Project help please?!?!

[amage]

Hi guys this is a begging post!!
I'm doing a project on factors affecting stallion fertility and was wondering if anyone has any info or input that might help?? got alot of the scientific papers etc but just interested to see what the breeders have to say!!! if anyone can help could you pm me please?
thanks guys
Amy xxx

 

[AndyPandy]

Well... briefly, it's either going to be genetic or environmental...

Genetic factors can influence: motility, morphology, rate of spermatogenesis and subsequent sperm count/concentration, possible toxicity of seminal plasma, protein expression in the sperm or semen leading to stallion-mare incompatibility syndrome, longevity of sperm cells in chilling for AI & sperm freezability... those are just a selection.

Environmental factors include diet/nutrition, infection/disease, injury/trauma, age, exercise, the mare (and her reproductive tract), and in the case of AI; how the sperm cells are handled/processed...

There are tonnes of things we know about which influence fertility, but also lots we don't know about or understand yet.

Hope that helps.

 

[pocomoto]

Did a course at the National Stud a few years back and they were talking about psychology. Young stallions entering a unit containing only other males can have problems adjusting because in the wild they would not be old enough to breed.

They would remain in a batchelor band and hone their sparing skills until old enough and strong enough to challenge a herd stallion. So they find that some young sires are held back being in the batchelor block and feel intimidated and so their labdio is lowered affecting fertility and willingness to mate, being surrounded by older breeding stallions.

Might be worth exploring?