Villa Virago's Stallion Station is proud to offer stallion owners a state-of-the-art breeding facility for all breeds of stallions.
Our daily routine reflects our priority of safety and the well-being of each stallion under our management. Spacious stalls, daily turnout in large individual paddocks, custom feed programs and daily grooming; keep the stallions in peak breeding and physical condition. We focus on the details to ensure your stallion is at his best.
Villa Virago's professional and certified staff is dedicated to top notch customer service and will strive to be your stallion's best ambassador. We are here to assist mare owners throughout the entire breeding process to your stallion.
Some of the services offered at Villa Virago's Stallion Station are:
Breeding Soundness Exams. A stallion evaluation includes two semen collections an hour apart allowing each ejaculate to be evaluated for volume, motility, concentration and total sperm numbers. To assess bacterial growth, a set of cultures is taken from the prepuce, urethra and semen following each collection. Morphology slides are also made to assess structural integrity of the sperm cells. Lastly, the stallion’s testicles are palpated and evaluated for consistency, conformation, orientation and size. Once all results are gathered, a full report is presented to the stallion owner which provides descriptive details of the findings. The report makes recommendations on breeding procedures and the general suitability of the stallion as a breeding individual.
Training to Phantom. A phantom is an inanimate object that a stallion mounts so semen may be collected by directing the stallion into an artificial vagina. By utilizing this, you eliminate the need for a mare in season. It also reduces the potential for injury and disease transmission inherent in live cover breedings. Most stallions can be trained to use the phantom within a one week period. When adequately trained, stallions retain what they’ve learned so at any point in the future a phantom can be used without hesitation.
Training to Ground. Here the stallion is trained to collect while standing on the ground. He is directed into an artificial vagina, however unlike with the phantom he remains on the ground. This method is employed for stallions with physical limitations that prevent them from successfully mounting and staying aboard a phantom or for clients who do not wish to make the investment of a phantom. Most stallions trained in this fashion do not require a mare and can generally be collected with ease.
Complete Semen Analysis and Evaluation: Semen collection for previously phantom trained stallions. Evaluation consists of samples from 1 to 2 ejaculates that are cooled for 24, 48, and if appropriate 72 hours in semen extender with or without antibiotics. Once there is a firm understanding of semen longevity, then recommendations are made as to the most suitable extender for shipping the semen.
Cooled and Frozen Semen Processing and Storage: Carefully monitored semen handling and storage.
Complete Bookkeeping. Keeping accurate, detailed breeding records for the stallion is imperative from season to season to manage him for the best reproductive efficiency. We will complete all required stallion breeding reports, genetic testing and filing of foal registrations.
Marketing, Advertising and Promotion. We understand that stallion owners may not have the expertise or desire to spend hours marketing your horse. Let the staff at Villa Virago's Stallion Station help develop an effective marketing campaign that fits within your budget for your stallion.
