UPDATE!
"NED" is
expecting his first foal crop this year!
Will post his foals when they arrive!
ALSO
"McCoy" (Our 3rd Embryo Transfer)
These are farm image of "McCoy" as we call him and as soon as
the championship pictures come in we will post them here! Congratulations
Sandy Hart and "McCoy"! If you need to reach Sandy about
"McCoy" her address and phone number are listed below.
Tampa Show in February 2001 "D M'S NEVER ENDING IMPRINTER"
took first in the spotted model class and then took first in the "Model
Championship".
Sandy S. Hart
Dancing Fox Ranch
Home of "D M'S NEVER ENDING IMPRINTER"
15530 NE Hwy. 325
Ft. McCoy, Fl 32134
Phone: 352/236-4399
IT'S A FIRST!
1998 marked a very special event in
the history of the Missouri Fox Trotting horse. The first foal conceived by embryo
transfer was born on Dreamaker Farms at Nianuga, Missouri. "Flash's
Dreamaker" (D.M.) homozygous black and white tobiano stallion is the
sire. "War Chief's Cherokee Perfection", homozygous black and white
tobiano mare is the dam. The resulting foal, a homozygous black and white tobiano
filly, is named "Never Ending Story" (NES). 
Click on Images to enlarge.
Why embryo
transfer? There are basically 3 reasons:
1. To harvest embryos from mares of exceptional quality that for many reasons
may not be able to carry a foal to term.
2. To harvest embryos from show mares or young mares while they continue
showing or growing.
3. To harvest embryos from genetically select mares and enable them to produce
more than one foal a year. The MFTHBA rules allow 3 foals to be produced
and registered in one year.
How embryo transfer? Timing is
everything in the embryo transfer procedure. Ideally, one selects the donor mare and
at least two recipient mares. All three mares have to be cycling on the same
schedule. Usually this is achieved by putting all three mares on Regumate for 10
days and giving a shot of Estrumate on the 11th day. The donor mare is bred when she
comes into heat every other day until she goes out of heat. All mares are checked by
ultra sound to determine precisely when they ovulate. You have to know exact time of
ovulation because the embryo must be collected 6-7 days after the donor mare ovulates.
Recipient mares may require shots of HcG to get them to ovulate at the right time
so they will be one day ahead or up to three days behind the donor mare's ovulation.
If the cycles are in sync, on day 6 or 7, the donor mare is
flushed in hopes of recovering the tiny embryo. Dr. Roger Cole of Cole Equine
flushed the donor mare and transfers the recovered embryo to the recipient mare.
This sounds really simple. in reality it is a very complicated procedure.
Recovery of an embryo is about one in three.
The recipient mare is ultra sounded at 16 days (9 days after the
embryo is implanted). At this time, if the transfer is successful, the embryo will
have implanted and will appear on ultra sound just like a regular pregnancy. The
mares are returned to the herd requiring no further special care.
Dr. Cole has flushed our donor mares 5 times and recovered 3
embryos.
At this time we have one live foal and another mare 60 days
pregnant. Yes, they are homozygous tobianos.
Each year a special mare can produce 3 foals. To be
registered with MFTHBA, an embryo transfer permit is required. All resulting foals
must be blood typed and parentage verified. Parentage verification requires blood
typing of sire, dam and foal.
You may view the first embryo transfer foal, Never Ending Story
(NES) and her full brother, Never Ending Dream (NED) 
in person at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on
September 9-10, 1998. 
Some lucky bidder will have the privilege of buying this special
piece of Missouri Fox Trotting history at the Color Commander's Sale. It is with
honor and dedication, that the staff of Dreamaker Farms salutes the Golden Anniversary of
the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse. May the horse with a rich historical tradition move
forward into the year 2000 with the cutting edge of technology.