The Process
Embryo transfer is a process where a "donor" mare is inseminated and at 7 days gestation, the embryo is flushed from the uterus of the "donor" mare and transplanted into a "recipient" mare. The recipient mare will then carry the pregnancy to term, give birth, and nurse the foal as if it were her own. The embryo foal will, however, have the genetics of the "donor" mare and the stallion she was bred to, with no genetics from the recipient mare.
The IALHA does recognize this procedure and will register multiple foals in a single year.
For the process to be successful, we start with carefully selected mares to be used as "recipients". They need to be easy to handle, in good breeding health, and, preferably, previously had a foal without complications.
Once we have a "recipient" mare lined up, we get them to cycle with the "donor" mare by using hormone therapy. The "donor" mare is then bred to the stallion, the embryo flushed at 7 days, and implanted into the "recipient" mare. The "recipient" will be put on Regumate, checked in foal at day 14 (7 days after transfer), and at 28 days (to confirm a heart beat). The mare will be taken off Regumate at this point after confirming she is at a safe progesterone level.
Once the foal is born, DNA is pulled to test the genetics to guarantee the correct Sire and Dam before a registration certificate is issued. |
