Frozen Semen Available for Oaks Volta this Breeding Season

By: Trish Joyce

Lals Haven Warmbloods are situated in the green part of the world named South Gippsland. The name Lals Haven was branded here on our property long before we came along to milk cows. The early settlers thought up the title and it has stuck with the Joyce family for many generations. 

Team Joyce are a very enthusiastic horsey family and love to breed showjumpers. The most recent colt Oaks Volta was purchased 3 ½ years ago from The Oaks Sport Horses near Sydney. Team Joyce has slowly watched Volta grow into a handsome stallion now standing at stud.

Oaks Volta has his very own sponsors who have supported him since he was 6 months old many thanks must go to: Barastoc – Kentucky Equine Research – Horseland – Joint Rejuvenate

We can proudly say it has been a very rewarding process producing three healthy strong Oaks Volta foals two colts and one filly and all of them have one thing in common they are just stunning like their father. It is wonderful to know when you have a stallion that they are very fertile and throw the good looking genes with great colours and lots of white, Team Joyce love a white blaze.

Here are some pictures of Oaks Volta's 2014 progeny:

LH Voleta

LH Voltaren

LH Voltage

If you wish to see more information about Oaks Volta’s offspring visit http://lalshaven.com.au/scanning-mares/

Team Joyce decided to take the extra step to secure breeding for next season by freezing Oaks Volta's semen. You just never know what can happen and we did actually have a stallion die suddenly due to unforeseen circumstances and declared it was a must that next time to be would be well prepared for accidents as they do happen from time to time. We were not so keen on taking him away and leaving him so we sourced our options to have a qualified person come to our property. 

Shirley Callaghan from Mobile Cryogenics came to Team Joyce to freeze some semen for Volta.  Shirley has had 10 years experience freezing and thawing all sorts of cell types and five breeding seasons ago decided to try freezing semen from stallions.  Being a stallion owner herself, she understood the importance of retaining that genetic material for future use, just in case the worst should happen.  Since then she has frozen semen for Cushavon Park, Finch Farm and Arnage Warmbloods in Queensland, as well as some smaller studs. She has been producing product that one vet said “was as good, if not better, than the frozen semen he had been receiving from the U.S.”  She believes the secret to her success is being a mobile service and has the semen processed and conditioning in the fridge within 30 mins of collection. 

The whole process takes about 2 ½ hrs from collection to liquid Nitrogen.

Firstly the stallion is collected and the semen is extended using the stallion’s normal extender and spun in a centrifuge to produce a cell pellet of the sperm cells.

Once the semen is spun down, the cell pellet can be resuspended using Minitube products.  This is to protect the sperm cells from ice crystals forming during the freezing process.  If ice crystals form the cell membrane will be damaged and kill the cells.

Pre-printed straws are the best way to identify your straws for long term storage.  Our straws were printed by Robertson’s Livestock Services, Tasmania. The straws can be filled with the resuspended sperm cells and the straws are sealed with a glass ball.  The air bubble in the straw must be moved to the middle of the straw to try to prevent any rapid expansion of this bubble during rapid thawing.

The straws are then conditioned in the fridge to cool it by a degree and minute, until it gets to +4oC. Once the straws are conditioned they are put into liquid Nitrogen vapour for a short amount of time and then plunged into liquid Nitrogen.  Once in the liquid Nitrogen the straws are ready for long term storage.

Team Joyce will ask Shirley to come back again to freeze more semen in the coming season. It was so easy , simple and very affordable. Oaks Volta was safe and happy here at home so if you have a stallion and wish to keep his progeny for the future maybe this is an option for you to.

Quick Links

• Read all about Oaks Volta at STALLIONZONE 
• Follow Oaks Volta on the Lals Haven web page http://lalshaven.com.au/
• Or Like our Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/lalshaven.warmbloods?ref=hl