Stallion Breeding Examination

The stallion breeding soundness examination consists of a combination of the following, depending on the purpose of the examination:

• Detailed clinical history including the expected breeding requirements for that stallion
• General physical examination
• Asessment of reproductive anatomy including ultrasonography of the testicles
• Analysis of the horses libido and semen

During the physical examination, our vets will assess the horse’s conformation (with particular attention to feet and limbs), eyes, skin and other body systems. The stallion’s reproductive anatomy will be fully evaluated and any abnormalities, such as cryptorchidism, will be noted. Stallions should also be evaluated for potential genetic disorders, which may be passed to their offspring.

Routine pre-season breeding soundness examinations are encouraged to detect any issues prior to the season, especially in busy thoroughbred stallions. We can also offer stallion fertility statistical analysis using our Studstat software.

Stallion infertility/sub-fertility may be due to age, the result of infection or congenital or developmental abnormalities. Assessment of stallions with poor rates of fertility and management of such cases can be carried out by physical examination of the genital organs, ultrasound examination of the reproductive tract, and semen collection and analysis.

Semen analysis

Semen can be evaluated at our dedicated semen laboratory. Here it will be assessed for motility, morphology (structure), concentration and volume. We can also process samples for export to external laboratories for more in depth analysis such as sperm chromatin structure assays (DNA fragmentation) and fluorescence staining.