🐴 Breeding a Performance Mare: Foaling Without Missing the 2025 Season 🧬🏇

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

If you own a high-performance mare and want a foal from her, it can be difficult to imagine pulling her from training or competition for an entire season. In 2025, advanced reproductive technologies like embryo transfer and oocyte transfer offer solutions—allowing your mare to stay in the show ring while still passing on her genetics. 🧠🐎

🧬 Why Not Just Breed Her Normally?

A traditional pregnancy requires:

• ⏳ About 11 months of gestation
• 💤 Time off from training and competition
• 📉 Risk of injury or reduced performance when returning to work

For owners of elite mares, this downtime is often impractical. That’s where assisted reproductive techniques come in. 🧬

💉 Option 1: Embryo Transfer

This method allows you to:

• 👩‍❤️‍👩 Breed your performance mare
• 🧽 Flush the embryo 7–8 days after ovulation
• 🤰 Transfer it into a recipient mare to carry the pregnancy

📅 Training Considerations:

• 🌡️ Exercising mares in warm conditions can decrease fertility
• 🛑 Some mares may need short breaks during breeding and embryo flushing

💰 Cost of Embryo Transfer:

• 📉 Typically around $5,000 USD
• 🧪 Includes flush, transfer, and synchronization of donor/recipient mares

While more expensive than traditional breeding, embryo transfer is ideal for mares in full work. 🧠

💉 Option 2: Oocyte Transfer

This advanced technique is used when:

• ❌ The mare cannot ovulate
• 🛑 There is an oviduct blockage
• ⚠️ The uterus is severely damaged or infected

In this case:

• 🧪 A needle removes the oocyte (egg) from the ovary
• 🐴 A recipient mare is bred normally
• 💉 The donor egg is surgically inserted into the recipient’s oviduct

💰 Cost of Oocyte Transfer:

• 📈 Typically around $10,000 USD
• ⚙️ Reflects the technical complexity and surgical requirements

Oocyte transfer is a powerful option for older mares or those with reproductive limitations. 🧬

📋 Things to Keep in Mind

• 🧠 Both procedures require timing, veterinary expertise, and recipient mare management
• 💉 Hormonal manipulation may be needed for cycle synchronization
• 📆 Even with ET or OT, your mare may need a few days off around collection

Still, these short breaks are far less disruptive than full pregnancy and postpartum rest. 🐎

🏇 Who Should Consider These Options?

• 🏆 High-value mares still actively competing
• 🩺 Mares with uterine damage or fertility issues
• 🐣 Owners wanting multiple foals from one mare per year

📲 Ask A Vet for Repro Planning

Curious whether embryo or oocyte transfer is right for your performance mare? Visit AskAVet.com or use the Ask A Vet App for tailored guidance, clinic referrals, and planning advice. 📱🐴

Dr Duncan Houston and the team can coordinate timing, recipient mare sourcing, and fertility assessments to make the process seamless. 💬🧬

🏁 Final Thoughts

In 2025, elite mares no longer have to choose between breeding and performance. With embryo and oocyte transfer, you can have the best of both worlds—preserving genetic value while keeping your mare in the ring. ❤️🐎

Ready to breed without missing a season? Visit AskAVet.com to get started 🐴🧬