Aiken, SC — The first foals are on the ground at the New Bridge Embryo Center in Aiken, SC. One is out of a mare belonging to Adolfo Cambiaso, ‘Cautiva’ played regularly by the 10-goal Argentine polo star plays regularly. Her foal is by Ciggy a New Bridge Embryo stallion.
Cambiaso’s horses were in Aiken for the 2005 USPA Gold Cup when the embryotransfer was conducted. The second born foal was out of Gonzala - a mare played by Russ McCall - and by the New Bridge Embryo stallion Fully Booked.
The New Bridge Embryo Center, which was founded on the expertise of Argentine vets who have pioneered embryo transfer in polo ponies in Argentina, is now officially open to clients and there is still time to take advantage of this new service for next year’s foals – the breeding season at the center continues to mid-July.
This fall, New Bridge plans to hold an embryo sale during the USPA Gold Cup Polo Championship, which runs from September 13 – October 1.
“Of the 20 top polo players in the country – many are here in Aiken,” said
MatiasMagrini who launched the embryo transfer center with the help of expertise from two of Argentina’s leading veterinarians in the field, including Dr Luis Losinno, one of the pioneers of embryo transfer in Argentina and Dr Cristian Sporleder, the New Bridge resident vet who also works with La Irenita Embriones in Argentina – the world-renowned breeding operation of Jorge MacDonough. Dr Losinno flew in from Argentina this spring to oversee progress at the center. Leading players Owen Rinehart, Nacho Figueras, Adam Snow, Carlos Gracida, Sugar Erskine and patrons Gillian Johnston, Kelly Beal and Peter Michaels have already sent mares to be bred at the embryo center.
“It made sense to open this facility in Aiken,” said Magrini. “Rather than waitinguntil mares have finished playing and losing years of access to that gene pool, it enables players to take embryos from their mares during their down time in Aiken and have a higher success rate in breeding horses for the future.”
Argentina – home to polo’s highest level tournament, the Argentine Open – has been practicing embryo transfers among top level polo ponies since 1986 and with impressive results. “Approximately 50 percent of the ponies that play in the Argentine Open are from embryo transfers,” said Magrini. “Now you see on the field, daughters, mothers and grandmothers from the same line.”
Julie Boyle is a managing partner in the New Bridge Embryo Center. After many
years’ experience of breeding polo horses the traditional way at C Spear Ranch, she welcomed the opportunity to get involved in the new center, which she believes will be a great asset to polo breeders in the United States.
“When they first started embryo transfers in Argentina people were skeptical,” she said. “But it has evolved into something that makes so much sense. Now instead of taking a mare out of polo to breed you can possibly get four or five embryos from one mare during the spring. How exciting is that? After always handling my stallions when breeding the mares the other aspect I like about embryo transfer is that this dangerous part of the breeding process is not necessary. The mares will all be inseminated by straws of collected semen.”
New Bridge could have up to seven of its own stallions available to clients. Cambiaso has sent two from Argentina to be part of the program. “It is appealing for the Argentine breeders to get involved with breeding US polo horses and so be able to expand the gene pool in Argentina,” said Boyle. “The horses that are bred through the New Bridge Embryo Transfer Center may be eligible to be registered with the Argentine Association of Breeders of the Polo Horse and we will also plan to work with the new American Polo Horse Registry to make it possible for them to be listed there also.”
This September the USPA Gold Cup Polo Championship returns to New Bridge and to coincide with the high goal tournament, the New Bridge Embryo Center has an event in mind that should interest American polo horse breeders. “A highly successful embryo sale was held in Argentina recently,” said Boyle. “And we are hoping to have a similar event at New Bridge during the Gold Cup. It will be an interesting addition to the events surrounding the Gold Cup and will also be a great opportunity for aspiring breeders to get involved in the embryo program.”
For more information contact: Julie Boyle 307 751 9017
