As the breeding season at Pioneer Equine Hospital (PEH) comes to an end, we can look back and feel like we accomplished a lot this year, as we have been able to see significant growth in our reproductive program. As the economy in California continues to improve little by little, so does the demand to breed mares. Our embryo recipient herd has grown from just a few mares a year ago to a substantial herd, in order to serve the increased interest in the area to transfer embryos. We have been very fortunate this year to have had an exceptional embryo recovery rate and equally fortunate to have acquired high-quality recipient mares that have helped us maintain excellent pregnancy rates post transfer. We have also seen a renewed interest in breeding with frozen semen in the area and our barns were often full with mares waiting to be bred. Now that there are fewer mares in the barns, we are ramping up to start freezing semen again and hope to welcome a number of new stallions.
Much of the increased success at PEH is due to hospital owner, Brad Jackman’s, commitment to providing the highest level of veterinary care in all aspects of equine medicine. PEH has always been one of the premier surgical and lameness facilities in the West,
but Dr. Jackman and PEH are dedicated to restoring its reproduction program to the levels it maintained back in its glory days prior to the recession. Also dedicated to this cause is Kamaria Kuhn, who oversees all aspects of our frozen semen lab and works hard to make sure that our standards meet the high level of all the other Select Breeder’s facilities. She is also driven to see all areas of the reproduction program here at PEH thrive and is a true asset to the program.
Pioneer Equine Hospital also welcomed a new veterinarian this year, Dr. Kevin Hyde, who comes to us from Southern California and the Burns Ranch, the largest embryo transfer facility on the West Coast. Dr. Hyde brings with him experience in multiple areas of reproduction that he gained from the stops he has made during his career. He started out by working his way through his undergraduate studies and then through veterinary school by working at the Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory. There he gained a true appreciation for research and was able to work on numerous reproductive studies. After graduation, he spent the next 6 years learning from some of the best during his time at Rood and Riddle Equine hospital in Lexington, KY. Wanting to increase the opportunities he would have to use his skills with assisted reproductive techniques, Dr. Hyde made the move to California and we are glad to have him here.
We are dedicated to teaching and preparing the next generation of veterinarians and are proud of the accomplishments of the interns and externs who have passed through here. Approximately 40 externs from all over the world will spend time with us each year and their energy and desire to learn always fuels us to be at our best. This year, PEH is very fortunate to have 4 excellent interns and it is our hope that they will all leave here with a great foundation in reproduction even if their careers take them down different paths.
Pioneer Equine Hospital opened its beautiful new surgical, diagnostic and medical facility in 2009 and it is truly one of the finest facilities in the country. Pioneer is one of the top equine hospitals in the country with a full host of advanced diagnostic capabilities including high-field MRI and CT as well as a highly skilled and committed team of veterinarians with two board-certified surgeons. Now, because of the increased interest in our reproductive program and the commitment to being cutting-edge and providing the highest level of service, PEH is proud to announce that a new breeding facility is in the planning stages as well. This new facility will allow us to expand our reproductive services even more and serve our clients better than ever.
Log in to join the conversation.