Our journey began a year before we made the decision to proceed with it. It all started when one of our mares experienced pregnancy complications, resulting in the loss of her second foal. The vet diagnosed her with Placentitis, attributing it to a loose cervix and advised against further breeding. He referred us to his colleague, a specialist in equine reproduction and embryo transfer, Dr. McKinlay. After consulting with him, we decided it was a viable option to attempt to produce a foal from Honey's rare lineage. Honey is one of the few mares from the Brehm's Swedes line.
We intended to use my rescue Thoroughbred mare, Penny, as the recipient for the embryo. Penny had already given birth to a crossbreed foal sired by Studley, our American Cream Draft stallion, in 2021. In May 2022, we took Penny to Dr. McKinlay to synchronize her heat cycles with Honey's. When Honey went into heat, we bred her to Studley.
Eight days after ovulation, both mares returned to Dr. McKinlay for the flushing of Honey's womb to check for embryos. To our surprise, we didn't find just one embryo but two! This prompted a decision on whether to find a second recipient mare or discard the extra embryo.
We saw this as an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Dr. McKinlay's team began assessing their recipient mares to ensure they were at the right stage in their cycles, as they needed to be at least one day behind Honey for a successful embryo transfer. They chose a Quarter Horse named Tank Girl. Dr. McKinlay implanted one embryo in each mare, and we crossed our fingers while waiting for the outcome.
A week later, both mares were checked, and they had successfully retained their embryos. They stayed at our vet's facility for 40 days, where they were closely monitored to ensure the embryos developed properly. Once the mares were cleared to return home, with healthy fetuses, stable health, and growing well, we brought them back.
However, life has its ups and downs.
Unfortunately, Tank Girl stepped on a nail, penetrating her Navicular Bursa. She received treatment, had her hoof packed, and a metal plate attached. We were instructed on how to care for her hoof and took her home, tending to the packing twice a day. It took immense effort to keep her sound, a challenge familiar to anyone who has dealt with hoof problems in horses.
We had both mares checked by our vet at the 100-day mark, and all seemed well. Both mares were progressing nicely in their pregnancies. Unfortunately, Tank Girl colicked at the end of November, likely due to the medications she was on. We got her through the colic, but just over a week later, she took a turn for the worse and had to undergo colic surgery at WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Miraculously, both she and the foal survived the grueling procedure. Sadly, Tank Girl's condition deteriorated, and she had to be euthanized, a devastating loss of both a horse and a precious American Cream Draft foal.
We picked ourselves up and looked forward to the American Cream Draft Horse foal growing inside Penny.
We kept a close watch on her throughout the winter and spring. Despite our concerns, Penny successfully gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on April 15, 2023. She adored him, licking him clean, and the birth went smoothly. It turns out that Dr. McKinlay knew what he was doing after all!
But as always, foaling has its ups and downs. The little colt had windswept hind legs and initially struggled to stand. We wrapped his legs for support, and he was up and moving in no time. We remained concerned and had him checked by a vet when he was a few days old. X-rays showed that his legs would eventually straighten out on their own, and the wraps were no longer necessary. They also discovered a serious infection in his swollen umbilical cord, which could have been fatal within days. This twist of fate may have saved him. He received IV antibiotics at the vet's, and we decided to name him Hero. Today, Hero is healthy, has perfectly straight legs, and is one of the fastest American Creams we've ever had.
Despite the ups and downs, we decided to try embryo transfer again, demonstrating our resilience. This time, we took it a step further and bred our mares to two outside stallions. We were fortunate to have three recipient mares donated to us, which bolstered our optimism. After numerous attempts, only one mare, Taffy, successfully carried an embryo from an outside American Cream Draft stallion. Surprisingly, the recipient mare that synced up with Taffy was none other than our remarkable mother, Penny. Penny is now carrying a Taffy/Oakley foal, and we're keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth journey this time. Taffy initially had two embryos, and we tried placing the second embryo in one of the vet's recipient mares, but unfortunately, it didn't take. Once again, Penny came to the rescue!
We made several attempts throughout the year to breed and flush our mares with other stallions, either through artificial insemination or side-by-side methods. We were hoping to diversify our foal lineage since our mares were aging. However, after many unsuccessful attempts, we switched to Plan B and decided to breed them to Studley. He has proven to be an excellent choice. Taffy is pregnant, carrying a foal from her and Studley, while Honey got pregnant, and her embryo was placed in one of the donated recipient mares, Dolly. Millie also got pregnant, and her embryo, sired by Studley, was implanted in another donated recipient mare, Coconut. The latter was nothing short of a miracle, considering the embryo's size. Dr. McKinlay had to use a semen pipette for the transfer, as such large embryos typically do not survive, but this one did. Carrie faced some issues with her tubes, so we decided to breed her to Studley to determine if she could even conceive. To our delight, she is also pregnant. Our final recipient mare, a beautiful Mustang named Sena, was initially intended to serve as a surrogate for Carrie. Since Sena was available, we decided to breed her to Studley, producing a warmblood foal. She too is confirmed pregnant. Studley's track record is certainly impressive, as all mares bred to him have become pregnant.
If you're considering embryo transfer, we highly recommend finding a high-quality breeding stallion with a healthy semen count, especially when using artificial insemination. Young and healthy mares also greatly facilitate the process, based on our experience. Working with older mares and low semen counts hasn't yielded the best results for us.
If all goes as planned, we anticipate welcoming numerous foals next year. Our goal and dream have been to support and enhance the American Cream Draft Horse breed. My in-laws, Ben and Linda Corson, have been breeding creams since 1994. My husband, Nick, and I have intermittently assisted since our teenage years. In recent seasons, we've intensified our efforts to bolster the cream population. We hope you enjoyed hearing about our journey with embryo transfer and will continue to follow us as our journey unfolds.
We're committed to preserving and expanding the legacy of American Cream Draft Horses, and every challenge we face strengthens our determination. As we move forward, our hope is to witness the birth of many more healthy foals and contribute to the growth of this remarkable breed.
Thank you for joining us on this journey, and we invite you to stay tuned for more updates and stories from our ongoing adventure in the world of American Cream Draft Horses.
Want to learn more about us? Please visit our website www.CorsonsCreams.com
Meet the Corson's and see their beautiful farm in the videos below: