Lauralee
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
We have had zero luck getting Trouble's mares in foal this year.
Let me backtrack first:
Last year, one of my big B sized girls whopped Trouble in the chest. This then proceeded to swell over the next few days to a HUGE cantaloupe sized area on the front of his chest. I figured she had ruptured a major blood vessel inside and that this was most likely a hematoma filled with blood, so we did not lance it for fear that the large vessel would start bleeding again.
Over the course of the next two weeks, the hide across the massive swollen area became stretched so tight that the hair fell off of it. It subsequently ABCESSED and ruptured, purulent drainage pouring out, leaving a huge open wound to heal over the next month or so.
During that time, of course, Trouble was unable to breed any mares and this set our 2004 breedings back 2 months. By the time we started breeding it was July and we worked like mad to settle SEVEN of his mares for this year's foal crop.
One odd thing to note.....Trouble has been notorious for throwing fillies. Each year we get all fillies from him, only having had two colts in 5 years. When this year's foals arrived, we got FIVE colts and TWO fillies.
I am wondering if perhaps the abcess could have caused an immune reaction or a high fever which has affected his fertility? And also I wonder if it affected the viable XX (female) sperms and the only ones surviving last year were mostly XY's (male)? *ha ha yes I am a medical professional*
This year we have given Trouble 6 mares, ages ranging from 7-17. I had 5 of those cultured before we started. Two were infused for being "dirty". However the others were clean. NOBODY has gotten pregnant. We have bred the mares by hand, washing both stallion and mare prior to breeding, for the course of 2, 3, and 4 heat cycles each and NOTHING. All are still cycling, still open.
Trouble is 18 this year. I discussed the scenario with my vet yesterday and he says YES the fever theory is a viable one, but would have only affected him LAST YEAR and that THIS YEAR he would have been fine. He thinks that Trouble has simply reached the natural age where his counts are too low to settle anything other than a maiden mare.
Of course we can collect from him and do an analysis. That would tell me what I already know, he isn't settling any mares...and that's the real proof.
What is your experience with aged stallions? Thanks for letting me vent!
We have had zero luck getting Trouble's mares in foal this year.
Let me backtrack first:
Last year, one of my big B sized girls whopped Trouble in the chest. This then proceeded to swell over the next few days to a HUGE cantaloupe sized area on the front of his chest. I figured she had ruptured a major blood vessel inside and that this was most likely a hematoma filled with blood, so we did not lance it for fear that the large vessel would start bleeding again.
Over the course of the next two weeks, the hide across the massive swollen area became stretched so tight that the hair fell off of it. It subsequently ABCESSED and ruptured, purulent drainage pouring out, leaving a huge open wound to heal over the next month or so.
During that time, of course, Trouble was unable to breed any mares and this set our 2004 breedings back 2 months. By the time we started breeding it was July and we worked like mad to settle SEVEN of his mares for this year's foal crop.
One odd thing to note.....Trouble has been notorious for throwing fillies. Each year we get all fillies from him, only having had two colts in 5 years. When this year's foals arrived, we got FIVE colts and TWO fillies.
I am wondering if perhaps the abcess could have caused an immune reaction or a high fever which has affected his fertility? And also I wonder if it affected the viable XX (female) sperms and the only ones surviving last year were mostly XY's (male)? *ha ha yes I am a medical professional*
This year we have given Trouble 6 mares, ages ranging from 7-17. I had 5 of those cultured before we started. Two were infused for being "dirty". However the others were clean. NOBODY has gotten pregnant. We have bred the mares by hand, washing both stallion and mare prior to breeding, for the course of 2, 3, and 4 heat cycles each and NOTHING. All are still cycling, still open.
Trouble is 18 this year. I discussed the scenario with my vet yesterday and he says YES the fever theory is a viable one, but would have only affected him LAST YEAR and that THIS YEAR he would have been fine. He thinks that Trouble has simply reached the natural age where his counts are too low to settle anything other than a maiden mare.
Of course we can collect from him and do an analysis. That would tell me what I already know, he isn't settling any mares...and that's the real proof.
What is your experience with aged stallions? Thanks for letting me vent!
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