Embryo Transfer Questions

[snaffle1987]

My Apologies if this has been covered extensively. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to do a “search” with this new forum layout. I am sure this has been covered before.

I have an older mare with a proven show record who is too old to breed and have a natural foal of her own. She is in her early twenties, very healthy, very active. Unfortunately she spent most of her life showing and never had the chance to breed her during that time.

I have wanted a foal from her for a long time but my window of opportunity is quickly diminishing.

How does Embryo-work with horses, work? What are the approximate costs associated with it. What’s the success rate with an older mare. I’ll need a surrogate mare to put the embryo in which is not ideal.

Should I just say “forget it” and take the time to lease a broodmare from someone to breed to a stallion of my choice? I’d rather not go that route though as I more-so want this mare to continue on with a next generation.

[snaffle1987]

also, should I go the route of freezing a few eggs (if I were to get any) and then potentially implant them in another year or two? so many options with this and I am not familiar with the breeding side of things

[SnicklefritzG]

You might want to give Select Breeder’s services a call. They do ET and have recipient mares. They are good at what they do and less expensive than new Bolton.

Where re are you located?

[melula]

If you do a direct transfer into a surrogate mare the odds are higher than if you freeze and thaw the eggs later. Clinics that specialize in embryo transfer will have recipient mares that can be induced to cycle at the same time as your mare. They need two or three recipient mares to ensure a surrogate is perfectly ready when the fertile egg is collected.

I looked into embryo transfer a couple of years ago and it seemed like in a perfect world, I could expect a foal on the ground would cost 10-12K (semen, shipping, vet cost, care for recipient mare at my place)

[snaffle1987]

I am in Massachusetts; on the southern border.

[redpanther]

I tried to do embryo transfer 3 times with 2 different repro vet clinics. They first two times the clinic never was able to get an embryo from my donor. The two unsuccessful attempts I probably had 7K in vet costs, as I had several mares I was trying to use for recipients. I was boarding them all at the vet clinic to save me from hauling back and forth.

This last time, I tried with a different vet, my regular vet recommended. The second flush attempt at that clinic, we got two embryo’s and implanted both of them that day. I now have two month old foals.

I know costs will vary, but my costs for this last time were roughly:
1000 fee for the ET (which included 4 attempt to flush an embryo) X2 since i got two embryo’s
2500 for a recipient mare. This came with some insurance, that if she didn’t have a live foal, then there would be a reduced price to attempt another ET.

• 300 dollars give or take, as I used one of my mares for the other recipient mare, and had to follow her cycle and sync her with the donor mare.
  Plus the cost of feeding the recipient mare from the vet clinic for the time she is confirmed pregnant till the time the foal is weaned.

I know some places are 3500+ for the recipient mare.

Here’s a useful thread:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/sport-horse-breeding/118885-advice-on-embryo-transfer-or-egg-retrival-from-older-mare

[snaffle1987]

thanks!!