By: Trish Joyce

Photos subject to copyright

It has been a very busy few months for Team Joyce at Lals Haven stud with our Oaks Volta. Late January we decided to have a go at collecting semen from Volta by jumping him on a dummy. This is all very new to not just Volta but Team Joyce as well. It is hard to imagine a stallion could adore a dummy seeing’s though it is just a cannon like looking structure that is covered in thick foam with a hard wearing black canvas for protection. Wes cemented it in the ground and we are currently building a breeding barn around it under cover.

Picking up the dummy from Melbourne

Dummy in the ground

Dr Adam Johnston kindly helped us the very first day showing us how to set up the Artificial Vagina (AV) making sure it was filled with the right amount of water at a perfect temperature.  All of us then ventured outside to the dummy wearing the protective head gear and observed Volta’s reaction to the dummy. I held an old mare to one side not close enough for him to touch and Wes held Volta and Adam had the AV. After three attempts Volta willingly took to the AV and completed the task well. It was quite funny really to have three adults jumping for joy once Volta came down off the dummy. Relief and sheer happiness we could do it and with not too much stress on him or us.

The AV

Filling the AV with water

But now for the next nail biting moment , to see if he was fertile and if so how fertile. The anxiety in our kitchen was immense and waiting for Adam to reveal what he saw seemed to take forever. Then he stood up looked at us and said it looks superb! Again we shrieked with joy. I know it probably sounds pretty silly to many of you but if you had been  waiting for two and half years for your pride and joy to grow up and hope to one day stand him at stud and have him be infertile your whole world would just crumble! We are proud and stoked to know we have a fertile stallion who we can stand at stud this coming season!

Good friend and great Veterianrian Dr Adam Johnston checking the semen for the first time

Having the bemarie warm for all the equipment

Ok so we have collected successfully and it’s fertile now we need a mare! Hang on we had better try  a couple more times first before we get ahead of ourselves maybe it was beginners luck. We can confidently say it was done again very successfully and even without needing a mare for him to get excited about Volta actually loves this cannon like dummy.

The next task to master was the scanning of mares and insemination. We used to inseminate cows so it made us feel a little better that we had some basic knowledge of how this would work. At first we used an old crush to stand the mares in while scanning but it would be better to have a mare and foal crush so the mares with foals at foot do not stress. Sarah was very keen to have a go at scanning and as she is studying to become a Veterinarian we thought there is no time better than the present to have a go.

Sarah scanning an old broodmare in the old crush

mare and foal crush being constructed

crush installed and finished with mare and foal in it

Over the two months we have tried to inseminate four mares and can proudly say we have three mares in foal and two with a  45 day positive pregnancy test. LH Abbey and LH Passion are the two mares in foal to our Oaks Volta. And LH Annalise is 30 days positive.

LH Abbey and LH Passion

LH Annalise

Team Joyce can proudly announce we will stand Oaks Volta at stud so if you are looking for a Warmblood stallion with impeccable breeding, looks and jumping ability send a message on our Lals Haven web site : http://lalshaven.com.au/contact/

Volta and Tiffany 

To read about Oaks Volta’s breeding  and see pictures : http://lalshaven.com.au/stallion-at-stud/