TEST TUBE FOALS

TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE BREEDING GAME

The tragic and heartbreaking loss of great proven sires and dams doesn’t always mean the slow death of legendary bloodlines.

With today’s technology and expertise in breeding, we can carry on proven performance nicks, and producing lines that will light up our show pens for years to come. We also are able to look to the past to create outcrosses in a very bloodline saturated breeding program.

This is a true tribute to the horses who have helped our industry celebrate the best of the best, even after their days have ended. Keeping bloodlines famous and making memories live on. With skilled science and groundbreaking reproduction methods, how we look to breed our horses has been changed.

The breeding seasons of livecoverage are long gone, except for the Thoroughbred Jockey Club that require the mating to be only live-covered and video-taped. As a mare or stallion owner, the natural live-coverage way of breeding always came with many unknowns and dangers. Stallions could fall victim to an aggressive nonaccepting mare who could do some harm by biting, kicking, and lunging at them. The stress put on your mare by hauling and leaving your mare, who sometimes had a foal on her side, to the standing sire is a scary risk. Injuries from trailering, breeding, and boarding at a breeding barn or having mares come into the barn can easily cause contagious illnesses and can spread quickly.

The techniques available now by AI (artificial insemination), leaves your mare and foal, and stallion at the comfort and care of their own farms and local veterinary clinics. The new procedures may be less traumatic and easier for the two horses involved, but comes with different prices to pay.

“FROZEN SEMEN IS REALLY CONVENIENT BECAUSE YOU GET THE DOSES NEEDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON AND THEN THE STRAWS WAIT FOR THE MARES TO BE READY.”

When a stallion is collected, the semen is put into breeding straws and frozen for future use. The sperm can be stored indefinitely by cryopreservation (freezing) in a special vapor then stored in liquid nitrogen tanks, until it’s shipped. All straws for the entire breeding season can be

sent in one shipment, eliminating extra shipping charges. The thawed semen must be inseminated very close to the time of the mare’s ovulation, within a 6 to 12-hour window. This means repeated and frequent exams that are needed hours apart to palpate the mare and check for the signs of ovulation.

Cooled or chilled semen is collected and put into straws, the sperm is excepted to live at least 3 days, 1 day in transit and 2 additional days in an ovulating mare’s reproductive tract, a mare remains in heat for 24-48 hours after she has ovulated, and the sperm’s lifespan coincides with her heat cycle. Shipping requirements are less strict when handling fresh semen as time is of the essence.

Pregnancy rates using frozen semen often are disappointing compared to fresh cooled semen as the conception rate is maybe half that of cooled semen. Roughly, it takes on average 2 to 3 cycles to get 90% of mares pregnant using the AI breeding method.

The ICSI procedure (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is the most advanced reproductive technology available. It involves a micro-injection of a single sperm into a mature oocyte (egg) which causes fertilization. The injected egg is then placed in an incubator to develop into an embryo, which usually occurs within 6-8 days. The developed embryos are then shipped to an embryo transfer facility, a specialized clinic or university hospital. Before 2013, two mares were needed for this method, and made this method quite expensive. A donor mare, who’s egg was fertilized, and a recipient mare which is a surrogate to carry the embryo to term. ICSI became more affordable when only the donor mare is used to retrieve the egg, carry the pregnancy, and give birth to the foal. This procedure has the highest potential for pregnancies. Not all mares are good candidates for breeding with frozen semen, with the chemicals in the sperm extenders can cause problems with infection, irritations and allergic reactions. Having a low sperm count or poor mobility, and depending on the age and health of some studs’ sperm don’t handle the freezing and thawing process well.

David Maisonette, lives in south central France is a town called Aurec-surLoire, and is the owner and manager of Haras De L’Hermet, a premier breeding facility. In 2018, David was nominated DQHA Leading Breeder and

“GOOD VETS ARE COSTLY BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE ONE WHO IS ON TOP OF IT AND CAN HANDLE EVERYTHING THROUGH ALL THE PROCESSES”

David Maisonette

also the DQHA Leading Dam. DQHA stands for Duetsche Quarter Horse Association, it’s the biggest association in Europe. David’s nominations were from offsprings conceived with frozen semen only. David says, “frozen semen here in Europe has been revolutionary for our industry. For many years we have used frozen semen with Jumpers and Dressage horses, so we very familiar with this process. The fact we can import frozen semen from the most famous stallions in the US has been huge progress for us. I have been an agent to promote US stallions in Europe for the last decade. I’m proud to offer every year a fine selection of US stallions, and the number and quality keeps getting bigger and better.” David continues, “frozen semen is really convenient because you get the doses needed at the beginning of the season and then the straws wait for the mares to be ready. I always say when you sign a breeding contract; it is better that the semen waits for your mare and not the opposite. We can’t always depend on semen transports traveling overseas. The ICSI program is another revolution and we are using it for the first time here with one mare. This new technology is great for the semen that has low fertility rates and stallions who have passed. You need a very limited

“BREEDING IS A GAMBLE AND NOT WITHOUT RISKS AND LOSSES,”

amount of semen straws and the good thing is that with one straw of semen will produce several embryos.”

David is a firm believe that the key with frozen semen breedings success is the vet, along with the mares being in great breeding condition. Dave shares, “I am really lucky to work with some of the best reproductive vets in Europe. Dr. Pierre Valette Haras d Aubingy and Dr. Neyrat Beligneux le Haras, both pioneers in breeding with frozen semen and now Dr. Neyrat Beligneux le Haras is offering ICSI services for our mares. I have to thank my vets who can get my mares in foal

“BOTH OF THE FOAL’S PARENTS HAVE PASSED ON AND THAT IS KIND OF CRAZY TO THINK ABOUT.”

every year with a really limited number of straws. They for sure do not waste any semen.” David works with many top AQHA breeders, stallion managers and owners to export frozen semen to Europe and Australia, giving every opportunity to breed the same studs we have in the US globally. “The US stallion owners give early booking offers, European champion and multiple mare discounts, and special sales to help bring down the costs. This is all more affordable now then it was when it was new to our industry, just like how it is the US,” David states.

Jane Backes, top AQHA breeder and with her husband Leon, own Backs Quarter Horses in Tioga, Texas. Their slogan reads, ‘Where The Magic Is In The Mare.’

With many quality broodmares that share the greats of performance and producing sires and dams, she also stands two home bred stallions A Ghost Machine (A Good Machine x Suddenly Easy To Amble) and The

Best Principles (RL Best Of Sudden x Graceful Principles.) Just like her slogan states, Jane’s magic is in her mares, and proven in her expertise.

“The breeding industry has changed for me but more for the mare side of things than for the stallions. Jane shares, “about 10 years ago, we had a wonderful AQHA mare named Kizzy Nostra, by the great sire, Im A Big Leaguer. She had a difficult time conceiving, her uterine flushes got us nowhere. We shipped her up to Colorado State University and got 2 babies from her through the ICSI method. The embryos went to Fort Worth, Texas and each one cost about $12,000 dollars at the time. Now the cost has come down for mare owners. Her foals were worth every penny, and I am very grateful.”

Jane’s mare, Zippodorable was put down, at the time of her euthanasia Jane decided to have her eggs harvested. “It was a bittersweet day for us. The ovaries were put on ice and sent to the ICSI lab. A recipient mare, who carried Zippodorable’s fertilized egg to term by the stallion. So, both of the foal’s parents have passed on and that is kind of crazy to think about” Jane laughs.

Jane’s miracle Zippodoable x A Good Machine foal was born in 2020, and is a full sibling to AQHA Champion, Play On.

“Graceful Principles, our mare by Principle Investment by The Big Investment and out of Elegent Zippo by Zippo Pine Bar, had such bad arthritic knees and couldn’t handle a stud mounting her, so we opted to wait and do ICSI. We also harvested her eggs when her time came, like Zippodorable. We have been blessed by Gracie and her two foals by RL Best Of Sudden, full siblings to The Best Principles.”

Jane has an exceptional two year old stallion prospect by the late Radical Rodder out of Complete Pleasure that she is very excited about hitting the show pen. Breeding technology allowed this incredible bloodline to be carried on.

“Breeding is a gamble and not without risks and losses,” Jane says. One thing Jane won’t risk is having a good vet, like David in France. “I have had many vets over the years and having a good vet, one you can trust, is an absolute must. Yes, good vets are costly but you really need to have one who is on top of it and can handle everything through all the processes.

Fahrenheight, Jane’s Radical Rodder x Complete Pleasure colt

Especially, the ovulation period when the mare needs to be palpated and checked every 4-6 hours to catch her egg dropping.”

Obviously, having trust in your team with your precise mares and future foals is worth any expense.

When choosing stallions we have upcoming studs, who have just started their show career and have the influence and abilities to possibly become great sires. We also have the option of going with a celebrated and famous stallion’s frozen sperm which can feel like a sure bet and a dream come true, since the stallion is no longer alive. Mare owners have a lot riding on the decision to take a risk on new fresh talent or unthaw the genetics of one of the greats. With the choices we have available through reproduction science, making a dream foal into a reality even if the moment in time has passed. Without freezing our mare’s eggs and stallion’s sperm, we couldn’t raise the fantasy babies who would have missed their beginning otherwise.

“Mare owners need to do their homework and learn about the histories each bloodline has created. You never know what you’re going to get or end up with. I have had beautifully put together parents with good minds who gave me a more basic looking foal without a real sharp mind, and I have breed more of the average looking horses that went on to produce stunning and great minded game-changing babies. Nothing is a sure thing and that is what keeps my business so interesting.”

With the preciseness of ICSI, where the expectation of breeding is taking genetics back in time and creating miraculous foals who skipped years to alter the future. This method also bridges gaps for living stallions who are actively competing or are dealing with an illness or injury and can’t fulfill the breeding season.

Many bloodlines overcome fertility issues and many more are given a second chances with frozen DNA and by injecting the best and most active healthiest sperm into the best and most mature egg, allowing great genes to live on beginning in a lab’s petri-dish.

“THE BREEDING INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED FOR ME, BUT MORE FOR THE MARE SIDE OF THINGS THAN FOR THE STALLIONS.”