Shadows bred (again) to Jamr for 2020
This is my fourth and last attempt to breed — please don’t make fun of me — my lame, old, maiden mare SS Shadows Aana for a 2020 foal. She came in heat last week and Sue Moss had her bred by Jamr. We know he is fertile since another old mare of mine, Nuri, is in foal to him.
Logs of previous attempts in 2016, 2017 and 2019 respectively here, here and here.
I wish you success, Edouard. Aana is a lovely mare and I hope she produces a healthy foal.
Out of curiosity, have you considered embryo transfer? It would seem worth trying as a way to preserve these precious old bloodlines.
I would like to, but I have had such little luck with it. Is it still as expensive?
The impression I get following an internet search indicates the price has dropped overall, while the success rate has improved due to advancements in technique and technology. It seems the cost varies widely depending on location and other factors, including the type of service (traditional ET vs ISCI, embryo grading, etc).
I have not looked into ET recently, but some years ago one reason the success rate had improved is because it was found that pregnancies in old mares do not always fail because of uterine limitations–a proportion of older mares’ embryos are not successful even when transplanted to a younger uterus.
In other words, ET was found to work better in younger mares than in old ones.