[easyridertobe]

Has anyone heard anything about heat being a factor in a stallions reproduction? My vet recently told me not to breed during the hot temperatures due to the stud not being fertile. He said it took two months for the stud to replenish new sperm after the hot weather goes away. We had triple digit temps for almost a month straight.

Has anyone else been told this? Is this for the stallion only or does the mare do the same?

[Acme Acres]

No, not at all. I've collected when it was well over 110 degrees and had over 80% motility. Feaver can reduce the sperm count though, but honestly... this sounds funny, go out when it's warm and touch your stallion's "boys". They will almost always be quite cool to the touch, and is the reason they're external and not internal... and they get closer or further from the body based on the temps too.

[easyridertobe]

Thanks? What about the mare? Does the temps effect them?

Just trying to figure out why my vet said this? I've looked all over the net trying to find an explanation and haven't found anything about it. I think he's getting lazy and doesn't want to work in the heat, the vet that is!

[Shannon]

During last year's heat wave, the semen I received was at less than 50% after I think 18 hours. Two weeks later, with temperatures 20-30 degrees cooler, the same stallion's semen was at 80% within the same time span.

I don't know if we can chalk that up to the heat, but that looks like the factor here

[easyridertobe]

My stallion bred two mares last year in the hottest temps and one stuck and one did not. I recently had a mare checked to make sure she was in foal and she wasn't so that's the explanation my vet give me. He also said something about the "boys" being external and that was the reason for it taking the two months to replenish. He said once the temps gets into the 90's to forget about breeding until cooler weather. First I had heard so I thought I would ask your opinions. Thanks

[Haas Horse Farm]

The heat has had no effect on either my stallions or my mares.

[Acme Acres]

Whoa, Whoa, whoa. Shannon, what was the semen motility when it was collected on the 50% shipment and on the 80% shipment. Easyrider, it's quite easy to blame the stallion for a mare not taking, but you can't specifically say it was because of the temps. Look at what a horse's own temp is....and if being above 90 degrees made the difference, we wouldn't be breeding after early April!

[Shannon]

Originally Posted by Acme Acres

Whoa, Whoa, whoa. Shannon, what was the semen motility when it was collected on the 50% shipment and on the 80% shipment. Easyrider, it's quite easy to blame the stallion for a mare not taking, but you can't specifically say it was because of the temps. Look at what a horse's own temp is....and if being above 90 degrees made the difference, we wouldn't be breeding after early April!

The vets all said it was due to the heat. I don't think the repro center that collected him tested at each collection, but I'll ask Suzie (second shipment was what Penny caught from). It was 115*+ when we tried to breed Queenie.

[Haas Horse Farm]

Okay then explain to me why we had to have the water at 125 degrees on one stallion to even get him collected? He likes it hot!!!

[Acme Acres]

They better have checked it before they shipped. That would be a breeding faupaw not to! Besides the fact it tells the mare owner and stallion manager how it did in transport too.