Recommendations

Semen should have at least 50% motile sperm and 65% normal morphology. The morphology examination is not always done but is valuable to consider prior to shipping cooled semen.

Motility

The basis for the 50% motility recommendation of the initial semen sample is based on a breeding dose being 1000 X 10⁶sperm (note this is total not motile sperm). Thus there will be at least 500 X 10⁶ motile sperm at the beginning. The final number of motile sperm will depend on the ability of sperm to survive the cooling process and the initial motility. Some stallions' semen does not survive cooling and those stallions are not candidates for selling shipped semen.

View the movies below and determine if the semen can be shipped.

Fresh semen (bright field microscopy) View video in large resizable format (640X480).	The motility of this sample is: 25% 40% 60% 80% Based on the initial motility, this semen is sufficient for cooling. True False
Cooled 24 hr (phase contrast microscopy) View video in large resizable format (640X480).	The motility of this sample is: 20% 40% 65% 80%
Cooled 48 hr (phase contrast microscopy) View video in large resizable format (640X480).	The motility of this sample is: 20% 40% 60% 80% This semen cools well enough to be used to breed mares. True False