agent immediately, while still at the yard, to be shipped out or collected that day, avoiding a critical delay and increasing chances of successful conception.  

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