Equine Health

First Foal Produced from Deceased Mare's Ovaries

Dr. Ed Squires and a team of researchers from the Colorado State University’s Animal Reproduction Laboratory have produced a foal from oocytes (eggs) that were taken from a mare that had died from a surgical complication. Dr. Squires, who some may remember from his reproduction lecture given for Pacific Crest Equine last winter, thinks the process has two potential applications: “One is for the mare that they have to put down for some reason–for a particular injury or colic. And it could even have some more far-reaching effects, for example, if you want to preserve the genetic materials, which has been my whole research theme for several years.”

Ovaries from the deceased mare were harvested and shipped the same day as her death to Colorado. There they were scraped, and the oocytes recovered were allowed to mature in an incubator. The next day, several were transferred to recipient mares from the CSU herd. “Heaven Only Knows” was born 11 months later in Virginia. Although it will be a long time before this method is available to the average mare owner, the possibilities for the future are exciting.