ANS 417 Take Home Exam
Name ____________________________
Due Wednesday April 30th by 5:00 pm.
Please type the answers to your questions.
1) What are the four basic stages of the equine reproductive (ie yearly) cycle. In approximately what months do they occur?
In which stages is the mare ovulating? (8 pts)
2) How long is estrus. Does it vary? If so, when is it long and when is it short? (3 pts)
3) How long is diestrus. Does it vary? If so, when is it long and when is it short? (3 pts)
4) The mature follicle produces which hormone? (2 pts)
5) The corpus luteum produces which homone? (2 pts)
6) Which hormone causes regression of the corpus luteum? (2 pts)
7) What is a dominant follicle? How does it suppress the growth of other follicles? (2 pts)
8) As the breeding manager in charge of a large broodmare farm, you have the responsibility for managing the pregnant
mares. Draw up a management plan that would be useful in assuring that all pregnant mares will foal safely. (8
pts)
For the following questions, use a breeding calendar and/or stallion semen evaluation worksheet. Turn in all work.
___________________________________________________________________________
9). I want to breed my 5 year old maiden mare this spring. She had one heat cycle from March 3rd – 5th and one from March
10th-14th. I would like to breed her in April (via AI ) but do not want to spend a fortune on waiting 5-10 days for an
ovulation since she will be at the vet for monitoring during the follicle maturation phase of the game. Using a
breeding calendar what is your plan to breed this mare in early April? (10 pts)
10). You examine a 5-year old mare four days before onset of estrus. There were no obvious physical abnormalities, but a
culture of the endometrial swab revealed moderate numbers of E. coli, low numbers of α hemolytic strep,
moderate numbers of staphylococci, no inflammatory cells, and endometrial biopsy revealed no changes. What is
your decision regarding breeding this mare during estrus? Explain. (See Chapter 6) (10 pts)
11) I have a 18-year-old Quarter Horse mare that we are breeding live cover this year for the first time. She had a foal in
2001 from AI. Last year 2007, she had a long transition heat from 1/15 to 2/27. She then came back in on 3/15. We
bred her twice then turned her out with the stallion. We brought her back in on 3/25 and she was out. We checked
her on 4/15 for pregnancy and she was open. On 4/15, she had a 3.3 follicle but no indications of being in heat and
her cervix was almost closed. We checked her again on 4/18. The follicle is now 4.5 and soft. The vet said she
would ovulate within 20 hrs. The mare is still not showing heat and cervix is still closed. The vet said the cervix is
open enough that semen would get thru if she'll accept the stallion. After 15 minuets of teasing, the mare is not
interested and if he gets to close and touches her she wants to strike or kick. (10 pts)
12) Smokey (20 year old mare) was dropped off at your farm on April 1 st. She foaled on March 17th. She is a Thoroughbred
mare to be bred to Bravo Bull. You start teasing her and she shows signs of estrus on April 3 rd. She is palpated on
April 4th and has a 3.8 follicle and an abnormal amount of fluid in her uterus. Describe using the calendar you
plans to breed her and clean up her uterus. (10 pts)
13) Daisy a 6 yr old Quarter Mare was dropped off at your farm on March 25th. She is a Quarter Horse mare to be bred to
by frozen semen. The frozen semen is stored at the ISU Veterinary School. O the 25th, Daisy has a 3.3 follicle. To
same money the owner wants to minimize the stay at the Veterinary clinic because they charge $30/day for care.
What are your plans to breed this mare? (10 pts)
14) Annie is your best Paint mare. She has gone to many Paint shows and has won continuously in Western Pleasure, Trail
and Western Riding. You want to breed her to a stallion that stands in North Carolina. She arrives at your farm on
April 14th. On Tuesday she is not teasing. On a calendar show how you would manage this mare to get her bred.
(10 pts)
13) You are standing Bearly Hot. It is Monday and a client from south Texas has called requesting semen for their mare.
Their mare has a 3.7 size follicle. You collect Bear and his semen evaluation is 35 ml of semen, 65% motility and
225 x 106 concentrations. Calculate the dose you will need to send the client and discuss how you will prepare the
semen for shipping. (5 pts)
14) It is Tuesday April 29th. Palpations revealed that four mares have a 3.8 or larger size follicle. All of these mares are to
be bred to Ive Paid My Dues. You collect Andy and he gives you 40 ml, 70% motility and 95 x 10 6 concentration.
Calculate the on farm dose you need to inseminate the mares with. Can you inseminate all four on the same day?
(5 pts)
15) It is Friday April 4th. Ultrasound/palpations revealed that three mares have a 4.2 softening follicle. All of these
Thoroughbred mares are to be bred to Canaveral. What are your plans to breed the three mares? (5 pts)
BREEDING RECORD 20____
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
PROBLEM _____
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Ja
n
Fe
b
M
ar
Ap
r
M
ay
Ju
ne
Breeding Code:
X: Estrus
/: Bred
Date
R Ovary
LH
L Ovary
Pg: Pregnant
F: Foaled
Palpation Record
RH
Uterus
Cx.
Bred
Other
26
27
28
29
30
31
Equine Reproduction Laboratory
Iowa State University
Semen Evaluation
Collection
Date
Processor
Stallion
Collector
Collection
Time
am/pm
_________ml
Total volume of raw gel free semen
________ x 106 (million) sperm/ml
Concentration of raw gel free semen
__________%
Progressive motility
RULES:
Fresh Semen Evaluation
1. 500 million (500 x 106) PMS
2. Extend semen to at least a 1:1 ratio
(1 part semen with 1 part extender)
3. Must have at least a volume of 10 ml (semen + extender) for
each insemination dose.
Cooled-Shipped Semen Evaluation
1. 1 billion (1 X 109) progressively motile sperm (PMS) per
insemination dose.
2. A final concentration of 25-50 x 106 sperm per ml in the
insemination dose.
Calculations
FRESH SEMEN EVALUATION
1) Raw semen volume per AI
dose
=
=
=
2) AI doses per ejaculate
=
=
________500 X 106
concentration x % progressive motility
COOLED-SHIPPED SEMEN
EVALUATION
_________1000 X 106
Concentration x % progressive motility
____________500 x 106_________
________x 106 X ______% PMS
__________1000 x 106____________
________x 106 X ______% PMS
ml
_____ ml gel-free volume ÷
_____ ml raw semen per dose
mares
FOR COOLED SHIPPED SEMEN ONLY – RULE 2
Using 50 ml syringes or
centrifuge tubes.
50
ml
-____ml
raw semen volume/ AI dose =
Adjusted final volume of
______ mls extender
extended dose =
Final concentration of the
dilution
(Raw semen volume per AI dose (#1) x Raw
semen concentration) ÷
50 ml (Final volume of extended dose)
= ________ X 106 sperm/ml
ml
_____ ml gel-free volume ÷
_____ ml raw semen per dose
cooled doses