THOROUGHBRED HORSES

Final report summary: Understanding and reducing the effects of heat stress on thoroughbred stallion fertility

  • 6 pages

  • Published: 6 May 2021

  • Author(s): Roisin Griffin, Dr Aleona Swegen, Zamira Gibb

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Thoroughbred breeding regions across Australia already experience hot conditions and are likely to experience more extreme weather in coming years due to climate change. But the relationship between ambient temperatures and fertility has not been studied in a field setting relevant to the Australian thoroughbred industry.

Understanding the effects of ambient temperature on fertility and the underlying mechanisms is essential to developing appropriate interventions to improve reproductive efficiency and safeguard the sustainability of the industry.

In this project, the project team investigated the relationships between ambient conditions (temperature and humidity), sperm assessment parameters, sperm DNA damage and stallion fertility.