Anuario Raza Polo Argentino Anuario2018 | Page 248

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT IN EQUINE REPRODUCTION
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm injec-
tion), sexing, embryo freezing and
oocyte transfer. Is it possible that these
new technologies may help breeders?
By Fernando L. Riera, Veterinary Surgeon.
Doña Pilar Embryos, Equine Reproduction Center and Assisted
Reproduction Laboratory.
On the thirtieth anniversary of Embryo Transfer in
sport horses in our country, it is worth reviewing
the development of reproductive technologies as
from its initiation in the years ’89-’90, and how a
close watch has been kept on market demand.
1990: Early Days.
When in 1990 we began to develop embryo transfer
techniques in equines, achieving gestation in a
playing pony was considered almost a feat, and it
didn’t matter much if it was male or female. Only
a few years later, the market began to demand
greater efficiency. Most donor mares played during
the Spring season, and became available during a
couple of months in the Summer, in which time the
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greatest possible amount of pregnancies were to
be achieved. The greater efficiency was reached
based on trial and error and improvement was the
result of great effort. In this sense, the experience
of those first years was very important. Vets
today have reached a very pure and standardized
technique.
2005: Semen Transport and Refrigerated
Embryos
Around about 2005, stallion syndication by many
breeders at auctions began to occur. This novel
situation made it necessary to transport semen,
since often one of the owners of the stallion did
not necessarily have his/her mares in the same