05/08/2026
Breeding the next generation of equine super stars is no easy feat. The breeding process alone can be complex and stressful, and while assisted reproductive technologies have vastly improved outcomes and allowed mares and stallions with low fertility to successfully breed, the multi-step process often requires numerous laboratories or veterinary clinics to work in tandem. With that comes communication errors, shipping delays and other variables that threaten the viability of the future pregnancy.
But Equigea, based in Smithfield, Florida, is streamlining the process of equine Intracytoplasmic S***m Injection (ICSI), a technique which fertilizes donor mare eggs with a single s***m. By being the only reproductive center in Florida to handle the process from oocyte and semen collection to birth, Equigea and its employees can ensure tighter quality control, better communication and mitigate the risks of shipping genetic material.
As the lead veterinarian, Prell does the aspirations to collect the oocytes from the donor mares herself and works alongside a technician who came from the human in-vitro fertilization (IVF) world in the laboratory to fertilize and either store or implant the embryos using Avantea’s procedures and technology. While the lab work is done in-house at Peterson Smith, Pratt consults with Avantea, which is based in Italy on all lab decisions.
Once oocytes are aspirated, they are placed in a maturation media until mature. At that point, the oocytes are injected with s***m. Prell then checks for embryos beginning at seven days post injection. By day 10, she knows whether an embryo has formed, which mimics the timeline seen in natural breeding. Once an embryo is formed, it can either be implanted into a recipient mare, which can be provided by Equigea, or frozen for preservation. The entire process can be done in-house, eliminating the need for shipping, where delays can affect viability.
“It provides a little bit of continuity and fewer variables,” says Prell. “So once you start opening yourself up to having to ship oocytes, there’s all kinds of things that can happen. They can get lost with FedEx; they can get lost with airplanes, which then forces a delay in getting them into the lab, getting them in maturation. It’s fewer variables when you’re doing it all in one place, which then makes it easier to ensure the quality is going to be the best it can be, because you have more control.”
📎 https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/04/30/equigea-takes-stress-out-of-breeding/
📸 © Equigea
