There are many situations where embryo
transfer is the way to go. If you have a
mare that you want to show, but also
want a foal out of, or if you have a
mare that you think may be damaged
carrying a foal, you might want to
consider embryo transfer.
Advances in science and technology are
continually changing the horse world.
Not too long ago, removing an embryo
from a horse and having a surrogate
carry that foal to term was the stuff of
sci-fi novels. Now, it is common
practice. To keep up with the times and
still uphold the integrity of the
American Quarter Horse breed, AQHA has
instated a set of rules for mares and
foals involved in embryo
transfer.
For your mare to have an embryo foal,
she must have an embryo transfer
enrollment on file with AQHA. An Embryo
Transfer Enrollment form must
be completed and returned to AQHA, along
with a $200 enrollment fee, before an
embryo is flushed from your mare. The
mare needs to be enrolled each breeding
season in which embryos are going to be
transferred, and only one transfer
enrollment is required no matter how
many embryos are flushed from the mare
that year.
AQHA does require the form be submitted
on time. If the enrollment form is
received after the embryo is flushed,
but before the foal is on the ground,
the fee goes up to $300. If the
enrollment form is received after the
foal is born, the fee is $400. See the
highlights of AQHA
Rule 212
below.
-
Multiple embryos
can be flushed from one mare and all
resulting foals are eligible for
registration. (This is a rule change
from a few years ago that only
allowed one embryo to be registered.
-
An embryo
enrollment is not transferrable or
refundable. (If no embryos are
flushed, the enrollment cannot be
transferred to the next year. Also,
once an enrollment is complete,
changes cannot be made. Example: If
the wrong breeding year was written
on the form by mistake and the
enrollment is complete, a new
enrollment must be submitted and
another enrollment fee is required.)
-
Embryos may be
flushed and frozen for future use.
If a mare is sold that embryos have
been flushed and frozen from, the
seller must purchase frozen embryo
permits from AQHA to retain rights
to the frozen embryos.
-
Foals resulting
from embryo transfer must be
parentage verified before they can
be registered.
Another interesting fact is that the
identity or breed of the recipient or
surrogate mare does not need to be
reported to AQHA.
As you can see, there are a few twists
involved when working with embryos, but
all the basic guidelines are there.
Check out the AQHA
Handbook of Rules and Regulations for
more information.