Horse ET

AAG conducts embryo transfer in horses.

Features of the programme are:

• ET on farm or on centre using fresh, chilled or frozen semen.

Telephone: (03) 5977-1770

Veterinary staff at AAG have been instrumental in developing and applying ET in horses. Some of the highlights have been the production of more than 1000 embryo transfer foals in a number of large equine ET programmes. This has involved the setting up and running of ET centres both in Australia and overseas. Other projects have been the production of identical twins by embryo micro-manipulation, conservation of equids by inter species embryo transfer and the birth of live foals from chilled embryos and frozen embryos shipped between countries.

Detailed information on embryo transfer in horses appears below.

Please contact us for information on setting up horse artificial breeding programmes or anything else to do with your breeding programme.

EMBRYO TRANSFER IN HORSES

Embryo transfer is a procedure where embryos are flushed from the uterus of a donor and then implanted into the uterus of a recipient.

Mares cannot be superovulated so in most cases only a single embryo is collected at flushing. Occasionally double or triple ovulations occur and in these cases multiple embryos can be collected.

The following summarises the steps in flushing and transfer

• donor and recipients are examined to ensure they are reproductively sound before the beginning of the programme
• date set for the beginning of teasing donors and recipients
• donor and recipients synchronised to ensure they ovulate within a prescribed time.
• daily teasing and follicle testing of donors and recipients to determine the best time for joining and the exact time of ovulation.
• donor bred by AI with fresh, chilled or frozen semen or joined with a stallion
• embryo collection is performed seven days after ovulation has been detected in the donor
• embryo transferred non surgically to a suitable recipient
• recipient scanned seven days post transfer for pregnancy.
• donors and recipients given prostaglandin and resynchronised for another embryo collection attempt

Embryo transfer in horses is used for a number of reasons. These are:

• production of offspring from mares that are actively training, performing or eventing. In this way offspring can be produced from animals that would normally not reproduce until after they have retired.
• foals produced from problem mares that conceive but cannot carry the foals to term
• production of more than one foal per year from superior mares
• ability to join mare to more than one stallion per year to identify superior joinings