Frozen Semen and Embryo Importation – by Flavio Tavares
In August 2019, I wrote to “Marchador Quarterly (Issue Nine)” talking about my development project for the Mangalarga Marchador breed in the United States. In addition to an ABCMM representative office, a frozen genetic material trading company would be operating, offering frozen semen and embryos to the American market.
Because of high operating costs and health barriers, the breed’s export flow around the world has drastically decreased since 2004 (see table below). For these reasons, frozen genetic material has become the best option to overcome these barriers and has the best cost-benefit ratio, to increase the volume of supply of the MM breed in the USA and in other markets where our Marchador is sought.
MM export table – US on left and Europe on right (biggest markets)
| Year | Total | #MMs US | M | F | G | S | #MMs Europe | M | F | G | S |
| 2001 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2003 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 2004 | 33 | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 2009 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| 2010 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 1 | |||||||
| 2011 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 3 | |||||||
| 2012 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | ||||||
| 2013 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 2014 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 117 | 62 | 24 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 50 | 23 | 19 | 8 | 0 |
(Caption: M males / F females / G geldings / S frozen semen)
In 2019, I started the administrative process at Brazil’s Agriculture Department, to work together with the FDA in the USA to obtain a bilateral agreement for the production and export of frozen equine embryos.
In August 2020, we were successful and this Bilateral Agreement was established between the countries, and since then, I have structured the operation in an objective way. I made a process of adjustment of my Reproduction Center to meet the sanitary requirements of this agreement, I selected the animals for the project, and assembled a highly qualified technical team, and so we started to produce semen and embryos with the highest technology.
It is noteworthy that my Center, located in Rio de Janeiro, was the first Equine Reproduction Clinic in Latin America, founded in 1987. We already had the expertise in semen freezing and embryo transfer, as we were the pioneers in Brazil of use of these biotechniques in the MM breed. However, due to the advancement of this technology, we set up a team with specialist veterinarians in this segment. The technical team is composed of Dr. Renato Rezende Bergvist and Dr. Rafael Goretti, both with extensive experience in the use of these techniques, working in Brazil and the United States.
We went to work, producing vitrified embryos and frozen semen, and carrying out fertility tests. We achieved great rates, which makes me confident to offer to the American market in the next reproductive season (2022), embryos from crosses with consistent genetics of gait and breed features. Marcha Batida and Marcha Picada, from breeders and families, who produce truly genuine movements, beauty, docility and racial expression. We will offer and breed exceptional saddle horses, genetics and future breeding stock.
I remember that in that article, I mentioned the fertility of frozen embryos, which varied in the world literature in the range of 35%. So, even though our team is getting better results, we use this reference as a base, and for each crossing, we will have at least 3 identical embryos, guaranteeing the delivery of the commercialized embryo.
Below is the list of the mares and stallions that make up this work, reinforcing that the selection was made with the aim of using animals with proven genetic consistency for the production of animals that, in addition to the quality mentioned above, become excellent saddle horses.
Table of horses
| MARES_Marcha batida | Born | Color | Sire | Dam |
| Avenca do Porto Palmeira | 14/10/2011 | PP | Extrato do Minatto | Cósmica do Rebanho |
| Balada do Porto Palmeira | 29/11/2012 | B | Extrato do Minatto | Polka do Porto Palmeira |
| Carioca do Porto Palmeira | 17/11/2013 | C | Extrato do Minatto | Vidraça do Porto Palmeira |
| Jocasta do Santo André | 25/12/2012 | C | Carvão da Selva Morena | Sofia do Porto Palmeira |
| Luna do Santo André | 15/07/2013 | P | Extrato do Minatto | Roleta do Porto Palmeira |
| Luneta do Santo André (HMZ) | 28/11/2013 | PP | Uriço do Porto Palmeira | Kósmica Jocaman |
| Madona da Pedra Verde | 20/12/2008 | C | Favacho Único | Angelina do Fá |
| Máfia da Pedra Verde | 25/11/2008 | C | Favacho Único | Iraquiana da Pedra Verde |
| Moratória do Rebanho | 01/10/2008 | P | Beline L.J. | Jogatina JB |
| Salvaterra Vista Alegre | 29/10/2013 | P | Requinte do Tucunaré | Ondina Vista Alegre |
| Sonhada do Porto Palmeira | 22/02/2006 | C | Cabuçu da Selva Morena | Pérola Paredão |
| Tirana Dazelina | 22/04/2009 | PP | Thor Kafé da Nova | Queluz do Conforto |
| Zapata de Papucaia | 01/10/2008 | T | Cabuçu da Selva Morena | Rede do Porto Palmeira |
| Stallions_Marcha Batida | Nasc. | P | Pai | Mãe |
| Corsário do Porto Palmeira | 30/11/2013 | CP | Extrato do Minatto | Valesca do Porto Palmeira |
| Lugano do Vale das Águas | 15/03/2016 | PP | Pajé do Yuri | Brisa da Lua Prata |
| Requinte do Tucunaré | 09/02/2006 | CP | Hino Kafé | Madrugada PFG |
| Ultimato do Conforto | 12/11/2007 | T | Jogo J.B. | Silueta do Berma |
| Mares_Marcha Picada | Nasc. | P | Pai | Mãe |
| Badalada da Bela Joana | 28/12/2005 | T | Herdade Logus | Herdade Bacana |
| Dominância do Conforto | 28/12/2013 | C | Trilho da Zizica | Glória dos Mares |
| Ella do Cavaleiro | 09/02/2011 | C | Elfo do Porto Azul | Paola do Farol |
| Exibição da Pedra Verde | 11/11/2001 | C | Favacho Único | Aguia da Santa Terezinha |
| India da Calciolândia | 18/10/2012 | C | Nero da Calciolândia | Moda da Calciolândia |
| Jarina da Calciolândia | 03/03/1996 | C | Cadilac da Calciolândia | Dracena da Calciolândia |
| Jóia da Marcha GGT | 29/01/2014 | C | Narciso Marca F | Fama da Marcha |
| Marota da Gironda | 25/10/2008 | B | Goleiro da Gironda | Serpente da Gironda |
| Reprise da Calciolândia | 30/09/2001 | A | Natal de Guarantã | Araçatuba Xara |
| Seresta N.L.J. | 28/04/2011 | T | Elfo do Porto Azul | Prima Donna N.L.J. |
| Stallion_Marcha Picada | Nasc. | P | Pai | Mãe |
| Feitor da Rodeio | 12/12/2014 | C | Aladim do Kelner | Juíza dos Anjos |
Editors’ Notes
- A = Alaza or Chestnut
- AA = Alaza Amarillo or Paolmino
- B – Baia or Buckskin
- C = Castanha or Bay
- CP – Castanha Pampa or Bay Pinto
- P = Preto or Black
- PP = Preto Pampa or Black Pinto
- T = Tordilha or Grey
Our website www.marchadorfrozen.com will be online in December, containing all the information about our products (semen and embryos), with photos and videos. We’ll also feature informative content about the breed, events and trends to keep US breeders up to date.
The semen doses will be sold directly, and the embryos will be exclusively inoculated by our team, which will arrive in the US in early March 2022.
We will guarantee the products born alive (with 15 days of life), both in the bill of sale for semen and embryos. And also guarantee gait at 3 years, when the animals are definitively registered. Unprecedented guarantee in the MM breed.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the high quality of our donors, we will be producing mule embryos (Donkey x mares) with a view to producing “boss” mules and donkeys, as they say in Brazil. We chose a donkey from the “Catuni” farm, which is one of the pillars of the march in the MM breed. We are also going to market semen from this donkey.
In other words, Marchador’s Frozen Genetics, will start its activities in the United States in the next breeding season, with abundant high quality material, aiming to serve US breeders, with quality, transparency and guarantees.
Images
Submitted by Flávio Tavares, Veterinarian, DMV, Owner of Center of Reproduction Animal, Breeder ABCCMM 23937-2, Chairman ABCCMM of Development and Foreign Trade Commission and Member of Sectorial Equideoculture Council of Agriculture Ministery Brazil
