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