This course addresses veterinarians planning to enter the equine embryo transfer business, as well as advanced veterinarians who are planning to gain deeper knowledge in the industry.
After an intensive day of education, enjoy an evening with colleagues at the spa facilities and excellent Nordic cuisine.
The course fee includes coffee breaks, lunch, dinner, and printed handouts. You can book additional accommodation, including breakfast, at a reduced rate through us.
In case you don't need any accommodation, the course fee will be reduced by those costs. You can check this during registration.
The venue is located in Tartu, Estonia.
How to get to the venue:
Tartu airport: Finnair has two daily services from Helsinki.
| Inbound: |
AY1045 00:10 - 01:00
AY1047 13:25 - 14:15 |
| Outbond: |
AY1046 06:00 - 06:55
AY1048 14:40 - 15:35 |
Tallin airport: all major European cities are served. It is an approx 2.5 hours drive by car to Tartu, Additionally there is a direct bus connection from the airport to Tartu by Lux express hourly (costs 10 Euro)
Luxexpress also serves Tartu from all major cities in Latvia and Lithuania.
We will be happy to assist you in booking your travel.
If you plan to attend with your dog, please contact me, and we will accommodate you in the Hotell Antonius, some 7 minutes walking distance away, which is pet-friendly. During the conference, dogs are no problem in the hotel
Venue Information - Tartu, Estonia
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26. February 2026
| 18:30 |
Registration and welcome reception with Estonian beer tasting
and Estonian specialties (fingerood)
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27. February 2026
| 07:00 - 08:30 |
Breakfast buffet at the hotel |
| 08:30 |
Opening remarks |
| 08:45 |
History and future of equine embryo transfer (conventional flush, IVP, IVF, cloning) |
| 10:00 |
From insemination, fertilization, to the blastocyst stage. Early embryonic development.
What is the optimal stage for flushing and transferring? How to improve embryo quality and viability |
| 11:00 |
Coffee break |
| 11:30 |
Management of the donor mare
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| 12:00 |
Flushing the donor |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
| 13:30 |
Delayed embryonic development |
| 13:45 |
Embryo handling, packaging, shipping, and washing preparation for direct transfer. |
| 14:15 |
Embryo evaluation |
| 14:45 |
Embryo cryopreservation. Slow freezing vs vitrification. Handling and
thawing of frozen embryos |
| 15:30 |
Coffe break |
| 16:00 |
Management of the recipient mare (examination, color doppler, etc.) |
| 16:30 |
Transferring fresh embryos, conventional vs Whilsher |
| 17:00 |
Monitoring the (successfully implanted) recipient: Twins, triplets, etc.) |
| 17:45 |
Q&A |
| 18:00 |
End of day one. Possibility to take a walk in the city, chat with colleagues, or
use the Spa facilities (not included in the registration fee) |
| 20:00 |
Dinner buffet at the hotel |
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28. February 2026
| 07:00 - 08:30 |
Breakfast buffet at the hotel |
| 08:30 |
Factors affecting recovery and pregnancy rates in the Equine Embryo
Transfer Program |
| 09:30 |
Clinical success of transfer of frozen-thawed IVP embryos: How does it
compare? |
| 10:00 |
ARTs in equine. Challenges, advantages and restrictions. What is possible?
What about animal welfare? How does it impact the genetic variation of certain breeds |
| 11:00 |
Coffee break |
| 11:30 |
Pre-implantation genetic testing of equine embryos |
| 12:00 |
Collapsing embryos |
| 12:30 |
Protocols for using subfertile stallions: sperm selection, single-dose straws for successful inseminations/transfers |
| 13:00 |
Regulations on equine germplasm shipments |
| 13:20 |
How to successfully implement equine embryo transfer into your practice. |
| 13:45 |
Lunch break |
| 15:00 |
Start of practical wet labs (dividing delegates into 2 groups
wet lab No 1:
Materials and Methods
used for ET, different gear, Microscopes, Instruments, automatic freezers, vitrification stuff, etc.
wet lab No 2:
case discussion on uterine conformation of mares, embryo quality, etc
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| 16:00 |
swapping groups
wet lab No 1:
Materials and methods used for ET, different gear, Microscopes, Instruments, automatic freezers, and vitrification equipment, etc.
wet lab No 2:
case discussion on uterine conformation of mares, embryo quality, etc
|
| 17:00 |
Transfer to the equine lab to visit the facility, with an emphasis on regulations, setup, etc. |
| 18:30 |
Transfer back to the hotel |
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| 20:00 |
Dinner at the Hotel |
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1. March 2026
7- 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel
08:00 Transfer to the Equine Clinic of the Estonian University of Life Sciences
08:15 Start of 3 parallel wet labs (Delegates will be divided into groups of 10)
wet lab 3 Flushing mares,
wet lab 4 Transferring embryos
wet lab 5 searching, handling, and packaging embryos for fresh transfer
09:45 swapping groups (during swapping, drinks and cookies will be provided)
11:15 swapping groups (during swapping, drinks and cookies will be provided)
12:45 Lunch break
14:00 Continuation of 3 parallel wet labs
wet lab 6 slow freezing embryos and thawing slow frozen embryos
wet lab 7 vitrifying embryos and warming
wet lab 8 post mortem oocyte recovery
15:30 swapping groups (during, swapping drinks and cookies will be provided)
17:00 swapping groups (during swapping, drinks and cookies will be provided)
18:30 End of course
18:45 Transfer back to the hotel
Departure
20:00 optional dinner at the hotel for those delegates who will stay for another night
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2. March 2026 optional sight seeing with culinary experience (not included in conference fee!)
| 07:00 - 8:30 |
Breakfast at V Spa & Conference Hotel
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| 08:45 - 10:00 |
Tartu Town Hall Square and Old Town Stroll
Walk 15 minutes (800m) north via Riia and Vanemuise streets to Tartu Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats). Enjoy the square’s quiet morning charm, admiring the 1775 Baroque town hall and the Kissing Students Fountain, a nod to Tartu’s student spirit. Wander cobblestone lanes, spotting the Leaning House (tilted from subsidence) and colorful 18th-century facades. Perfect for photos and soaking in Tartu’s “City of Good Thoughts” vibe
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| 10:00 - 12:00 |
Science Centre AHHAA
Walk 15 minutes (800m) south to Science Centre AHHAA (Sadama 1, https://ahhaa.ee/en/), the Baltics’ largest interactive science museum. Spend 2 hours exploring 300+ hands-on exhibits—robot-building, optical illusions, or the planetarium.
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| 12:15 - 13:15 |
Lunch at Umb Roht (True Nordic/Estonian Cuisine)
Walk 5 minutes (400m) to Umb Roht (Ülikooli 7, https://umbroht.ee/en/), a cozy restaurant specializing in authentic Estonian and Nordic cuisine. Housed in a historic building, it offers dishes like hearty barley porridge with foraged herbs, smoked fish with rye, or venison with lingonberry sauce.
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| 13:30 - 15:00 |
Toomemägi Hill and Tartu Cathedral Ruins
Walk 7 minutes (500m) via Ülikooli street to Toomemägi Hill, a scenic park with Emajõgi River views. Explore the Tartu Cathedral Ruins (13th-century Gothic, https://kultuur.info/en/location/tartu-cathedral/), climb for panoramas, then stroll paths past university buildings and the 1807 observatory. This academic haven is serene and historic.
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| 15:15 - 17:15 |
- University of Tartu Museum (Lossi 25, 1-minute walk from cathedral, https://muuseum.ut.ee/en): Housed in a historic building, it showcases Tartu’s academic legacy with exhibits on science, art, and student traditions (e.g., manuscripts, student relics). Takes ~45 minutes—great for history buffs.
- Tartu Toy Museum (Lutsu 8, 10-minute walk from Toomemägi, https://mmuseum.ee/en) A nostalgic gem with vintage toys, puppet theaters, and a playroom, ideal for families or a lighthearted break. Spend ~45 minutes for its cozy vibe.
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| 17:30 - 19:15 |
free time at the hotel |
| 19:30 |
Culinary Highlight at Restaurant Hõlm
End with dinner at Restaurant Hõlm (Ülikooli 14, 7-minute walk from hotel, https://holmrestoran.ee/ Michelin-recommended for Nordic-Estonian fusion. Open from 6:00 PM, it offers tasting menus (€60-90/person) with dishes like reindeer tartare or foraged mushroom ravioli, paired with natural wines in an intimate setting. It’s Tartu’s culinary pinnacle, complementing the rustic lunch at Umb Roht with a refined twist.
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Dipl. ECAR
Keros Embryotransfer Center
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Dr.
Innovumlab, founder and managing director, Embryologist; Estonian University of Life Sciences, Chair of Animal Breeding and Biotechnology
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Dr.
Tierarztpraxis Gestüt Buchenhof, Partner; VETART GmbH, Managing director.
We are no longer accepting registration for this event
