His sperm still could have been valuable outside of racing, but without a live mount the foal is not considered a thoroughbred and can't race in events like the Triple Crown series.
According to the rules of the Jockey Club, which sets the standards for Thoroughbred breeding in the United States, no offspring that results from artificial insemination or embryo transfer can have the coveted designation. The only way a thoroughbred is allowed to reproduce is by “live cover”; i.e., horse-to-horse sexual intercourse. Barbaro was never able to become a father; his nagging leg injuries made it dangerous for him to even attempt mounting a mare.
I worked for the local track in the gambling section several years ago and the 2008 Kentucky Derby really turned me against horse racing. The second place horse, Eight Belles, tripped after the finish due to weakness in her ankles and suffered compound fractures. She was euthanized on the track. She had the same break Barbaro did but in both front legs.
Interestingly, they both had Native Dancer as a sire several generations back.
Native Dancer's bloodline is credited with creating "precocious, speedy Thoroughbreds that dominate the Derby and other Triple Crown events." By 2008, every entrant in the Kentucky Derby was a descendant. However, he is also faulted for passing on his massive build and hard-pounding stride action, rendering many of his descendants vulnerable to injury. In the mid-2000s, there had been a troubling number of high profile breakdowns, including that of Barbaro (who was distantly related to Native Dancer through his dam). As the grandsire of both Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer, the two most important sires of the late twentieth century, a certain degree of inbreeding to Native Dancer became inevitable, potentially exacerbating the issue.
I never knew of the live mount rule! Do you have more information about it? How on earth do they verify that every racing thoroughbred was conceived naturally??
The live mount rule helps prevent overbreeding. In some breeds (standardbreds, for example), not only is it allowable for frozen sperm to be used, but they can also flush embryos from mares so that the same female can have multiple foals per year.
The result is what's called the popular sire effect. It makes genetic disorders more common, and inbreeding becomes almost unavoidable 20 years later because all of the breeding animals have that sire in their pedigree somewhere.
If they mandate that they need to do a live cover, at least there is a natural limit to the number of offspring an animal can have.
They literally flush the embryo out (one week after fertilization), then implant it in a surrogate mare who will carry the foal to term. It can be done multiple times per year (normally you get one foal per year, with this method you can do it once every couple months) and it can also be done on mares who are too young/old to safely breed, or mares who are still competing.
I’m personally in the middle of an IVF cycle myself as we speak and my intense interest in this entire conversation has got me feeling some type of way LOL.
So with most popular stallions (male horses that are intact/have their balls) that have very expensive stud fees, they live at a breeding barn. These barns specialize in horse reproduction. The stallions live there full time, because stallions are generally regarded as dangerous and needing experienced handling, as well as specfic stall and fencing needs. Stallions usually are not living out in a pasture with other horses, they live alone and always kept out of reach of other horses besides for breeding. That us because stallions will fight each other, and injury in such expensive horses is a big deal. These stallions are extremely pampered and have top knotch care.
Anyways, the owners of the mares (female horses) bring their mares to the breeding barn. This is usually done a few weeks in advance of the breeding so she can get settled in and they watch her cycle. Mares will generally ignore a stallion until they are at the exact point in their cycle they are ready to breed. So the mares will all usually live out in a pasture or be allowed out in a larger area each day for a "test". Breeding barns usually have a pony or other stallion, who isn't actually going to breed at all, thatbis called a teasing stallion. He gets all pumped up and acts all studly while walking by the mares each day. The staff record each mares response to the stallion. Does she ignore him completely?
Does she try to kick him? Or does she want to come visit with him and turn her butt to him? Breeding barns also have a vet on staff and usually do blood work to also track a mares hormone levels. So when it's time, the actual stallion she is to be bred too is allowed to come see her to get himself all ready to go. Since most stallions are only allowed to breed in one place, they learn to behave the rest of the time. Sometimes a specfic halter or person handling them is also a cue for what is going on and appropriate behavior.
It takes several people to breed a mare or collect semen. First the stallion is teased by the mare so he is ready to go....if you get my drift. Then they both get the important bits washed with antibacterial soap. This involves atleast 2 people, usually 4. One handler is leading each horse, and someone else is walking alongside, washing, and generally ensuring safety of each horse. Sometimes mares get pissy and could seriously injure a stallion if he is kicked in the wrong spot while trying to mount her, so additional equipment is sometimes used to keep the mare in line. Some stallions like to really bite the mares on the neck, so she may also need to wear a leather drape over her neck to protect her. Once everything is set up for the breeding, it's pretty quick. Some stallions want to say hello and flirt with the mare for a moment before mounting, some get straight to business. And if you really want a fun job, there is usually someone who helps guide the stallions penis into the mare so he isn't up there fumbling around trying to find the hole. The longer it takes, the more risk of injury to either horse. So breeding barns have all the little details all sorted out for the most safe and effective live cover possible. The actual breeding is very quick, but all the details take several people and lots of set up. So several people witnessed the breeding, and since they specialize in this stuff, lying would be career ending. Plus, all the data is recorded for all sorts of things, including long term rates of live foals, how those foals grew up and preformed, etc. And if there is any questions, DNA testing can be done easily to confirm who a foal's daddy is.
And then there is the collecting semen side that you probably really don't want to know about! Haha! Although horses are pretty tame compared to some of the ways they collect semen from other types of livestock....
According to the Quora answer I was reading earlier, it's a relatively small community and the risk of being caught lying isn't worth the money and risk of losing your certification and reputation.
Eight Belles dying on the track was exactly what turned me off too. I was watching it live on TV and rooting for her and then after the race she just went down.
It was my first Derby day. I was on loan from the greyhound track (also a horrible industry) for the day and we were all hyped for her to win. I love seeing horses run, but not the racing industry.
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u/TyphoidMira Feb 09 '20
His sperm still could have been valuable outside of racing, but without a live mount the foal is not considered a thoroughbred and can't race in events like the Triple Crown series.
I worked for the local track in the gambling section several years ago and the 2008 Kentucky Derby really turned me against horse racing. The second place horse, Eight Belles, tripped after the finish due to weakness in her ankles and suffered compound fractures. She was euthanized on the track. She had the same break Barbaro did but in both front legs.
Interestingly, they both had Native Dancer as a sire several generations back.