The picture above was taken in the spring of 2024 in Skálakot when Tullis Matson and Kate Ashmore visited us to go over the freezing method and protocols and help us get the project started.
In the picture are, from left to right: Tullis Matson, Kate Ashmore, the stallion Skýr frá Skálakoti, Guðmundur Jón Viðarsson owner of Skýr, Katrin Wagner and Helga Björt Bjarnadóttir.
As veterinarians, we are always eager to expand our knowledge and skills. After Helga Björt completed an advanced course on horse insemination in the United Kingdom, we took the next step by leading an insemination station. During this time, we successfully inseminated over 100 mares with fresh stallion semen and prepared and shipped chilled semen to fellow veterinarians across Iceland.
This experience was an important milestone for us in expanding our capabilities.
Our journey took a new direction when we partnered with Guðmundur Jón Viðarsson, the owner of the renowned stallion Skýr frá Skálakoti.
Together, we launched an exciting project to provide frozen horse semen in Iceland and internationally. With guidance from Tullis Matson, our mentor from the UK, we've been working hard to establish Iceland's first-ever Equine Insemination Center for frozen horse semen. Currently, we are the only veterinarians in Iceland offering this service, and we're incredibly proud to be at the forefront of this development. We aim to freeze semen with plans to export it to Europe and beyond. Frozen semen will also be available for use within Iceland.
In addition to preserving semen from living stallions, we have mastered the technique of extracting semen cells from the testicles of horses that have tragically passed due to untreatable injuries. These cells can be preserved, offering a way to continue the legacy of stallions no longer alive.
The Frozen Semen Insemination Center is dedicated to preserving the genetic legacy of exceptional Icelandic stallions. It offers breeders the opportunity to store semen from stallions that, due to age or unfortunate circumstances, are no longer available for breeding. This service also provides Icelandic breeders with a unique chance to continue using stallions that have been sold abroad. Through this initiative, we want to help preserve the Icelandic horse breed's future by making sure breeders have access to high-quality genetics for years to come. Our goal is to support breeders in maintaining the legacy of their horses and contribute to the breed's continued success.
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