Mare Reproduction

Elysian Farm is where Alberta Veterinary Center does the majority of their reproduction work. With our state of the art facility, our exceptional support staff and hardworking reproduction veterinarians we have the ability to offer a fantastic opportunity to mare owners. As we continue to expand and improve our facility we now have multiple boarding options including indoor stall with daily hot walker, outdoor small group pens, outdoor client pens and larger groups. We now have the ability to safely house over 100 outside client horses at any given time! We feed free choice hay and minerals outside as well as grain for the indoor horses, we are able to accommodate individual feeding for the indoor horses as well as the outdoor client pen horses (meaning one client has multiple horses in a pen). With both Dr Rick and Dr Maria working side by side in 2024 we are able to offer two of the best and most dedicated reproduction specialists around. We are also one of the few centers who have a herd of recipient mares for our clients.

Dr Rick Katchuik has been a practicing veterinarian since graduation from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. He has had a professional interest in both bovine and equine reproduction for more than 25 years. He did his first successful embryo transfer nearly 20 years ago and in 2023 bred more than 350 mares, with more than half being embryo transfers. His attention to detail, constant upgrading of skills and his willingness to check mares 24-7 during the breeding season ensures a great deal of success. Phoebe Oudshoorn has become an integral part of the breeding, she is constantly coordinating semen both shipped and pickup as well as mares coming and going all while assisting Dr. Rick in embryo transfers, oocyte aspirations, semen collection and much more.

We also have a stallion station and collection facility. We have several stallions regularly haul in to collect and some are boarded with us. Dr. Rick and Lorrie offer phantom training, collecting, semen evaluation, shipping semen and freezing semen. We have been training and collecting stallions for 20 years now and always have both the handlers safety as well as the stallions well being in mind.