Embryo Transfers, a way forward?

Glad this thread has been bumped as I've just booked a vet visit to our 2 yr old filly to check that she is cycling and to take the necessary samples for testing for EVA and Strangles before shipping her up to Twemlows later in March.

We're definitely going ahead and trying to get 2 embryos into recipients this year.

We will be using Mill Law on a Jumbo x Rock King x Ben Faerie filly who was an Elite foal at Futurity and a Higher 1st Premium as a yearling with a 9 for attitude for eventing. This is where we start to cross our fingers I think..........
 
I use one of the bigger ET centres in England they have a sucess rate of about 80% confirmed pregnancy. They used my 20 year old maiden recovered an embryo and last year I had a stunning San Amour baby. This year they got an embryo from the same mare and my Dimaggio is due early June :-) My donner mare is now 21!!!!

Last years San Amour foaled with the same markings as his recipient mum who was a nice docile excellent mum. She was about 15.2hh and my donner mare is 16hh. Foal is now one (April 2011) he is the spitting image of the donner mare my TB his head is the mirro of hers except the face markings. He has the doner mares calm temprement and her big TB walk but he has all the San Amour cadance and knee and expression especially in trot. The only thing which has surprised me is the foal is nearly 16hh at a year no idea how big he will finish off but massive is a good start point!

ET is fab with out it I would not be looking at being able to breed from my mare who is graded Han, Old and BWB plus an excellent comp record plus she is my baby. Cost about £2000 more than normal AI in my case as the ET centre only charge for sucessfull 60 day pregnancies so failed attempts are just the cost of livery and stallion costs.

I did use fresh due to the age and problems already found with my mare.

If recipient mares influence the ET foals how would any stallions be able to influence their foal behaviour as not many stallions ever see their foals! I would thou only use well behaved calm recipient mares imagine going to all the ffort of ET for a psycho mare to gallop your new foal in to the ground or teach it to hate people. The ET centre I use have a herd of sane hardy mares they try and match TB with TB types and sizes. All the recipient mares are sound free from major problems and can be caught and loaded easiliy. My current surrogate (due June 2011 :-) ) has sacriods which stop her being riden she is about 8 a good doer and a really sweety. Both surrogote mares where coverted by the studs they foaled down at as being nice quality mares in their own right and being excellent mums.

Back to the start of this thread in USA you can buy embryos from a mare and stallion of your choice frozen embryos are sold and then you work with your vet to implant in to a recipient mare. So yes it is already happening where you pick the breeding and or competition history on both sides, you do not own either horse but you buy the embryo rather than the foal. The ET centre I use is starting freezing embryos this year (I think). Polo is further on with this than most and you can buy your chosen embryo from a good mare and stallion while both could still be competing!
 
If recipient mares influence the ET foals how would any stallions be able to influence their foal behaviour as not many stallions ever see their foals!

Since you asked . . . ;), in at least two ways. One (I think someone mentions this previously) there are all sorts of characteristics that are "turned on/off" during pregnancy, although they don't seem a 100% clear on all the mechanisms involved - which makes it even more important to reduce all the risks you can! And there is the small matter of "nurture" - no one denies the forming of an individual is the result of the interaction of genetics and environment, although, again, it's almost impossible to make a black and white statement on the subject because you can't have a control for a completely individual situation.

So yes, stallions bring their genetics to the table and SOME stallions seem to influence temperament very consistently, or at least they influence tendencies which tend to throw up certain reactions. As, presumably, do donor mares. I don't think you can completely write off the influence of "parents" though.
 
I use one of the bigger ET centres in England they have a sucess rate of about 80% confirmed pregnancy. They used my 20 year old maiden recovered an embryo and last year I had a stunning San Amour baby. This year they got an embryo from the same mare and my Dimaggio is due early June :-) My donner mare is now 21!!!!

Last years San Amour foaled with the same markings as his recipient mum who was a nice docile excellent mum. She was about 15.2hh and my donner mare is 16hh. Foal is now one (April 2011) he is the spitting image of the donner mare my TB his head is the mirro of hers except the face markings. He has the doner mares calm temprement and her big TB walk but he has all the San Amour cadance and knee and expression especially in trot. The only thing which has surprised me is the foal is nearly 16hh at a year no idea how big he will finish off but massive is a good start point!

ET is fab with out it I would not be looking at being able to breed from my mare who is graded Han, Old and BWB plus an excellent comp record plus she is my baby. Cost about £2000 more than normal AI in my case as the ET centre only charge for sucessfull 60 day pregnancies so failed attempts are just the cost of livery and stallion costs.

I did use fresh due to the age and problems already found with my mare.

How exciting! I also used ET on an older mare - she is now 21 too :) I got her in sad circumstances in 2009 and found out that she has quite a famous dressage breeding history. Not willing to risk her, and worrying about her ability to rear a foal successfully at her age, I used ET on her last year. We also used fresh semen and were delighted when the mare took straight away.

On 1st May, our beautiful filly Tilly (Briarwood Rememberance) was born. She is Keystone Rivallino x Donnerhall x Pik Bube and is everything we could have ever hoped for. Another foal (Samba Hit x Donnerhall x Pik Bube) is due in June and I as so, so delighted that we decided to do embryo transfer.

We are trying to get two foals again this year from Dorle and I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you have experienced ET vets that you trust.

Here is the result of all the hard work. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat :)

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Alec the hunt have a roomy mare if you need a horse for your ET adventure. Sorry haven't read all of post. PM if interested anyone, has had foal before nice mare etc.
 
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