Recipient Mare Hire
When performing Embryo Transfer (ET) a recipient mare is needed to carry to pregnancy. The recipient mare needs to be: reproductively sound, a similar size to the donor mare, a suitable age.
At Twemlows we are home to one of the largest recipient mare herds in the country, with over 280 recipient mares. This means we will have the ideal mare to match your donor mare, so you can commence your ET breeding without having to find a recipient mare.
All of our recipient mares are reproductively sound, are EVA and strangles blood tested, influenza and tetanus vaccinated, wormed and have regular farrier and dental check-ups. The recipient mares are under lights from December to accelerate the onset of the breeding season, therefore we can provide you with cycling mares from February.
Synchronised Recipient Mare Hire Charges 2025
Synchronisation of Recipient Mares:
£310 (+ VAT) per AI cycle (Recipients may be maiden or barren mares)
Recipient mares will be synchronised per donor mare for each AI cycle. Synchronisation ischarged regardless of whether the embryo flush yields an embryo or not.
Embryo Flush & Search:
£315 (+ VAT) per flush (If the embryo flush is performed at Twemlows
Stud Farm)
Non-Surgical Transfer to Recipient:
£200 (+ VAT) per transfer
ET in Foal Fee:
£255 (+ VAT) For all recipient mares scanned in foal to ET
ET Recipient Loan Mare Hire:
£2350 (+ VAT) for 18 months (until foal is weaned)
The ‘in foal fee’ includes all the handling associated with the veterinary work of the recipient mares plus additional reproduction drugs, scanning and after care of the recipient mare. If the recipient is not pregnant by PD 42 days, there is no in foal fee charge.
All in foal recipient mares need to have a 28-30 day and 42 day PD scan to confirm a single viable and healthy pregnancy.
Costs incurred relating to the keep of pregnant Twemlows Stud Farm recipients kept at Twemlows Stud Farm, remain the responsibility of Twemlows Stud up to the 42 day pregnancy scan . After this the embryo owner becomes fully responsible for keep and other charges of their recipient(s). Charges for a range of miscellaneous items, which will not apply to all mares, are available on request.
All fees must be paid in full either by the veterinary practice or the donor mare owner before the mares leave the stud.
Mare owners who send a third party to collect their mare must make arrangements to complete hire form and pay in advance of collection.
Donating a Recipient Mare
As a result of the demand we have for embryo transfer work, we are often looking for recipient mares who are over 16.1hh, sport horse types, who are looking for a good home, aged 4 to 9 years, paddock sound, with no stable vices, laminitis or sweet itch. Our recipient mares are usually gifted to us, often because they are unrideable. If you have a mare who you think may be suitable as a recipient, please call us to discuss gifting her to us.