Breeder's Choice Equine Breeding Boots & Leg Protection

The Fleece Breeding Boots are a great and straight forward way to protect your stallion’s legs and knees from damage during semen collection on phantoms. Over 25 inches tall with enough Velcro to fit most stallions, they are a great way to ensure your stallion doesn’t receive skin abrasion injuries during the collection process. They can be placed on the stallion’s legs in a matter of minuets and since they are made with a durable canvas outside and premium fleece lining they will last many a breeding season.  These fleece breeding boots are used by top breeding farms and universities such as Select Breeders Southwest and University of Florida.  You can find additional information on this product at the Breeder’s Choice website.

The second product we found to protect stallion’s legs is the ReWrap-Pro knee protection product, a soft, flexible bandage (think “Ace Bandage”) designed to conform to virtually any location on the stallion’s legs to prevent slipping and protect skin abrasion.  The unique design characteristics of ReWrap-Pro bandages make it possible to bandage the most difficult areas with confidence.  This product is excellent for use beyond simple leg protection, we’ve seen it used as treatment, hock, knee, standing, shipping, and exercise bandages as well!  Most importantly, they can be washed and reused.   We believe these wraps are ideal to use on stallion’s knees as a standalone product,  or in addition to the Fleece Breeding Boots to provide ultimate protection for your stallion. Below is a helpful YouTube video demonstrating the application of ReWrap-Pro made by Dr. Sue McDonnell at the Hofmann Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

For more information on either product, please visit Breeder’s Choice at www.BreedersChoiceOnline.com.

Lada Gaga rocked a “sperm hat” at a recent event. The Equine Breeding Blog wonders if she is a quiet supporter of the Equine Breeding industry? =) You can see her wild attire here.

Check out the full selection of “sperm” products at Breeder’s Choice, your single stop for high quality equine breeding products and a proud vendor at the recent American Association of Equine Practicioners (AAEP).

America’s Horse Daily had a great blog here on this topic, they provided some fantastic tips to think about to help simplify your efforts over the next few months.

One simple step Breeding Managers can do is to research your favorite stallions now, getting a contract in place, to help ensure you get access to your choice stallion. Talking with the stallion’s owners and handlers is a great way to ensure you have selected a complimentary stud. November is NOT too early to open this dialogue.

The AQHA blog also recommends a late-fall pregnancy check and even the use of lights for your mare should you want your mare to cycle early in the spring. Talk with your vet, they can help you define the best path to a successful spring pregnancy.

What about your lab and breeding shed? Have you ordered your supplies and updated your equipment for next season? All too often, we at Breeder’s Choice get a slew of rush orders from a few customers who overlooked this important step! Updating centrifuges, consumables (what about your extender, like INRA 96?), or even your breeding phantom are important things to be thinking about in the late fall. Lead times, shipping and delivery schedules, and updates need to all be taken into account when making these decision. You can find a wide range of great breeding products at www.BreedersChoiceOnline.com. We’ll be at the AAEP convention in San Antonio next weekend (19-21 November), stop in and we’d love to discuss this with you!

Regardless of where you are in your off-season process, we know you’ll do great this year, just think ahead and have a little forethought to help ease the pain and suffering that we all too often fall into during the breeding season.

The Colorado State University Equine Reproduction Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado, performed a study on this very topic and made some recommendations to help breeders define a path forward and make this decision for their mares. A report on this study can be found here.

The answer, although still a bit complicated, is “it depends.” However, major impact on this decision can be supported through controlling the lighting in the stall to help the mare naturally adjust to the summer foaling cycle. In the study, CSU does a fantastic job of prescribing the amount and duration of light to support this practice. Despite the use of these techniques, it still may be a realistic decision for breeders that reside in northern states with severe weather not to breed for foaling early in the year.

Stay tuned to The Equine Breeding Blog for more updates on this topic and other publications and reports from studies similar to this in future blogs!

From our perspective, PAVESafe tiles appear to hold up well to the daily grind in the busiest of breeding sheds and stables. Their non-skid attribute makes them ideal for wet climates and any application near the wash shed. With the recent outbreak of Equine Herpes, you can’t go wrong with tile’s ability to be disinfected. Breeder’s Choice has received numerous positive reviews from customers who have installed PAVESafe pavers in many applications. You can find more information on PAVESafe rubber pavers and tiles at the Breeder’s Choice website, www.BreedersChoiceOnline.com.

“The Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University suffered a devastating fire in the early morning hours of July 26. Thankfully, there were no injuries to people or horses. Quick action from the Poudre Valley Fire Authority, the Fort Collins Police Department, and the CSU Police Department contained the fire to a single structure. At this time, there is an active investigation into the cause of the fire, and we are in the process of inventorying biological materials and relocating laboratory personnel to temporary workspaces. The destruction at the laboratory is extensive, and we expect that much if not all of the high-tech equipment is a complete loss. The impact of the fire on this flagship program is profound, but the response from the ERL community is even more impressive.”

Breeder’s choice has personal experience spending significant time in the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory at CSU and was especially sad to hear the news. Mandy Paul, President, studied at CSU for her undergraduate work, she recalls spending time studying for finals and working with the fantastic staff at the facility.

If you’re interested in helping rebuild the facility at Colorado State University, you can learn more information about helping here.

Fire Destroys CSU Equine Center Laboratory

You can also check out Select Breeders’ Knowledge Library here. The Knowledge Library is a fantastic collection of information related to mare management, frozen semen, assisted reproductive technology, and semen thawing and handling instructions.

For all your equine breeding consumables and products, including INRA 96, laboratory equipment, Pre-Seed EQ, Breeding Phantoms, AVs, and much more, check out the Breeder’s Choice website.

Check out Breeder’s Choice website for more information on the Pre-Seed EQ product here. Breeder’s Choice offers a full line of quality equine breeding products at www.breederschoiceonline.com. Check us out for monthly specials and promotions!

Dr. Sue McDonnell at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has a great paper presented at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual conference posted online identifying the key steps in identifying a breeding phantom for your stallion! The link is below, we’ll paraphrase from her paper (Thanks Dr. McDonnell!) here for you, but please check out her paper for more detailed recommendations.

Dr. McDonnell has spent many years studying equine behavior, specifically when it comes to breeding issues such as libido, mounting, and difficulty ejaculating. She has tied a number of these issues to specific features that can help address them. Specifically, a single, clean cut padded pedestal is very important. A smooth, snug-fitting cover made of a “cool” material free of wrinkles is also important. Modest padding and sturdy construction is imperative to safely collect your stallion, along with the position of the phantom within the breeding shed. She goes on to discuss the importance of grasping grooves (or hips) along with an appropriately angled barrel and height adjustment to ensure the dummy height matches that of the stallion. A contoured phantom can be very important as well to handle the different sizes of artificial vaginas.

Dr. McDonnell answers some frequently asked questions, many of which Breeder’s Choice has fielded over the years. Questions such as “Should a dummy be level or angled,” and “What covering fabrics are best for cleaning a dummy between stallions?” This is a wonderful article and a great resource for anyone interested in initiating their own stallion program or reaffirming their breeding dummy basics!

Dr. Sue McDonnell’s Article is here.

Check out Breeder’s Choice Breeding Phantoms, used by many of the great Universities and breeding farms around the world, Here.  These phantoms are available with all the options listed by Dr. McDonnell in the article above including height adjustment, countouring, hips, fleece blankets, and much more!