Biotechnology News – Argentina’s Polo Pony Breeding Techniques
A new biotech procedure has helped increase the number of polo pony breeders in Argentina from 350 in 2001 to 630 as of today. According to the consultancy Unicorn SA, the biotechnology technique has boosted exports of the Polo Argentino horses fourfold between 2006 and 2010.
In this biotechnology technique, the stallion's sperm is used to inseminate the mare. Seven days after the egg is fertilized, the embryo is taken out and transplanted into the uterus of a surrogate mare, which then carries the foal to term. This new biotechnology procedure allows the top-notch mares that only give birth to 8 foals in a lifetime, to produce 30-40 babies, or 5 to 12 every year. Another important advantage is that the natural mothers do not have to interrupt their polo activities while the surrogates are carrying their offspring.