GetBreeding

Even if you’re collecting semen from a stallion who is on the same site as the mare, and you’re putting the semen straight in, you should still extend the semen 1:1 with an extender that works well with that particular stallion’s semen. It will improve longevity of the sperm cells that you inseminate, and should, in most cases improve pregnancy rates.

Always assess semen on collection, check concentration & progressive motility and aim to inseminate 500 million progressively motile cells.

Over the last month or so, whilst we’ve been training people to collect, assess, and ship semen, we keep seeing the same thing:

Haemacytometers bought from eBay… They normally come from China/Hong Kong, have a lengthy description about the great quality… and generally are priced at between £15-£35. “What a great deal!” I hear you cry, as you head off to eBay to get yours. DON’T!

The quality of these haemacytometers is not adequate for accurate estimation of sperm concentration. Those who have bought them from eBay or similar sites will tell you that the clarity of the engraving is poor, and the chambers are generally not very clear, making it very difficult to count sperm cells.

Look for an IMPROVED NEUBAUER haemacytometer. There are great quality sets available from within the UK from as little as £35.00! Look around, and get a quality chamber… You get what you pay for!

DNA damage might be one of the reasons that frozen-thawed stallion semen is less fertile than chilled or fresh semen. A group from the University of Northern Colorado (Burns et al, 2009) have done some interesting investigations where they have been adding plant extracts to commercially available freezing extender. Initial results with 4 stallions shows that additions of these extracts appears to significantly reduce DNA fragmentation that occurs during the freezing (and thawing) process.

No fertility data (pregnancy rates) is available, and this is important to keep in mind. Previous work had suggested that addition of cholesterol to the sperm membrane could improve freezability. However, work since then has shown that while increasing the cholesterol content of the sperm membrane does improve post-thaw motility, it actually causes a reduction in pregnancy rates. This is probably due to the added cholesterol reducing the sperm’s ability to undergo capacitation.

Hopefully we’ll see some fertility data using frozen-thawed semen from this trial at some point in the not-too-distant future.

If you have a spare £25,000 or so, then you could always invest in an Equidame dummy mare. The Equidame not only automatically fractions the ejaculate into pre-ejaculate, sperm rich, and gel fractions, but also has an automatic AV, height and angle adjustment system. So, with the click of a button, the dummy and AV will automatically adjust to suit a particular stallion. Here’s a YouTube video of the Equidame in action.

As you may be aware, we’re not keen on built-in AVs, or necks on dummies… so I don’t think we’ll be investing in one for the time being!

Thinking about offering AI from your stallion at home, or buying a new dummy mare? We’ve put together some pointers to help you choose a dummy:

• A single, sturdy, clean-cut, padded pedestal. Two legs are associated with lacerations and fractures.
• A smooth, snug-fitting cover, made of a “cool” material. Man-made materials can cause friction burns.
• Modest padding to soften the mount and dampen any “odd” noises.
• Sturdy construction with minimal clunks and rattles. A collapsing dummy may put a stallion off mounting for life.
• “Hips” are OK, and may help a stallion “lock on”.
• Necks, heads, ears, tails etc. are totally unnecessary
• Self-service dummies with built in AVs are associated with serious injuries to the penis and should be avoided.
• Height and angle should be adjustable.
• AV cut-outs and wedges at the back of the dummy should be avoided as they encourage creeping.

Our favourite dummy is the Equimount (available from Equimount)… but home-made dummies can be more than adequate. There are plans the Equine Reproduction Ltd website.

Sambertino owner, Cheryl Mitchell's Dummy mare