AMHA
Embryo Transplant a Success!
We are so happy
you are viewing our web site....Thank you for coming into
our Wonderful World of Miniatures. We know you will enjoy
these precious little ones as we have. We are striving
to create beautiful little horses with the refinement
and body composition you would want to own and breed yourselves.
Our desire is to help you not only own an Olympian Ranch
Miniature Horse but to join our family of friends who
have already purchased from our breeding program. We are
doing the Exclusive Testing of Embryo Transplanting in
the Miniature Horses as well as Frozen Embryo and Frozen
Semen with the Miniature Horse. We are having excellent
testing with these little horses which has never been
done before with American Miniature Horse Association.
We have 3 proven Embryo Transfers now with our best Champion
Mares as well as more in the the Pre-Flushing stage. We
are allowed 10 mares in this test period of 2005-2006,
each creating three foals for this test period. Many other
breeds have accomplished Embryo transplants and have had
enormous success. Now comes the Miniature Horse, to take
their place among the most successful in the World. We
wish to have you learn about this process and to look
at our objective in breeding the best of the best! Please
view our videos and information page links. We
have begun with the best Mares we have and the best stallions
in our Miniature business, will one day be available to
you all for your breeding through ET. This process will
be for us all. Bob advertised "Wheaties" for
14 years on television as the 'BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS'
and now our motto is 'BREEDING OF CHAMPIONS'. Welcome
to our Mini World.
Bob & Joan Richards
Olympian Ranch
Embryo transplant
update
Dr. Mario Zerlotti
Paradise Equine & Genetics~
Boerne, Texas
Joan Richards~
Olympian Ranch ~ testing
Dr. Mario~ The
thought of using embryo transfer in your breeding program
may leave you feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. You may
think it is too expensive, too technical and too risky.
Due to technological advances, the truth is that embryo
transfer (ET) has become a widely used and respected reproductive
technique world-wide for the mare, much like the use of
artificial insemination. Large and small breeders in different
breeds have found (ET) a viable option for their program.
Embryo transfer, although
complex in scientific terms, is simply the transfer of
a fertilized egg (embryo) from a donor mare into the uterus
of a recipient mare. The recipient mare will carry the
foal to term and raise it as her own. The resulting foal
is genetically the product of the donor mare. Thus, the
donor mare will be the foal’s registered dam. DNA
will be proven for registration on the Donor mare and
the Stallion donating the sperm.
Reasons to use
Embryo Transfer
1. To acquire pregnancies
from mares that have been unable to maintain their own
pregnancies (old mare, injured, etc.)
2. To identify good producers
early in their breeding careers. Identify good crosses
sooner.
3. To increase the production
of genetically superior mares.
4. To decrease the risk
of foaling on their own (small mares, distocic foals,
infection, etc).
5. To preserve bloodlines,
ET increases the number of foals per mare.
6. To allow mares to produce
foals while still competing (show horses).
The Procedure
For the miniature mares
we use the same techniques but changing the materials
and method.
Flush the uterus:
Catheter: Small Equine Uterine
Flushing Catheter
Solution: To flush the uterus
we use 300 to 500 ml each time and repeat it 3 or 4 times
during the process. (On other breeds we use 1000 ml to
2000 each time and repeat 3 0r 4 times).
To find out the capacity
on the uterus of the miniature mares it took several flushes
and different methods.
Size of the embryo
We did not see any difference
on the size from the other breeds. The size and manipulation
on the embryos is the same. We collect from the filter
and wash a few times with a special solution before transfer
into a recipient mare.
Transfer
After collecting the embryo,
we put the embryo inside an implant gun or pipette and
using a vaginal speculum to transfer to a recipient mare.
If the recipient mare is big enough we just do like other
breeds without a speculum (looks like an insemination).
Ultrasound
To ultrasound the miniature
mares we use an extension (PVC) on the ultrasound’s
probe to be able to pass through the return. We are doing
the sonogram 4-5 days after the embryo transfer to check
the pregnancy.
Differences
Ovary’s follicles:
The miniature mares in our experience grow to 30-35 mn
to achieve the ovulation.
Drugs to induce the ovulation:
We did not see a good response to HCG, then we used Deslorelin
with a better result, but still lower than other breeds.
Insemination: All of the
mares used on this program we did Artificial insemination.
To collect the stallions we used a small AV (artificial
vagina). After collecting the semen we added an extender
and inseminated the mares using a speculum to see the
cervix and pass the pipette. On the same theme we could
talk about the collection and semen on miniature stallions,
however, the biggest difference we did notice is on the
semen’s volume, normally smaller than other breeds,
but did not affect the conception rates.
Dr. Mario’s
comments:
After a few months working
on ET in the miniature mares, it is a pleasure to do the
work we are doing.
It took a while until we
found the right techniques and how to use all of the scientific
advances on the miniatures. We think; every day the ET
is going to increase the results and the rates (embryo
recovery, ovulation, ET, insemination, etc). This is just
the beginning for a complete new world for the miniature
horse breed and to the breeders.
We are feeling much more
comfortable now to do ET on the miniatures horses than
6 months ago and that is going to improve every day~ Dr.
Mario Zerlotti
We here at Olympian
Ranch, are thrilled with the very successful results which
are happening for us all. These embryo transfers will
help us all and we have to greet tomorrow with the knowledge
that we are catching up and becoming part of that TOMORROW
…TODAY!!
We have recipient mares
here at home now with more coming home each week. To look
out in the pasture and see history in the making for us
all is a very good feeling! ~ The first foals from this
ET testing will be coming in February and March and April,
2006~ Joan Richards~
** A big thank
you to Casey Crisp in Nevada for leasing us some of her
recipient mares….and to Alliance Miniatures for
leasing us their award winning Stallion “ Topsider”
for some of our mares for testing.
~ Joan Richards~