Cryopreservation & Vitrification
Equine embryo cryopreservation is an advanced reproductive technique that freezes horse embryos to sub-zero temperatures for long-term storage, genetic banking, or international transport.
Cryopreservation (/krigh·oh·prez-uh·VAY·shun/)
The primary advantage of cryopreservation is the flexibility it offers breeders by decoupling the embryo collection from the need for a synchronised recipient mare. It allows for the long-term preservation of elite genetics, enabling a stallion and mare’s bloodlines to be utilised years after his/her athletic career or even after his/her death. Additionally, frozen embryos and semen significantly simplify international trade, as shipping a small straw is far more cost-effective and carries lower disease-transmission risks than transporting a live horse, fresh embryo or semen. This technology also allows owners to "bank" embryos and semen during the peak of the breeding season and transfer them later at a more convenient time, optimising facility management and foal birth dates.
Genetic Preservation
