When owners retire a stallion to stud with the prospect of obtaining first-season subfertility insurance (sometimes called first-season congenital infertility insurance), a veterinary examination is required on behalf of the policy underwriter. In addition to assessment of general physical condition and health, heavy emphasis is placed on evaluation of genital normalcy, particularly the testes. Examinations include assessment of size, texture, orientation, and position of the testes, epididymes, andspermatic cords, freedom of movement of testes and their tunics within the scrotum, and appearance and thickness of the scrotum. Ultrasound or caliper measurements of the testes are also commonly requested. Based on these measures, the examining veterinarian is asked to place judgment on the likelihood that a stallion will achieve acceptable fertility (i.e., likely to achieve a minimum seasonal pregnancy rate of 60%) when booked to a defined number of mares.
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