Reproduction & Fertility
Palm Beach Equine Clinic offers a broad array of reproductive and fertility services for stallions and mares, available at the equine hospital or in the barn. With expert care and advanced practices, PBEC maximizes the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. As the process of breeding sport horses is ever changing, Palm Beach Equine Clinic proudly offers clients modern reproductive services to produce the talent of the future.
PBEC is equipped with expert, compassionate veterinarians to accommodate all equine reproductive needs. Veterinarian Dr. Robert Smith concentrates on reproductive management and fertility services and are available to discuss your individual horse’s breeding options.
Advanced Equine Reproduction
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is excited to announce a new partnership with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (HEMI), one of the leading equine medical centers in advanced reproductive medicine. Through the partnership, equine reproductive specialists will work collaboratively with our team at PBEC to expand upon the traditional reproductive services currently being offered.
Leading the team in Wellington is Dr. Robert Smith of PBEC and Equine Reproductive Specialist, Dr. Justin McNaughten. Dr. McNaughten received his BVMS from the University of Glasgow, School of Veterinary Medicine in Glasgow, UK. After completing a fellowship and residency, he became a board-certified theriogenologist working in early embryonic loss, mare infertility, and stallion behavior as well as general reproduction, neonatology, and assisted reproductive techniques. The HEMI team of board-certified theriogenologists, Drs Karen Wolfsdorf, Karen Von Dollen, and Kristina Lu, will also provide assistance with advanced reproductive services.
Photo: Jump Media
Photo: Hannah Stephens
PBEC is able to provide specialized treatment for infertile mares and sub-fertile stallions and incorporate advanced reproductive techniques such as Transvaginal Oocyte Aspiration (TVA). With expert care and advanced practices, PBEC maximizes the likelihood of a successful pregnancy and help produce the talent of the future.
About Transvaginal Oocyte Aspiration
Transvaginal Oocyte Aspiration (TVA) is a procedure where an oocyte (egg) is collected from the follicle of a donor mare’s ovary. Once all of the follicles have been aspirated, the oocytes are shipped to a specialized Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) laboratory where fertilization can occur. The ICSI procedure involves the micro-injection of a single sperm cell into a mature oocyte to produce an embryo. Once the embryo becomes a blastocyst (7-9 days), it is transferred to the uterus of a recipient mare.
The procedure has become an invaluable tool for overcoming fertility issues in sub-fertile stallions and mares. ICSI can also maximize limited reserves of frozen semen since only a single sperm cell is selected and injected. TVA was often reserved for sub-fertile mares failing to conceive or produce embryos with appropriate breeding management. Recently, this procedure has gained traction and become popular within the sport horse community as a method of producing progeny with limited interruption to the mare’s training and competition schedule.
VetART – ICSI Services
At UC Davis Vet ART Lab you will learn more about ICSI and the services provided.
Veterinary Assisted Reproduction Laboratory (VetART)
Stallion Services
At Palm Beach Equine Clinic, care of stallions is conducted by competent horse handlers. A breeding soundness exam is performed to begin and proper management throughout the process can significantly improve fertility.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is equipped with a covered breeding shed that boasts a hydraulic phantom mare. A Computer Assisted Sperm Analyzer (CASA) system provides thorough evaluation and quality control of a stallion’s sperm, allowing veterinarians to assess sperm motility, concentration level, morphology, vitality, DNA fragmentation and acrosome reaction.
- Stallion breeding soundness exam and management
- Treatment of stallion infertility
- Training stallions for collection with the phantom mare
- Semen collection and evaluation
- Semen freezing, processing storage and shipping
- Reproductive pre-purchase exams
- Semen collection and freezing from castrated or deceased stallions
Breed Your Best Playing Polo Pony
Develop your best playing string of polo ponies with innovative reproduction and fertility services by Palm Beach Equine Clinic. Proudly offering artificial insemination breeding services with some of the world’s most distinguished and celebrated polo bloodlines.
Featured Breeding Stallions
Speak with a PBEC veterinarian about all available breeding services to discover your next polo, show jumping, western, dressage or racehorse.
Mare Services
There are many factors involved in proper management of mares regarding reproduction and fertility. Utilizing proper diagnostics and laboratory technology, a mare’s fertility can be fully assessed and chances of successful conception and gestation can be maximized. Horses are seasonally polyestrous and the veterinarian will examine the mare to ensure they are cycling properly.
Reproduction and Fertility Services for Mares include:
- Mare breeding soundness exam and management
- Uterine culture, cytology, biopsy and hysteroscopy
- Artificial insemination with fresh, chilled or frozen semen
- Problem mare breeding and infertility evaluations
- Treatment of mare infertility
- Pregnancy diagnosis and management
- High risk pregnancy management
- Parturition management
- Post-partum management
- Collecting ova from a deceased mare
- Transvaginal Oocyte Aspiration
Interested in Breeding Your Horse?
Contact Palm Beach Equine Clinic for Reproduction and Fertility Services