Presently, we offer two Certified Gypsy Vanner stallions, Charlie and EBV Turley. We also have five Gypsy Vanner mares: Shay, Sheba, Feathers, Maribell, and Mariah. Our “Golden Opportunity” embryo program offers several stallion/mare combinations. If you do not see the combination of your dreams, we’d be more than happy to help you make it come true. For more details please read through our “Golden Opportunity” program. Scheduled visits to El Brio Vanner to view our magical horses are always welcome. To contact us with questions or to schedule your visit, please call 610-486-6150 or email us at Info@elbriovanner.com.
How our "Golden Opportunity" Program Works
El Brio Vanner embryos sell for $15,000. There is one exception to this price; if you purchase a Gypsy King and Maribell embryo, the fee is $20,000. After purchasing your EBV embryo you have several options in regards to your recipient mare.
- Option #1: Board your mare at the El Brio Vanner ranch for a fee of $300 per month. If you choose this option you will be responsible for vaccination, hoof trimming, and worming fees; all of which we will take care of when needed. If your foal is born at the EBV ranch you will be charged an additional $400 fee. (You may keep your recipient mare at El Brio Vanner ranch for the duration of her pregnancy and for the baby’s weaning or you can choose to take the mare home after foaling and return her to us in four months after your baby is weaned.)
- Option #2: Take your mare home to foal using an approved foaling device.
- Option #3: Take your mare home and bring her back to El Brio or another approved foaling facility a month before her foaling date.
* Financing options are available; however, we ask for a non-refundable deposit of $5,000. The remaining balance will be due before your baby is born.
How An Embryo Is Produced
The “Golden Opportunity” embryo program utilizes the top reproduction centers on the east coast: The University of Pennsylvania Hoffman Center for Reproduction, located 15 minutes from the El Brio Vanner ranch; and EquiTransfer, located in Ocala, Florida. If we choose to use the University of Pennsylvania, we will board the Gypsy Vanner mare (a.k.a the “donor” mare) at the University’s facility throughout her entire cycle and procedure. When the donor mare is ready an EBV stallion is transported to the University Of Pennsylvania for collection. When using the EquiTRansfer facility in Florida, we transport our Gypsy Vanner “donor” mare to EquiTransfer for the season. When the mare is ready to be bred, they will notify us to take our stallion to the University of Pennsylvania for a collection. The University will then prepare and package the semen for next day shipment to the EquiTransfer facility.
The day after the “donor” mare has been bred, she will be checked through palpation; if she has ovulated on that day or the next day, that is “day zero.” On day seven, before any embryo has had a chance to attach, the mare's uterus is flushed with a mild solution through a microscopic sieve. What is caught by the sieve is scrutinized with a microscope in hopes of finding an embryo. If there is an embryo, it is placed vaginally, into a recipient mare. The recipient is examined to ensure that she is in the same exact moment of estrus that the donor mare is. In a week, the recipient mare is checked to see if she is in foal. If indeed she is in foal she stays at the University of Pennsylvania or EquiTransfer facility for thirty days and will then be examined to verify the pregnancy before she is released. If the mare comes back to the El Brio Vanner ranch, she will stay for the remainder of her gestation.
During the final (11th) month she’ll be monitored with a “Foal Alert” device. This device is attached to the mare’s halter. When the mare lies in the foaling position for more than nine seconds the device sends a signal to a transmitter which in turn calls pre-programmed numbers. This will alert the person on foal watch and the barn manager that the mare is ready to foal. When the mare starts to foal the University of Pennsylvania is put on alert in case they are needed for assistance. If they are not needed in that same day, they will come out the following day to complete a routine foal check; drawing blood to make sure all levels are where they are intended to be. Four months after the mare has foaled, she will have to return to El Brio Vanner or EquiTransfer at the owner’s expense.
• Arrangements can be made to have your mare professionally foaled by the vets at EquiTransfer in FL or a foaling center near you.
• Your own Gypsy Vanner mare can be an egg donor. Just send her to our ranch and we will breed her with the stallion of your choice. For a fee, we’ll handle all embryo transfer procedures.
Live Foal Guarantee
Your El Brio Vanner "Golden Opportunity" embryo is live foal guaranteed. In order to secure the guarantee you must have the mare professionally foaled. We only guarantee foals that are foaled using an approved product such as "Foal Alert," or other products that alert you when your mare is down and starting to foal. It is also required that you have a veterinarian on call in case of an emergency. El Brio Vanner cannot guarantee the sex and/or color of the foal.
We hope to provide you with the horse of your dreams. If you are looking to sell or trade your new foal, we will be happy to assist you throughout the entire process. The genetics of the horse make it easy, and keep in mind that our embryo program allows you to purchase incomparable genetics at a minimal price.
About our "Recipient Mares"
Because the mare does not have any blood relationship to the embryo foal they carry, your recipient mare can be of any breed. There is NO genetic interaction between the embryo foal and its recipient mare; therefore, the baby is 100% genetically conceived by its Vanner parents.
We will supply the recipient mare. Her lease through the foal’s weaning is included in the embryo fee. El Brio Vanner recipient mares are screened for health, reproductive soundness, and are temperament tested. Our recipient mares are supplied by the University of Pennsylvania and EquiTransfer. The University mares are only accepted into the program after being examined for reproductive soundness. EquiTransfer mares are purchased from auctions that supply slaughterhouses. When purchased they receive a lot of TLC and are then checked for reproduction soundness. EquiTransfer and the embryo transfer programs have saved the lives of literally hundreds of perfectly healthy mares.
Contact Us
For more information on our horses and our embryo program, or to schedule a visit to El Brio Vanner, please contact us at info@elbriovanner.com or call 610-486-6150.
