Horse Embryo Transfer

Horse breeding has advanced much over the last 50 years, we all know how artificial insemination gave breeders access to the leading stallions in the world, embryo transfer allows horse breeders to produce multiple foals from their best brood mares, as well as breeding from competition mares while they are still in competition. The ability to impregnate an elite mare and transfer it through to another mare to carry the mare has been embraced by many breeders and stud farms, below we look at some examples of mares and foals that have used embryo transfer.

Tinkas Serenade -

As one of the worlds leading show jumping mares, Tinka`s Serenade was competed by Irish showjumping rider Billy Twomey and was one of the worlds leading showjumping horses, as a brood mare she has had multiple foals via Embry transfer, many of the have achieved high prices at auctions including the Elite foal auction at Bolsworth young horse championships.

Starlight Serenade - Embryo Transfer Foal Out Of Tinka`s Serenade sire by Olympic gold medal winner Big Star. Sold at Bolsworth auction for £27,000
Below you can watch a video of Tinkas Serenade in action. Embryo transfer in horses first began in 1974, but it took nearly another 20 years before the science became commercially viable, it was embraced in south America creating polo ponies from mare that would continue to compete while producing the next generation of of ponies. In most sports these mares are competing until the late teens which once retired are often not as fertile or may have injuries which would impact on being able to be used for breeding, embryo transfer allows you to breed while these horses are in the peak of their breeding cycles. Embryo transfer also reduces the risks to your valuable brood associated with foaling.

Most breeding associations and studbooks have embraced embryo transfer, although the jockey club will no except any foals produced via either ET or artificial insemination.

Zangersheide Stud have long been one of the most innovative horse breeders in the world and have embraced artificial insemination, embryo transfer and more recently horse cloning. The great mare Ratina Z winner of two olympic gold medals and a world cup final has produced a number of foals via embryo transfer.

1st Embryo Transfer Foal Born At High Offley Stud

High Offley Stud have a long history of breeding sport horses for show jumping, dressage & eventing, using quality stallions along with mares with a proven competition record we have produced some very exciting sport horses. Our new addition "Buggsy" is a beautiful bay fill with the look of her biological mother Miss Arko who is by the great stallion Arko III who was jumped by Nick Skelton at the olympic games and won all over the world. Transferring the embryo from Miss Arko into a surrogate brood mare allowed Miss Arko to continue to compete with Emma Shaw who she was showing tremendous promise with.

The sire of Buggsy is our very own selle francais stallion Frou Frou D'anchin at internatal grade A with some of the finest french bloodlines available.

"It's amazing how modern science allows you to combine some of the finest bloodlines from around the world as well as breeding from exciting young mares with breeding and talent without interrupting the sport horse career" Pat Morris

Hopefully Buggsy will follow in the family footsteps and will grow up to be a successful show jumping horse herself one day.