Champion campdraft and cutting riders drive demand for new horse IVF tech

Some of the country's topcampdraft and cutting riders are turning to equine reproduction veterinarians to minimise time away from their competition by having surrogate mares carry their foals.

While the cattle industry has long supported genetic reproduction techniques, the increased interest in campdrafting and cutting has led to a specialist team of veterinary practitioners and surgeons, including former Australian Olympic and international team vets, stepping in to meet demand.

WestVets Equine Reproduction Centre partner Dr Frank Low said performance horses comprised 80 per cent of their IVF work at their Marburg facility.

Although Dr Low would not disclose which champion campdraft and cutting riders used their services, he confirmed the demand for their services continued to increase.

Dr Low said staff at the 26ha facility were constantly busy implementing innovative reproductive methods, which ensured that the performance mares spent minimal time away from their careers in the ring.

Located at the rear of the WestVets building, the ECG featured offices, laboratories, and a vast concrete-floored treatment area for at least six horses.

Beyond is an outdoor space comprising lush pastures enclosed by rails with shaded yards, more than a dozen mares peacefully grazed while they awaited their turn in the ERC.

Stallions are situated in separate paddocks a few hectares down the hill.

WestVets also operates a separate facility, the Equine Hospital and Small Animal Hospital at Anstead in Brisbane, and the businesses employ 100 staff.

Dr Low, who spent his teenage years around horses in Townsville and is a former Hong Kong Equestrian team vet for the 2014 Asian Games, said the staff at the ERC combined equine veterinary expertise with a genuine passion for horses, with many riding in events and breeding then mounts.

The WestVets Animal Hospital managing partner, Dr Nathan Anthony, founded the Referral Equine Hospital in 2004.

He expanded the practice in 2012 with the establishment of WestVETS ERC.

In 2013, Dr Anthony was appointed the head veterinarian for the Australian Equestrian Team members who won bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Dr Low said surrogate mares would be impregnated with the embryos and then carry their foals to full term.

In the treatment area, he watched ERC senior equine veterinarian Dr Tori Doyle, Dr Hayley Jaenke, who competes in campdrafting, and vet nurse Bella Wilson conduct an Ovum Pickup procedure.

"The OPU and the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection techniques offer innovative reproductive options," Dr Low said.

"Around 80 per cent of our breeding services involve performance horses used in campdrafting and cutting, which means the donor mare can continue her career.

"Other benefits of embryo transfer include foals, which can be produced from mares unable to carry to term, and allowing for more than one pregnancy from one mare during a breeding season."

Dr Low said 2024 was the first season the ERC had used their OPU and ICSI programs.

"We have had an average of 1.5 embryos produced per session," Dr Low said.

"It's exciting; we helped breeders achieve pregnancies using world-class stallions like Hottish, Badboonarising, Metallics MVP, Conman and Once In A Blu Boon."

DrLow said they had an 80 per cent average pregnancy rate for ICSI-transferred embryos.

"This includes pregnancies from embryos produced using aged mares and through elective ovary harvest from deceased mares," Dr Low said.

He said these new technologies allowed owners to continue breeding from genetically valuable and proven mares when more traditional techniques were no longer viable.

He said the ICIS also meant horse owners could obtain foals from mares later in the breeding season, enabling the mare to conceive earlier the following year.

Dr Low said the OPU and ICSI techniques involved extracting eggs from the mare's ovaries.

"Then we inject a single sperm to create an embryo," he said.

"We can embrace year-round embryo production and create multiple embryos from a single semen straw.

"This technique opens up the possibility of utilizing genetics from older, infertile or even deceased animals."

Dr Doyle said the embryos could be transferred fresh into a suitable mare or frozen for the client's future use.

Dr Doyle, who possesses extensive experience in artificial insemination and embryo transfer and breeds her warmblood horses, said the ET involved flushing a very young embryo from the uterus of a donor mare,

"Once flushed, the fluid is examined under a microscope to locate the embryo," she said.

"The embryo is graded and transferred into the recipient mare.

"The mares are checked for pregnancy; if successful, the recipient carries the foal to full term."

Dr Doyle said the technique helped mares who were unable to safely carry a foal due to a health condition such as a damaged uterus.

"From the mare's point of view, this method used to be used for mares who had difficulty getting into foal," Dr Doyle said.

Dr Low said the technologies allowed a faster turnaround for high-performance mares.

"With OPU, mares are assessed and, when deemed suitable, come in for the procedure of about 30 minutes and can go home the next day," he said.

"The ET technique extended the downtime by two to three weeks.

"However, both techniques mean the mare does not carry a foal for 11 months."

Dr Low said the OPU and ICSI techniques would also ensure exceptional genetic benefits, which otherwise would be lost, could be passed on to future generations.

Dr Low said the ERC's ICSI work was performed in collaboration with the University of Queensland near Gatton.

"The success of the Equine Reproduction Centre and the advanced techniques are all due to our wonderful team members," he said.

'From our vets to our admin and nursing staff, our success is all due to them."