Stallion AI Services Celebrates the Official Opening of Chapel Field Stud

HRH The Princess Royal arrives at Chapel Field Stud photo Craig Payne

26th of February saw the official opening of Stallion AI Services’ brand new state-of-the-art facility at Chapel Field Stud in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal. Founded by Tullis Matson and situated just outside Whitchurch in rural Shropshire, the company has grown into a world leader in semen technologies. Following a £1.5m investment, the company is continuing to attract some of the most iconic stallions of our time, as well as pushing the boundaries in genetic research to save some of Britain’s and the world’s endangered breeds and species.

The official opening of Stallion AI Services’ Chapel Field Stud facility attracted a wide range of guests from the equestrian sector, as well as local dignitaries. They were treated to a tour of the stallion barns, where they met famous Olympic stallions like Big Star, Jaguar Mail and Arko III and show jumping and breeding legends like Argento and Ramiro B, as well as some great examples of Britain’s most beloved and iconic heritage breeds, including no fewer than three Suffolk stallions currently in residence.

3 suffolk stallions. Photo by Horsepower Creative

Visitors witnessed at first hand a live semen collection and the subsequent laboratory processes, showcasing the company’s world leading techniques in achieving the best results in semen quality and preservation.

In a series of presentations, guests were introduced to some of the ground-breaking work carried out by Stallion AI Services in cooperation with some of the world’s leading scientists in reproduction.

John Spencer BVSc MRCVS of Fyrnwy Equine Clinic spoke about the close collaboration between his practice and Stallion AI Services and new techniques developed and carried out at Chapel Field Stud to increase the reliability of semen quality assessments. In a highly engaging presentation, Matt Pettit of IMT International explored some of the recent advances and possibilities in genetic research and semen sexing, a field that will play an important role in the preservation of species and breeds currently threatened by a dwindling in numbers of female breeding animals. Gail Sprake, chairman of the RBST, explained how crucial this type of work has been in enabling the charity to move forward in preserving some of the country’s most iconic but sadly endangered heritage breeds.

HRH The Princess Royal meets Arko II photo Craig Payne

The series of presentations culminated in Tullis Matson’s speech, in which he paid tribute to the people and horses that accompanied the company’s journey to date and provided an overview of its future direction. HRH The Princess Royal then spoke a few words, alluding to her own involvement in keeping rare bred farm animals and thanking Tullis for his role in helping to preserve them, before unveiling a plaque to mark the occasion and signing the visitor book.

Tullis Matson and his team would like to thank all their supporters, clients and colleagues who have been part of Stallion AI Services’ journey:

“We would like to thank Her Royal Highness and our many valued clients, friends and colleagues for joining us in celebrating the opening of Chapel Field Stud and look forward to many years of world leading work in reproduction technologies and genetic preservation.”

 

Website: www.stallionai.com