Greig Muir and Muhtafal
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

Greig Muir's views of Managing Stallions

Greig Muir, Stallion Manager at Summerhill StudFor many owners, reproduction is a straightforward procedure which begins with breeding ones broodmare and ends with parturition or foaling, the aim of which is to produce a superior equine athlete. In many cases the stallion is the forgotten part of the breeding equation, despite being responsible for half of the probability outcome of each breeding.

Stallions are the focal point of any breeding programme and have earned their “colours” as sires strictly because of five traits established before entering a breeding career, namely racing ability, pedigree, conformation, reproductive soundness and constitution.

The start of 2010 saw not only a close on the previous Breeding Season but the opening of another, which welcomes further equine athletes into the stallion fold to join other “working” stallions, all of whom are introduced to a new programme literally straight away in preparation for the start of another breeding season a few months later.

There are a number of things which may impact on the conception and an important tool for breeders is an assessment of the stallion (or mares) reproductive history and physical well being. With the commencement of a new breeding season, a stallion must have the ability to physically achieve a successful pregnancy rate when bred to a reasonable amount of fertile mares. Sadly, it is not always that simple, for there are several things that can occur that may complicate a pregnancy, resulting in fatal loss or no conception, which may be as a result of a poor performing stallion (or mare). It is therefore essential that your stallion is in good health and at peak fitness.

At the close of a breeding season, due to the stresses of consistent covering of mares, stallions may drop a few points on the body score meter, ideally a body score of 6 would be preferable for a working stallion going into a breeding season, whilst the outward bound body score can be as low as a 4 or 5.

Generally, a stallion in prime condition can be used one to three times per day without any adverse affect on pregnancy rates and today many popular stallions will cover over a hundred mares per season, which may result in four and occasionally five mares over a 24 hour period, therefore the physique of a working stallion is of as much importance as his health status, for muscle mass and condition are essential for the stallion to maintain throughout the breeding season.

As a rule we adopt a programme whereby the stallions have an annual break for a period of five to six weeks at the close of a breeding season, during which time there are no longer any mares for covering. During this period they are let out into their paddocks for longer periods of time during the day to ‘let down’ and relax. They are also subjected to a breeding soundness examination both administratively and physically should it be deemed necessary. Such examinations include breeding performance during the previous season, fertility, libido, injuries sustained and treatment administered, feeding programmes, inoculations and deworming.

Historic comparisons are important to assess problems that might have been induced through management protocols, or changes in management structure. 
Why conduct a breeding examination? When one considers the annual cost of keep for the average broodmare is approximately R28 000, coupled with an average stallion fee of R30 000, failure to yield in any one year represents a considerable loss to the owner of the mare and the stallion, it is therefore essential that these statistics are analysed annually. Specific information would include:

1.    Number of mares bred and the number of mares that conceived.
2.    Breeding frequency (number of mares bred daily as well as previous week)
3.    Number of services per cycle.
4.    Pregnancy rate per cycle.
5.    Cumulative pregnancy rate for the season.
6.    Pertinent information about the mares bred, maiden, barren, foaling mares, lactating mares and their respective pregnancy rates.
7.    Stallion behaviour, insertion of penis into vagina, premature dismount etc
8.    Quantity of dismount sample collected, and reinforced into the mare.
9.    Sperm present in the dismount sample
10.    Conformational traits
11.    Chronic injuries, lameness (careful attention should be paid to the limbs)
12.    Hind leg injuries or back problems can interfere with intensive breeding.
13.    Body temperature – effects sperm quality
14.    Age. The pubescent age of a stallion is between 12 and 24 months, sexually mature at 5 years. Puberty defined as the age at which the stallion ejaculate first contains 50 million sperm, of which 10% are motile (move forward in a straight line.)
15.    Libido

From this a management programme for each stallion can be planned in order that they may achieve ‘peak health and fitness’ for the start of the forthcoming breeding season, four to five months later.

EXCERCISE PROGRAMMES
The common forms of exercise programmes utilised for stallions can include regular walking, lunging, or riding. It is essential that stallions are not allowed to become over weight as this will lead to poor performance in the breeding shed. Following their end of season break, the stallions are gradually introduced to a programme of exercise that increases over a period of 8 to 10 weeks, this will vary from stallion to stallion, however generally on an automatic walker or lunging, this will range from approximately 6 to 10 minutes up to 20 to 25 minutes per day at which stage the stallion is becoming hardened and is able to undergo a regimen of exercise without losing body condition. Exercise also encourages a better mental attitude to the work a stallion will be required to do and prevent injury to all parties in the breeding shed. Monitoring nutrition and maintaining a regular check on body scores (and body weight if available) on a weekly basis is essential, adjustments can be made to either of the above should it be necessary, before weight becomes a problem.

Traditionally older stallion managers believe that the stallion handler should be equally fit and should partake of the exercise in their own time, to the extent of jogging around the lunge ring or walker to determine the extent of the exercise programme that he would incorporate for his horse.

STALLION BEHAVIOUR
For a racehorse retiring from the track to take up duties as a stallion, they are faced with challenges that many seldom consider. During training, normal sexual behaviour would have been actively discouraged and the change from racing to stud represents a radical change in the life of a prospective stallion and therefore management protocols must aim to prepare a horse not only from a physical and health perspective, but psychologically for the tasks that will be expected of the stallion during the breeding season. Young stallions require careful management and they may often be inhibited by disciplinary measures, previously traumatised racehorses or stallions may be aggressive to the extent they become dangerous. In the same way, not all stallions show intensive sexual or purposeful mounting behaviour, young, over-raced, physically or psychologically traumatized stallions may show little or no interest and exhibit weak libido and clumsy mounting behaviour.

Management directives might result in a traumatic experience for a maiden stallion, which can impact on the horse psychologically and can in some cases affect a stallion for life. Generally maiden stallions vary in the length of time it takes them to learn to cover, during which time they need to be assisted in a patient and understanding manner.

An old school stallion handler advised, “The most important thing with handling stallions is understanding stallion behaviour, becoming one with your horse, after that you can do anything”.

Coupled with handling stallions and putting them through their paces in the lunge ring or breeding shed, we have to continually strive to repeatedly maintain individual routines and teach the ‘new boys on the block’ their new role in life.

Most domestic breeding stallions do not have much of the harem stallion experience as they are accustomed to daily routine and necessary handling since foaling. Harem bands experience a structured social organization and do what comes naturally. Animal husbandry and selective breeding practices have created a whole new set of rules which are different from those in nature, many developed over decades forcing stallions to comply, often with negative results. Observation and incorporation of natural behaviour and practice can be beneficial to both the handler and horse, saving time and effort, avoiding bad habits and in many cases reducing the risk of injury to both your team and your mare.
 
The typical harem stallion interacts with his herd, tending, approaching and retreating amongst other members of the herd, he is generally more aggressive and has a higher libido than a maiden stallion, but he participates in the social group to the extent of being attentive and gentle with his offspring and providing parental care.

On many domestic farms, stallion populations are composed of horses with subdued reproductive and aggressive behaviour traits and they are often housed in almost unnatural barns with paddocks away from the broodmare band, they often have no contact with mares until introduced at the breeding shed. Stallions, must be allowed to interact with mares through ‘teasing’ or hand held walks through populations of mares and foals prior to the breeding season, so they understand that approaching other horse populations does not represent an opportunity to cover (this can also be carried out in the breeding shed). Allowing stallions to carry out olfactory investigation of urine and faeces, raising of the lip or Flehmen response, and teasing of mares as they come into oestrous, are ways of encouraging a ‘natural’ approach to covering your mare.

Stallions breed more efficiently with more contact with mares and it is essential to promote this practice throughout the off season. Serious infertility and sexual dysfunction can be avoided through exposure to mare populations, positively affecting stallion behaviour, stimulating sexual interest and response, and improving sexual physiology. Without this stallions can develop serious libido and fertility issues, which are more often than not interpreted as other problems at a management level. Limited access to mares can lead to “souring” during the breeding season and unwanted displays of aggression to both handlers and their mares. 

The many aspects of sexual behaviour of stallions are learned, if manual discipline is excessive or inappropriate, this can prevent normal behaviour in the breeding shed. Handling stallions should be consistent and firm, but not aggressive. Encouraging a social rapport with your broodmare population is beneficial to all parties when it comes to the breeding season. 

ENCOURAGING SEXUAL FUNCTION
Similar to programming mares for the breeding season, we do the same for the stallions. It is well accepted that photoperiod is an important factor that influences the endogenous reproductive rhythm. Additional light and heating during winter and early spring advances the onset of testicular activity.  This practice is adopted several weeks prior to the start of the breeding season (mid June in the Southern hemisphere) and is started to artificially extend daylight hours and although artificial long days during winter are not stimulatory, the shortened period of darkness transmits a “signal” to the brain, with ‘traditionally’ 35 days of long days sufficing to tell the stallion that the winter solstice has passed, inducing early onset of sexual function, which initiates endocrine events leading to maximum reproductive function culminating in the production of viable sperm.

In addition to artificial lighting, heating in the form of infra red lighting is supplied to each stall and combined with similar conditions of photoperiod; increased temperature induces early reproductive activity.

Coupled with this, further nutritional stimulus is offered utilising green fodder in the form of Italian Rye, which further ‘tricks” the body into believing spring is approaching.

NUTRITION
Throughout the breeding season nutrition and body score is monitored constantly and formulation of a balanced diet is left to the professionals, whose research goes to great depths today. Prior to the season the stallion are changed onto a higher energy ration (12% to 16%), and further supplements are added including ulcer preventative medications to cope with the stress of the work the stallions do, Vitamin E, Corn Oil and Hyaluronic acid joint supplements. 

CONCLUSION
Generally we make sure training is in place long before the breeding season commences. A top performing stallion requires fitness and health to perform at his peak, he also needs to recognise the fact that when he is out and away from his stable there is no possibility of becoming familiar with a mare to the extent of covering, if they are not started in this manner, there will always be the question in their minds. The stallion has to feel good about what he is doing; patience is required to teach the horse to respond in the right manner, he has to pay attention to what he is doing and to the handler.  All this commences from day 1, the first day in January, ending on the last day in December. A well behaved stallion knows that he will be handled with care and finesse, and disciplined when he oversteps the line. A stallion can be trained and still forget 50% of what he has learned, repetition creates routine, changes in the routine often cause the stallion to become stressed.

By maintaining fitness, routine, levels of nutrition and handling management, we all develop a mutual respect for one another.