Advanced methods for handling and preparation of stallion semen

Abstract

Clinical reproduction in the horse more closely parallels human clinical reproduction than in other domestic farm animals. Horse breeders rarely include fertility as a selection criterion when making mating decisions; in most breeds, there is no licensing or approval of stallions. This has led to a significant number of stallions in the breeding pool that possess desirable performance traits but are subfertile for a variety of reasons, some of them genetically transmitted between generations. Therefore, semen characteristics can vary greatly among stallions within the breeding population. A champion stallion is not gelded or culled for poor semen quality or the inability of his spermatozoa to withstand semen preservation techniques. Rather, equine theriogenologists go to great lengths to maximize reproductive performance using any and all means available. Therefore, advanced methods for processing and selecting stallion semen provide the clinician with valuable tools for handling poor-quality semen or for obtaining spermatozoa for assisted reproduction procedures.