Commercial embryo transfer in polo ponies in Argentina

Abstract

SummaryDifferent techniques in an embryo transfer programme were studied under field conditions on polo pony mares in Argentina. Comparisons were made between embryo recovery rates from donor mares inseminated before or after ovulation, between two embryo recovery methods and between two embryo transfer methods. In addition, pregnancy rates were compared among recipients that received an embryo on 1, 2 or 3 occasions. Also, embryo recovery and pregnancy rates were compared in mares that underwent successive embryo recovery attempts.The findings suggest that the success of embryo transfer performed under field conditions is enhanced by inseminating mares before ovulation, recovering embryos with an in‐line filter method and transferring the embryo into the uterine horn instead of the uterine body. Differences in pregnancy rates for recipient mares that had received embryos on 1, 2 or 3 occasions were not significant. Embryo recovery rates and pregnancy rates after transfer were not significantly different in mares in which embryo recovery attempts were performed between 1 and 10 times.