Discussion Topics for Lab

In the lab we will assign you to a group (3 - 4 students/group) to tackle one of the discussion items for that week. You will have a few minutes to outline or draw a response on the white boards and then one of the group will present to the rest of the class. You may not use cell phones or other communication devices when composing your group's response.

No discussion in week 1

Male Anatomy, breeding soundness exam and endocrinology (Week 2)

1. Diagram the male reproductive tract.
   1. Penis
   2. Pelvic region of the tract
   3. Testis including scrotum and spermatic chord
2. What are the advantages of understanding the anatomy of the male?
3. What do you evaluate in a stallion reproductive soundness exam and why?
4. Endocrinology
   1. List the endocrine glands of the stallion and hormones produced by each.

Male endocrinology (Week 3)

1. Diagram the endocrine glands of the stallion.
2. What is the role of LH in sperm production?
3. What is the role of FSH in sperm production?
4. What is the role of inhibin in controlling FSH levels?
5. Describe the effect of light on the stallion.

Semen collection (Week 4)

1. Describe different types of AV’s pros and cons.
2. Describe how to assemble to AV (Missouri or Colorado).
3. Describe teasing of the stallion as we might do in class for semen collection.
4. List the evaluation criteria of semen collected.
5. What are typical results of a semen evaluation.
6. Describe how to determine concentration and why you use one method over another.

Behavior and training of a Stallion ( Week 5)

1. List factors that effect behavior and performance of a stallion.
2. What Management practicies will lead to impotence or abnormal behavior of a stallion.
3. List what should be considered before you start to train a stallion to a phantom.
4. What are some stallion handling guidelines in general?
5. Describe the procedure to train a stallion to a phantom.
   

No discussion (Week 6)

No discussion (Week 7)

AI (Week 8, March 23)

1. Advantage of AI
   1. Produce a list of the advantages.
2. AI disadvantages
   1. Produce a list of the disadvantages.
3. AI procedure in the Mare
   1. Produce a list of the steps in AI. Start with putting your mare in the stocks.
4. AI frequency and timing
   1. Produce a list of why specific insemination times are chosen for fresh semen and how this relates to management or physiological issues.
5. Increased Fertility of AI
   1. It is often noted that there is an increased fertility of mares when used in artificial insemination.  What are potential reasons for this? These can be reasons with the mare or stallion.

Pregnancy Detection (Week 9, March 30)

1. Set 1
   1. List the methods of pregnancy detection (age of detection, pros and cons).
   2. Discuss the maternal recognition of pregnancy.
   3. Discuss fetal mobility and fixation.
   4. How does an ultrasound work?
   5. Discuss the mangement of the twin pregnancy.
2. Set 2
   1. Consider potential scenarios related to breeding a mare such as when to give PGF, HCG, desorelin related to the stage of estrous cycle, ultrasound examination results of ovary and uterus, etc.
   2. Consider potential scenarios related to breeding a mare such as when to give PGF, HCG, desorelin related to the stage of estrous cycle, ultrasound examination results of ovary and uterus, etc.
   3. My husband and I have a mare in heat. I had suggested that we use a 2 1/2 year old stud that we own. He said that the stud is too young and that the foal would probably come out with some form of defect. I am having a hard time finding an answer to this question. Can you help? Shelly Please provide why or why not and this is not just a 1 sentence response.
   4. I have a 12 yr Quarter Horse Pleasure mare and would like to manipulate her cycle so she is not in estrus for shows. My vet has suggested giving Regu-Mate but it is very expensive ($240/liter). She has also suggested putting a marble in the mare's uterus during estrus. Why would these methods work? Can you explain?
   5. My 10 year old Quarter Horse Mare came into heat and 8 days after she went out of heat we treated her with PGF (2 ml) IM. We ordered semen for 7 days later but the mare did not come back into heat following the PGF shot and it is now 14 days later. What potential things might have happened to produce this response, what should the equine owner have done or do in the future.

Semen processing (Week 10, April 6)

1. Describe how to process semen for a fresh semen insemination. Include formulas for all potential calculations.
2. Describe how to process semen for a cooled semen insemination in which you would "not" need to do centrifugation. Under what conditions is this the appropriate procedure. Include formulas for all potential calculations.
3. Describe how to process semen for a cooled semen insemination in which you would "need" to do centrifugation. Under what conditions is this the appropriate procedure.Include formulas for all potential calculations.
4. What is an Equitainer and what advantages does it hold over the styrofoam type shipping containers.
5. What are the breeding instructions for fresh and cooled semen and how would you achieve this in a mare.

Status of breeding project (Week 11, April 13)

• Each breeding group will discuss liven (no google doc) what is happening with their project, any new things they learned and what is currently the next step.