Broadening the Gene Pool

The sperm, embryos and oocytes from foals born in 2015 or after will not be able to be used beyond two calendar years following that animal’s death or sterilization to register a foal with AQHA, based on a new rule approved by the AQHA Board of Directors at the 2015 AQHA Convention in March in Fort Worth, Texas.

“This new rule points the Association in the direction of more responsible breeding practices and broadening the gene pool,” says AQHA President Dr. Glenn Blodgett, a veterinarian and manager of the horse division at the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas.

AQHA’s registration rules REG111 and REG112, which allow for frozen semen, embryos and oocytes to be used indefinitely to register foals with AQHA following the death or sterilization of a stallion or mare, was approved in 2003. The new rule, which only affects foals born in 2015 or after, will appear as subsections to REG 111 and REG 112. So, if you already have frozen sperm, embryos and oocytes from deceased or sterilized Quarter Horses, this rule doesn’t affect you.

To read the full article on AQHA.com, click here.