"Is it possible to harvest and freeze my mare's eggs for fertilizing at a later date to implant into a surrogate mare? If so, where in the UK can this be done and what costs would I be looking at? Many thanks, Alison."

H&C blogger and founder of Equine Reproduction Jamie Anderson replies: "Although egg (oocyte) harvesting is available in some countries, we are not currently aware of any facility in the UK offering this service. Even when an oocyte is harvested, the best success rates are achieved when the egg is transplanted straight into the recipient mare's oviduct prior to breeding, although the egg can be incubated for 12 to 16 hours before transfer to the recipient. The recipient mare's dominant follicle must also have its egg removed to avoid fertilisation of the recipient's egg!

The more steps of technological intervention before achieving the pregnancy, the greater the cost will be, and the greater the potential for reducing overall pregnancy rates. So to harvest your mare's oocytes, freeze them, fertilise them by intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and transfer into a recipient mare, you would be looking at huge costs, and probably the requirement to take her overseas!

The better option for you at the moment (assuming your mare is fertile) would be to look at embryo vitrification (embryo freezing), so make your choice of sire, breed your mare, have the embryo flush and freeze them for later use. Even that way you will be looking at £1000-£2500 per embryo.

Hope that helps! Jamie."