Storm Cat to Be QH Sire

[Barbaro06]

Article at bloodhorse.com:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/NOW/News/BreedingNews/48832.aspx

[Georgerz]

I understand from the article that frozen semen (already collected) is to be used, therefore, no bother to the old guy.

I see that you deleted the part pertinent to what I posted.

[Skipitgirl]

Gee I wonder what his "stud fee" would be? Cant have alot of straws to offer and the extender only goes so far. But hey if they want a practice mare I have a huge boned AQHA speed demon Id let them try it on LOL!

[UmmYeah]

Gee I wonder what his "stud fee" would be?

Read somewhere else that it will be $20K.

[griff]

The article posted said it would be $20k

I suspect they will be looking at his most successful TB crossest to determine the QH pedigree they will select.

griff

[Dave C]

Maybe they'll look at what worked when he was covering QH's early in his career. Why did they have frozen semen? Since AI isn't allowed in TB's, have they been planning this for years or were they cheating with the TB's? 500k is a pretty big incentive to cheat.

[radrider]

As a quarter horse owner, I don't think this is what the Quarter horse industry needs. There are so many Appendix Quarter horses out there that we don't need more Thoroughbred blood to add to it. Then its not really a quarter horse anymore just a really expensive grade horse.

[bayrabicano]

COLLEGE STATION, TX—JANUARY 14, 2009—The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, Overbrook Farm, and Hagyard Equine Medical Institute have collaborated on a project that has resulted in establishment of a healthy ongoing pregnancy from a famous stallion whose breeding career was thought to be over.

Dr. Dickson Varner, Professor and Pin Oak Stud Chair of Stallion Reproductive Studies at Texas A&M, Dr. Joe Yocum, Farm Manager and Resident Veterinarian at Overbrook Farm, and Dr. Stuart Brown II, Partner of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, combined forces to collect semen from the world-renowned Thoroughbred stallion, Storm Cat, for insemination of an elite racing American Quarter Horse mare, Your First Moon, by All-Time Leading Quarter Horse Racing stallion First Down Dash. The resulting foal will be co-owned by Lyle Lovett, popular songwriter and recording artist, and Frank “Scoop” Vessels III of Vessels Stallion Farm, Bonsall, California.

The fascinating twist on this achievement is that Storm Cat was pensioned (retired from stud) this past breeding season because of age-related subfertility issues. Although quality and quantity of sperm in ejaculates of this elite stallion were failing, a new procedure developed at Texas A&M University was employed to obtain the high-quality sperm from the semen, followed by insemination of the mare using a guided low-dose technique, whereby less than 1 ml (less than ¼ teaspoon) of semen was used as an insemination dose.

According to Varner, “The procedure has been applied successfully to many American Quarter Horse stallions, but this represents the first attempt at using the procedure in a Thoroughbred stallion. While the Jockey Club prohibits the use of artificial insemination, semen processed in this manner from a Thoroughbred stallion can be used for insemination of American Quarter Horse mares. This represents a means to prolong the breeding career of a stallion whose fertility declines as a part of the aging process.”

To take this story one step further, semen from this stallion has also been processed in the laboratory in the same manner, followed by freezing in very low doses -- such that sperm from one ejaculate would be sufficient for establishment of pregnancy in hundreds of mares, through a process termed intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Drs. Katrin Hinrichs, Professor and Link Endowed Chair in Mare Reproductive Studies and Young-Ho Choi, Research Scientist, both at Texas A&M University, are international leaders in the field of equine ICSI and have done much of the research on this technique, which requires only one viable sperm per egg. The egg is collected from the mare’s ovary before ovulation, then fertilized in the laboratory by injection of a sperm. The resulting embryo is allowed to grow in culture for about 7 days, then is transferred non-surgically to the uterus of a recipient mare to be carried to term.

Texas A&M will provide the ICSI procedure for breeding to the famous stallion in 2009, through semen being offered by Overbrook Farm to interested parties. “It is rewarding to see the research we have done on ICSI applied clinically to obtain foals from such an important stallion” said Hinrichs.

“Storm Cat was not available to non-Thoroughbreds when he was standing at stud, but now American Quarter Horses can benefit from the infusion of his great racing genes into the breed. These are exciting times for people working in equine reproduction.”

Parties interested in accessing Storm Cat through this special arrangement should contact Dr. Joe Yocum of Overbrook Farm at (859) 273-1514. For more information on the Stallion Reproductive Studies program at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, contact the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department at (979) 845-9127.

http://sports.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/retraintbs/message/126991

[majxmom]

I think this thread is so important, it ought to be on the General Discussion page. No offense to the QH people (I own several, and they are a wonderful breed!), but this feels icky. One of the biggest sires in the last 30 years, and when he's no longer able to breed, he is reduced to being a QH stud? Perhaps they ought to look at the word Thoroughbred. It feels like they are not preserving his legacy.

[docjocoy]

I think this thread is so important, it ought to be on the General Discussion page. No offense to the QH people (I own several, and they are a wonderful breed!), but this feels icky. One of the biggest sires in the last 30 years, and when he's no longer able to breed, he is reduced to being a QH stud? Perhaps they ought to look at the word Thoroughbred. It feels like they are not preserving his legacy.

I would think they are less concerned with preserving his legacy than getting the $20K a pop. It's too bad.

[griff]

How does it hurt his legacy to use stored sperm to get a QH, who is 90% TB, in foal??

There are thousands of SC get out here, raced and unraced. I think a QH champion by SC would be a better addition to his legacy that the thousands of his TB get that never won a race.

griff

[LKR]

Having owned and raced QHs in the past I feel I can voice my opinion on this. Storm Cat is NOT what the QHs need. His volatile temperament that passes to his offspring is not what QHs need. Having had to deal with offspring a son of his on the race track here in the NW and see how goofy most of them are it is not in the best interest of the industry as far as I am concerned. My feeling was why not let the old boy rest and enjoy life. Getting $20,000 a pop just seems vulgar to me at this stage of his life.
What a shame.

[griff]

LKR

How is using a straw fo frozen seaman going to put a burden on SC or interrupt his rest?/

And, just what is vulgar about AI?/

griff

[Pacific Classic]

I believe the use of the term "vulgar" is meant to describe squeezing every teeny, tiny last drop of money from such an elite sire. They have stuffed their pockets with millions of dollars earned by this horse - just disgusting.

One would think they were researching and had found the cure for cancer - all that scientific crap. Big deal - they are going to produce more horses - just what the world needs.

Overbrook is synonymous with greed - and they will rook you in a second. This latest scheme does not surprise me one bit.

[LKR]

Griff, there is nothing vulgar about AI, in fact I wouldn't be against it for the thoroughbreds. Squeezing more from the lemon is what I was referring to. However, the owners are free to do whatever they want. Wish them luck in populating the world with little appendix Storm Cats who get their ROMs and become fully registered Storm Cat sons and daughters.