How does it work?

An embryo is the result of the successful fertilisation of a female ovum or egg and a male sperm cell. A veterinarian collects an ovum from the mare using the OPU (Ovum Pick Up) technique. Then a sperm cell is injected into the ovum under very strict conditions in a laboratory, using specialised microscopic techniques. After approximately 7 days, the success of this fertilisation is determined and if successful, the embryo is frozen to a temperature of -⁠197°C with liquid nitrogen.

ICSI is the abbreviation for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, meaning that a sperm is injected directly into an egg to achieve fertilisation.

OPU is the abbreviation for Ovum Pick-Up, the collection of eggs from a mare.

In the process of creating an embryo, OPU comes first. The veterinary team performs an Ovum Pick-Up or in other words, collect eggs from a mare. After an examination to determine the best eggs, these are fertilised with sperm. This process is called ICSI.

An ICSI embryo is the result of fertilisation of an egg with sperm in a laboratory. The successfully fertilised embryo is then frozen using liquid nitrogen. A flushed embryo is conceived inside the uterus of a mare and then flushed out of the uterus, upon which it is directly implanted into a recipient mare.

MoM is primarily a supplier of ‘guaranteed pregnancies’ (frozen embryo + 45-days pregnancy guarantee) whereby the embryo is implanted after purchase at a time the customer selects. We also have a limited number of ‘already implanted’ embryos available; for more information, please contact klaas@maresofmacha.com. We do not offer any young horses for sale.

Every embryo from the Avantea laboratory is certified by an official document with a unique identification code, the names and Unique Equine Life Numbers of both the dam and the sire and the embryos date of production. Avantea holds UNI EN 9001:2015 quality certification.

Starting from the new season 2023-2024, it will also be possible to choose the sex (not all mares).

Please send direct questions on this topic to klaas@maresofmacha.com.

After payment you will receive the embryo production certificate with the unique code of the purchased embryo. This embryo production certificate, together with the proof of payment of the invoice, determines your ownership of the embryo.

Yes, you can. There is a 5% discount on the total price, if buying 2 pregnancies (respectively 10% as of 5 pregnancies, 15 % as of 10 pregnancies & 20% as of 15 pregnancies). The purchase of this number of pregnancies may also be spread over a one-year period. In that case the discount will apply to all pregnancies obtained that year.

Until the 45th day of pregnancy, there are no costs or risks: if the recipient mare does not appear to be pregnant on this day, the customer gets a full refund.

After this period is over, the risk can be further covered by taking out insurance with an external insurance company of the customer’s choice. Please, don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

Immediately after placing your order on the website, you will receive a confirmation email. This email also contains all the necessary payment details. Payments can be made by ordinary bank transfer within 14 days of ordering. We will send you the invoice upon receipt of your payment.

No, this is not necessary. MoM takes care of all stud fees and guarantees that there will be no additional costs after you have completed the payment of your order.

We take care of the entire implantation procedure in one of the by MoM certified implantation centers across the world.

The implantation of the embryo is done exclusively by an implantation center certified by Mares of Macha. The costs of the embryo implantation/transfer and the rental of a recipient mare shall only be due to the implantation center in case of a positive pregnancy check on the 45th day.

Worldwide, there are 16 certified implantation centers, including a location in the US and one in Brazil.

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Together with the by MoM certified implantation centers, we advise you to implant your embryo in Europe between March 1st and July 31th. You can also implant the embryo later, of course, but procedures performed within this period have the best chance of success.

MoM embryos are stored in two locations. The first is in Italy, where the mares and Avantea are located. The embryos are subsequently transported to the ‘De Morette’ Equine Reproduction Centre in Belgium. This reproduction centre complies with all European regulations and is certified for the storage of frozen embryos. From there, the embryos are shipped to one of the 16 certified implantation centres. We also have a limited stock in Brasil and the US.

We partner with HippoXpress for the shipping of our embryos in Europe. HippoXpress vans fitted with special coolers transport the embryos to your selected MoM certified implantation centers.

MoM will pay for the transport of your embryo to the by MoM certified implantation centers of your choice (in Europe).

Yes, your embryo may remain at MoM until 1 year after the date of payment.

We categorise the mares based on their own performance, their offspring and their dam line.

If you consider your mare as precious as ours and if she complies with at least one of the following selection criteria she could become a MoM too:

1) The mare herself was placed on 5* GP level at 1.60m
2) The mare’s offspring was placed on 5* GP level at 1.60m
3) The mare comes from an exceptional damline.

Contact klaas@maresofmacha.com to find out if your mare is eligible to become a MoM.