Mr Tullis Matson

Qualified: The University of Life! Institution/Practice: Stallion AI Services Ltd., Twemlows Hall, Whitchurch, Shropshire SY13 2EZ, UK. Career: Tullis has worked within the equine breeding industry for over 23 years. He began running the small commercial natural covering stud at the family farm in 1989 and in 1990 went to New Zealand to learn the practice of artificial insemination (AI) he then returned home to the family stud (Twemlows Hall Stud Farm) to set up one of the first equine AI only units in the UK. In 1996 Genus, the world's leading provider of bovine genetics and reproduction services decided to diversify and use their cutting edge technology to offer equine semen cryopreservation as a commercial service within the UK. Genus required an expert in the equine breeding field to facilitate their strategy and subcontracted Tullis to run an equine semen collection and quarantine unit.

In 1997 Tullis spent time training at the Utrecht University in Holland and over the next 5 years worked with Genus to build up a successful stallion semen collection centre. In 2001 the centre became Stallion AI Services Ltd. and over the last 11 years has grown in to one of the most successful stallion collection centres in Europe, offering services from semen collection and fertility assessment to worldwide semen export. Tullis has collected from over 700 stallions from 51 different breeds and has over 40,000 doses of equine semen in storage. In recent years Tullis has carried out considerable practical research into semen collection, stallion fertility and cryopreservation methods of both equine semen and embryos. This work includes the development of bespoke extenders for stallions, harvesting semen from post castration testicles and dead stallions and detailed semen assessment using fluorescent microscopy. In 2011 Tullis, through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust received the Marsh Christian Trust award for the technological advances he has brought to the field of equine semen freezing which has enabled some of the rarest breeds to be collected and frozen from successfully for the first time ensuring that certain rare breeds and rare bloodlines could be successfully frozen and the sustainability of those breeds assured. Tullis also lectures widely to both veterinarians and lay people throughout the UK on equine breeding and stallion management.

Interests: Stallion handling and management; semen collection and processing; semen assessment and freezing.