THE TEAM

EMMA TOMLINSON  MA VetMB MRCVS

Company Director & Embryo Transfer Vet

Emma studied at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge receiving a BA Honours 1993-1996 and a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine 1996-1999.

Most of Emma's early veterinary career was spent in equine practice working for Buffy Shirley-Bevan, one of the UK's foremost equine vets, specialising in top class racehorses, and all other types of sports horses. During the summer Emma covers most of the veterinary work at the Beaufort Polo Club as well as running Beaufort Embryo Transfer. Emma spends some of the winter in Argentina vetting horses for European buyers.

It was whilst working in Argentina that Emma met Fernando Riera who is recognised as being the top embryo transfer vet in the world. She appreciated how well the process worked under his auspices and was immediately inspired to try this method of breeding back in the UK, with his expert advice and guidance. Up to this point vets had not been too successful in the UK as they lacked the necessary experience and did not have access to the level of recipient herd that is required. Emma immediately recognised that embryo transfer was a fabulous way of breeding from active Sport Horses without having to interfere with their competitive programme, at the same time allowing important bloodlines to continue at the very highest level.

Emma invited Fernando to help pioneer the first commercial embryo transfer breeding programme of its kind in the UK. Having started with polo ponies the business now encompasses most equine disciplines.

Most of Emma's early veterinary career was spent in equine practice working for Buffy Shirley-Bevan, one of the UK's foremost equine vets, specialising in top class racehorses, and all other types of sports horses. During the summer Emma covers most of the veterinary work at the Beaufort Polo Club as well as running Beaufort Embryo Transfer. Emma spends some of the winter in Argentina vetting horses for European buyers.

The future of Beaufort Embryo Transfer will focus on the continual improvement and the increasing quality of Sport Horse breeding, whilst expanding the progression of the use of frozen embryos, and thus enabling higher numbers of transfers abroad.

Emma is one of England's top lady Polo players as well as being a qualified polo coach. She has also Evented to Intermediate level and ridden in Point-to-Point and National Hunt races.

CLAIRE TOMLINSON
Company Secretary

Claire Tomlinson went to Oxford University in 1963, studying agricultural economics at Somerville College. She soon earned a squash blue and was short-listed for the Olympic fencing team. Claire captained the Oxford Polo team beating Cambridge 7-0 in 1966 earning herself a half blue!

Claire became the only woman in the world to rise to five goals, spending more time on a horse than many professional players. She is more than simply the most influential lady player the world has ever known with her unswerving determination, exceptional understanding of the horse and sheer love of the game she has become a pioneering, world class coach, a champion for the young. In 1993 with Hugh Dawnay she instigated and set up a coaching system for the H.P.A. from scratch, which has had a profound effect on how players are taught. She is admired for her ability to instruct across the spectrum, working with leading professionals as effectively as novices. She is one of six official H.P.A. team coaches, and regularly coaches British squads at F.I.P. championships as well as holding sessions for the H.P.A. Junior Development Squad at Down Farm.

Claire is the biggest breeder of polo ponies in Britain, having started in the 1970s and is pro-active with the modern breeding programme presently in operation, which includes Beaufort Embryo Transfer. Her father had always bred polo ponies, putting a small Thoroughbred stallion to his best mares. Down Farm has always had a Thoroughbred stallion, previously Man of Harlech by Welsh Pageant and now Mister Superb  by  Superlative as well as standing two Argentine stallions, Chess and Hector, who came from Héctor Barrantes and are respectively by Top Secret and Sequito, dozens of whose progeny play in the Argentine Open. Claire's sons, Luke and Mark both play polo for England and their top ponies are home-bred out of Claire's best playing mares.

DR  FERNANDO RIERA
Technical Director

Fernando Riera is recognised as the top embryo transfer vet  in the world. Ferando graduated from The University  of Argentina in Buenos Aires and then completed a residency in Reproduction at the New Bolton Centre, University of Pennsylvania USA.  Fernando is currently Technical Director at his own embryo transfer centre, Dona Pilar, Lincoln, Argentina and here at Beaufort Embryo Transfer.  Fernando's experience in Embryo Transfer and understanding of running an Embryo Transfer Organisation has proved invaluable to Beaufort Embryo Transfer over the last decade.

REBECCA COX

Embryo Transfer Technician

Rebecca Cox graduated from Hartpury College, University of the West of England, in 2002 with a BSc (Hons) in Equine Science. During this time she developed a keen interest in equine breeding programmes and has since been able to turn this interest into a career. She gained a lot of experience on a thoroughbred stud before joining Beaufort Embryo Transfer in 2002.

In 2006, Rebecca successfully completed a DEFRA approved A.I. course and is a practising A.I. Technician at the centre. Rebecca's wealth of knowledge in this area has been further enhanced by her time spent at Doña Pilar, Argentina working closely with Fernando Riera within the field of Equine Embryology. She has devoted the UK winter months to working in Argentina for the past few years and is an integral part of the Beaufort Embryo Transfer team. She oversees most aspects of the day-to-day running of the centre and is constantly ensuring that clients are kept in the picture about their animals.

Marcelo Campos graduated from the University of Tandil, Argentina in 1997. He worked as the resident veterinarian in 4 different Thoroughbred studs (Horizonte, El Padrino, Panamericano and Los Prados) in Argentina between 1998 and 2005. In 2005 he started working at Doña Pilar and for the last 3 years has successfully combined both the Argentina and UK stud seasons at Doña Pilar and Beaufort Embryo Transfer. He maintains the high success rates that Fernando Riera introduced and is a great asset to our thriving centre.

ANTONIO HINOJOSA-PEREZ
Embryo Transfer Vet

Antonio studied Veterinary Medicine at Cordoba University in Spain followed by an MSc in Equine Reproduction at Edinburgh University.  He travelled to America to complete his residency in equine reproduction at Oklahoma State University.  Antonio has worked in General Equine practices as well as specialist Equine Reproduction centres, before joining the Beaufort Embryo Transfer team in 2011.  He also enjoys playing sports and walking in his spare time and loves spending time in the countryside with his family.

ZARA VITRY-TRAPMAN

Manager

Zara was born in Africa and spent her childhood living on Africa's Ivory Coast and in North America. She studied and worked in Belgium before moving to the UK to set up her own stud in 2001 and joined the Beaufort Embryo Transfer team in 2011.  Zara has a HND in Equine Management and has a lot of experience competing professionally up to Grande Prix level Show Jumping, as well as managing her own stud farm.  She has always had a keen interest in producing young horses and is especially keen on retraining problem horses.

ALICE BOWDEN

PA / Veterinary Administrator

Alice grew up in Yorkshire and studied Zoology at Bristol University.  She lived and worked in competition yards in Ireland for 5 years before moving to Gloucestershire and joining the Beaufort Embryo Transfer team in 2011.  Alice has always kept and ridden horses and evented successfully up to CCI*** level.

FIONA JACOB

Clinical Vet

Fiona grew up in Wiltshire and studied Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge University with a final year elective in Equine Reproduction before graduating in 2009.  She has worked here, alongside Emma Tomlinson, since graduating and has spent the winters in Australia and New Zealand doing veterinary work for Sport Horses.  Fiona enjoys riding in her spare time as well as skiing during the winter months.

NAHUEL SAPSONNE

Recipient Herd Manager & Stallion Handler

Nahuel comes from General La Madrid, Argentina and has been part of the Beaufort Embryo Transfer team since 2004. In Argentina he helps on his father's farm as well as regularly participating in the Argentine Rodeo Shows. His role at Beaufort Embryo Transfer is to manage our recipient herd, which has increased from around 30 mares to 180 since 2004, and ensure they are in perfect condition to nurture embryos. He also manages the grazing of all the horses at the centre, which is a thankless but vitally important task, as well as handling the stallions.

JUAN JOSE SOLA

Stud Groom & Veterinary Assistant

JOSEFIN JANZON

Stud Groom & Veterinary Assistant

NICHOLAS WOOD
PR & Press Officer