Reproduction
Blackdown Equine Clinic has an excellent reputation in all areas of equine reproduction, whether for natural cover or for artificial insemination (AI) with fresh, chilled or frozen semen. The clinic also has a well-established Embryo Transfer (ET) program. All of our reproductive services are offered to clients on-farm, as well as at the clinic. Facilities are available to keep embryo transfer donor and recipient mares, as well as mares for chilled or frozen AI.
Embryo Transfer
ET has in recent years come out of the research centres and become a viable commercial option for many people. The main advantages of ET for an owner are:
- the mare does not carry a pregnancy, and therefore does not interrupt her performance career;
- more than one foal can be bred per mare per year;
- it may enable breeding from a mare that cannot carry her own foal for any reason.
The process involves inseminating the donor mare (naturally or artificially), and then usually 7 or 8 days after ovulation, the donor mare's uterus is flushed out to retrieve any embryo(s) present. These are then prepared and transferred into a recipient mare(s). A crucial part of the process is synchronising the cycles of the recipient mares with the donor, which must be done at the time of covering. We can either synchronise your own recipient mares, or flush and transport embryos to other centres for transfer.
