Latest from Horse & Hound in Cloning

How much does it cost to clone a horse? Plus 9 other interesting cloning facts

Polly Bryan — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:31:38 +0000

Cloning horses is no longer the alien concept it once was. While still being far from being commonplace, this technology has developed beyond recognition over the past two decades, with cloning and cloned bloodlines now more accessible than ever to British breeders, and playing an important role in genetic preservation.

What is a clone?

A clone horse is a genetically identical replica of another horse, with no programmed changes to their DNA. The pair are genetic twins, but born at different times.

Horses are typically cloned in order to preserve their valuable bloodlines, often in cases where a superior or highly valuable horse has died or been gelded and therefore is unable to produce offspring. The science is also increasingly being used for the genetic preservation of rare and endangered breeds.

Is cloning horses legal?

Yes, although the rules around it vary between equestrian industries and studbooks. While cloning is prohibited in the thoroughbred industry, since 2012 the FEI has allowed the participation of clones and their progenies in equestrian sport.

How does cloning horses work?

Cloning horses involves a tissue sample being taken from the horse and the DNA-containing nucleus of a cell transferred into a recipient egg, or oocyte, which has had the DNA removed. This egg is then implanted into a recipient mare to be carried to term.

Cost of cloning a horse

Breeding a horse is costly, but cloning is more so. The first step in the cloning process is preserving the cells, which costs £600+VAT via British company Gemini Genetics, along with a storage fee of £12+VAT per month until you are ready to proceed with the process. The next stage, in which the cells are cultured, costs around £1,400+VAT with Gemini Genetics.

When it comes to the actual cloning procedure, the cost is much more. It varies per species, but expect to pay in the region of $85,000 to clone a horse with Gemini Genetics’ partner company, leading USA-based cloning company ViaGen.

Is it possible to clone a horse that has died?

Yes, but you have to move fast – time is of the essence in a post-mortem situation. Tissue samples must be taken by a vet after a horse has died and Gemini Genetics states that the maximum length of time it can accept the biopsy samples is five days post mortem, as long as the animal has been kept in optimal conditions during this time (approximately 4 degrees). The chances of successful preservation decreases with every day the horse has been deceased. They offer instructions for taking samples in an emergency.

Famous cloned horses

There are now several examples of top horses who have been cloned. The double Olympic silver medal-winning showjumper Gem Twist (Good Twist x Noble Jay) has two clones: Gemini CL, born in 2008, whose progeny include the top-level showjumpers H5 Ganesh Hero Z and Next Twist Van’t Ruytershof, and Murka’s Gem, born in 2011, stands at Stallion AI Services in Shropshire and his offspring include a licensed son Lisbrogen Gem Twist.

Chilli Morning III and Chilli Morning IV with Gemma Stevens. (Image credit: Elli Birch/Boots and Hooves)

The top Olympic eventing stallion Chilli Morning has three clones on the ground, known as Deuce, Tres and Quattro and officially registered as Chilli Morning II, III and IV. Chilli Morning IV (Quattro) is ridden by Gemma Stevens (née Tattersall), Chilli Morning III (Trey) is piloted by Cheshire-based Chinese rider Alex Hua Tian and Chilli Morning II (Deuce) by German Olympic champion Julia Krajewski.

The Chilli clones hit the headlines when Deuce and Quattro scored the same dressage mark at the seven-year-old World Championships in 2024, with Quattro going on to win the competition and Deuce finishing sixth. Quattro continued his success in 2025, stepping up to four-star and finishing eighth in the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim Horse Trials.

Another of William Fox-Pitt’s Olympic partners Tamarillo has also been cloned; Tomatillo was born in 2013, and has competed up to four-star level with Aaron Millar.

Aaron Millar and the now-10-year-old Tamarillo clone Tomatillo in action at Hartpury International Horse Trials in 2022. (Image credit: Benjamin Clark Photography)

The famous Irish stallion Cruising has also been cloned; Cruising Arish and Cruising Encore were born in 2012. Both have showjumped and they stand at Hartwell Stud, with several offspring on the ground between them.

A clone of Nick Skelton’s prolific showjumping partner Arko III was also born in 2021, seven months following the death of Arko himself.

Charly Van Ter Heiden, who won Luhmühlen Horse Trials in 2021 with Mollie Summerland, has also been cloned.

Do cloned horses look exactly like the original?

Although clones are genetic replicas, they do not tend to look identical to the original horse. The most obvious difference is often a variation in markings. White markings are not driven by genetics, but due to random migration of white cells during foetal development. This means that the shape and positioning of white markings is likely to differ between the original horse and its clones.

Do cloned horses have the same personalities?

Horses’ personalities are influenced by their environment as much as their genetics, meaning the personalities of clones can vary compared to that of the original horse. According to the team at ViaGen, though, clients always report that their clones remind them of the original animal’s personality, even if they are not exactly alike.

Is it possible to clone a cloned horse?

Yes it is possible – a clone is a normal animal, so the procedure is the same – and several clones have been produced from other clones, usually in cases where people wish to continue just one line.

Can I clone my dog (or cat)?

Yes – ViaGen works with cloning pets (dogs and cats) as well as horses. The process is broadly the same, although the costs differ – expect to pay in the region of $50,000 (£38,000) to clone a dog with ViaGen, in addition to the costs involved for cell preservation and storage via Gemini Genetics.

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‘He is wonderful across country – like he’s done it all before’: meet Chilli Morning’s three clones

Pippa Roome — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 07:00:16 +0000

The cloning of Badminton Horse Trials winner Chilli Morning came into the spotlight last autumn, when one of the three clones, Chilli Morning IV, won the seven-year-old World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers – while another of the clones, Chilli Morning II, also competed there, finishing sixth. Remarkably, the pair scored exactly the same dressage mark.

The clones all belong to the original Chilli’s owners, Chris and Lisa Stone, and they are ridden by Britain’s Gemma Stevens (Chilli Morning IV, known as Quattro), Germany’s Julia Krajewski (Chilli Morning II, known as Deuce) and China’s Alex Hua Tian (Chilli Morning III, known as Tres). We spoke to the three jockeys to find out a little more about the horses’ characters…

All three riders praise the clones’ brains and ability.

“My one has been very easy to train,” says Gemma. “With their brains, it’s like ticking boxes and once they have learnt something once, they never forget.

“The showjumping is his weakest phase, but he tries and is getting stronger. He is absolutely wonderful across country – like he’s done it all before. He’s so positive and loves to gallop. He doesn’t get uptight in the start box, he just genuinely seems like he loves it.”

Gemma knew Chilli as an older horse – she competed alongside him at the Rio Olympics and he retired to her base at Tattleton, which belongs to Chris Stone, for a couple of years before his death in 2020.

“It’s hard to compare because these are young horses, but there are real similarities. Their walk is just like Chilli’s walk,” says Gemma. “My one has a prettier head than the original, though I think Julia’s looks very like him.

“And there are certain things that are weirdly similar – like the way they do a flying change, the way they sort of hold themselves in a frame. Then there are differences – we think my one might trot slightly better. And mine is slightly smaller than Chilli.”

Alex echoes Gemma on his charge’s cross-country prowess, particularly.

“Tres is a very self-confident, intelligent, worldly-wise, cheeky chappy,” he says. “He’s a bit spooky. The first time he went out of the start box, it was like, ‘Whoa, this is really weird’ – I’d never sat on anything that comes out the first time ears pricked, looking for the first fence, super mature, with such a natural engine.

“Talking to Gemma and Julia, they’ve felt very much the same with their two – that strain of genetics obviously has a really strong affinity to the cross-country phase.”

With Alex’s being the biggest of the three clones, he says: “I was warned by Chris, Lisa and Gemma that the Chilli Morning offspring do take a bit of time to get going physically and Tres followed that as a four- and five-year-old. There were multiple flashes of brilliance, but he felt like a very rangy, weak horse who hadn’t grown into his body yet.

“There were weeks when he felt amazing, then weeks where it felt like he’d lost 20 stone and was growing again. His development has been marked by that – he’s clearly an exciting horse who needs a little bit more time physically.”

Julia calls Deuce by his progenitor’s name, Chilli – “we have problems saying Deuce so he’s Chilli to us”.

“He’s always been very straightforward – I don’t think there are many things he’s questioned,” she says. “He’s very good to work with, but he’s a two-sided personality – he can be a bit ignorant, not care much for everything, then can suddenly be quite sweet and cuddly.

“I find it fascinating to speak to the other riders – I chat with Gemma quite often and ask how is this or that with yours? Often we’ve had the same sort of issue in the same time frame, or she says that’s totally normal with Chilli offspring at this time.”

Read more about the Chilli Morning clones, including how Chris chose their riders, why they have all been castrated and their competitive plans for this year, in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine (issue dated 6 March).
To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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(Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

How much does it cost to clone a horse? Plus 9 other interesting cloning facts

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We take a look back on the career of this illustrious stallion, following the news of his death

(Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

British Olympian partners Chilli Morning clone to young horse world title

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‘It’s a little spooky!’ – William Fox-Pitt rides two clones of his former equine superstars

(Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

Chilli Morning clones being prepped for competition and breeding: ‘It’s Chilli’s DNA’

Three Chilli Morning clones, copies of the stellar eventing stallion, are growing up in West Sussex and set to make

(Image credit: Elli Birch/Bootsandhooves)

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Court orders return of cloned ponies in landmark ruling

Oscar Williams — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:06:12 +0000

Argentinian polo star Adolfo Cambiaso, 46, and his La Dolfina team have won a legal battle in the Southern District of Florida, securing a final judgment for the return of cloned ponies that were sold without his knowledge.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest polo players of all time, the 10-goal Argentinian has amassed nearly 1,000 career points and was recently featured in Netflix’s Polo.

The case focused on clones of Cambiaso’s most successful horse, Dolfina Cuartetera – ranked first in Argentina’s Polo Hall of Fame – who died in May 2023, at the age of 22. Several of her clones have gone on to compete at the highest level, featuring in the prestigious Argentine Triple Crown. Among Cambiaso and his son Adolfo “Poroto” Cambiaso’s top mounts are Cuartetera clones B06 and B09.

The lawsuit alleged that Cambiaso’s longtime business partner, Alan Meeker, secretly sold Cuartetera’s clones to a rival polo team without his knowledge, despite their decade-long partnership. The claims included breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets.

Polo remains the most accepting equestrian sport when it comes to cloning; Argentina imposes few regulations and no restrictions on the number of cloned ponies allowed in competition – leaving teams and breeders to set their own rules.

Cambiaso has been at the forefront of this revolution, helping shape cloning into a multi-million-dollar industry. In 2006, after his stallion Aiken Cura suffered a fatal injury, he preserved a skin sample in a Buenos Aires laboratory. In 2010, using that harvested sample, he successfully produced Aiken Cura E01 with the help of Alan Meeker and his company Crestview Genetics. The two parties then entered into a contract to clone more of Cambiaso’s polo ponies.

That year, Meeker and Cambiaso included a three-month-old Cuartetera clone in a high-profile auction, who sold for $800,000 – the highest price ever paid for a polo horse. The buyers were a partnership led by Argentinian businessman and amateur polo player Ernesto Gutiérrez, a close friend of Cambiaso.

Following the auction, Gutiérrez urged Cambiaso and Meeker to reconsider their strategy, arguing that selling clones risked diminishing Crestview’s exclusivity over Cambiaso’s prized bloodlines. Instead, he proposed bringing the clone he had bought back into Crestview, securing his position as a third partner, and shifting the focus to selling only foals of clones rather than the clones themselves – a policy that remains in place today.

But following a nine-day jury trial in May 2024, Cambiaso’s legal team – Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP (WTO) – demonstrated that Meeker had secretly sold Cuartetera clones to an unnamed Russian businessman for $800,000 each, with additional sales planned.

As a result, Meeker and Crestview Genetics have been ordered to return all La Dolfina clones and tissue samples to Cambiaso. The opposing team argued that Meeker acted within his agreement with Cambiaso.

“For Adolfo Cambiaso and his family, this is an important decision coming after a four-year multi-jurisdictional court battle,” said lead counsel, Habib Nasrullah.

“These horses are priceless, and the family is committed to the process of recovering their cloned horses and preserving this part of the legacy Adolfo built for his children.”

Diego Bucking, personal counsel to Cambiaso, added: “This case represents an important development in horse cloning.”

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British Olympian partners Chilli Morning clone to young horse world title

Lucy Elder — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 17:15:13 +0000

Chilli Morning IV, a clone of the 2015 Badminton-winning stallion Chilli Morning, was crowned seven-year-old eventing world champion with Britain’s Gemma Stevens in the saddle at Mondial Du Lion yesterday (20 October).

Christopher and Lisa Stone’s seven-year-old finished on his dressage score of 26.2 to head a British one-two at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Le Lion d’Angers, with Kitty King and Kantango second on 27.9.

“I am unbelievably proud to be crowned world champion,” said Gemma. “This has been our goal and aim with him since he started his programme. We have produced him right from the start, which makes it extra special.

“Le Lion is the most incredible show, it’s always been a dream to win here and I can’t actually believe it’s come true.”

She added: “The owners are so excited. The horse was unbelievable, he was so positive and his ears were pricked. It feels like he loves cross-country. We have high hopes for him. The feeling he gives me is incredible, and his ability to focus is just unbelievable even at such a young age.”

Chilli Morning IV was equal second after dressage with another Chilli Morning clone – Chilli Morning II, partnered by Germany’s Julia Krajewski. A smattering of time-penalties and a rolled pole resulted in Chilli Morning II finishing sixth, while Gemma and her ride climbed up the leaderboard by virtue of their flawless jumping rounds.

Kitty King now has a full set of young horse World Championship medals. Kantango, a British-bred son of Tangelo, rose from sixth after dressage to take silver on his first-phase score.

“He had a steep learning curve as a six-year-old, but he’s been a super consistent horse,” said Kitty. “He’s very sharp and has a quick-thinking brain and he felt superb all week. It was the best performance he’s given me and a great place to do it.”

New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Mr Cookie Time took bronze.

I’m Special De Muze daughter Killer Queen landed the six-year-old world champion title, with Dutch rider Merel Blom-Hulsman (25.1).

“She surprised me at the first water when she jumped quite big and gave me an easy cross-country round. We bought her as a three-year-old and when she was four, she became Dutch champion for her age,” said Merel.

Britain’s Max Warburton and KWPN gelding Norway Van De Haar (by High Shutterfluy) took the runner-up spot.

“This horse is lovely. I rode with him for the first time as a five-year-old and from the minute I sat on him I knew he was one for Le Lion”, said Max.

I’m Special De Muze also sired the six-year-old bronze medallist, Clawfinger, who bagged a podium finish with Sweden’s Anna Freskgard.

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‘It’s a little spooky!’ – William Fox-Pitt rides two clones of his former equine superstars

Martha Terry — Sat, 14 Sep 2024 07:30:51 +0000

The crowd at the 2024 Defender Burghley Horse Trials who stayed on after dressage on day one were treated to a a slice of history, as William Fox-Pitt rode two event horse clones in the main arena, in a masterclass hosted by his wife Alice. These horses are genetic replicas of two of his five-star winners, Tamarillo and Chilli Morning.

Tamarillo, by Tarnik out of Mellita, won both Burghley and Badminton, plus European individual silver and Olympic team silver. In his latter years, his owner-breeders Finn and Mary Guinness decided to make a clone of this Polish Anglo-Arab, so that they could have a stallion to preserve his brilliant genes for breeding. His clone – named Tomatillo, another type of tomato – is an 11-year-old bay stallion, born 21 years after the original. He was backed by William, and is now being competed at four-star by Aaron Millar.

“I was producing him but decided he was a little bit small for me,” said William. “He would have carried me anywhere but the look isn’t quite it. So we gave him to Aaron Millar who is doing an amazing job with him and we are really dreaming of big things to come.

“Both horses are real eventing athletes; with strong bodies and find galloping very easy. Of all the horses I rode at Burghley, Tamarillo probably made it feel the smallest and this chap’s a bit the same.

“Tomatillo is different because he’s a stallion whereas ‘Tam’ was a gelding, so he has a little bit of stallion arrogance about him, which Tam never had. This one thinks he’s the business. He gives me a real feeling of finding things easy as well. He feels like he’d gallop round here all day; he has a lovely big loose stride.”

For William, Tomatillo is “slightly better made”.

“He has better balance and even though he’s smaller, he’s more uphill,” he said. “He has better carriage and finds the flying changes a little bit easier than old Tam. But he hasn’t always got Tam’s obedience – he has his own agenda sometimes, and Aaron works very closely with that to keep him on side without getting too bossy.”

Alice pointed out that Tomatillo, like Tam, has that “Arab trait of holding his tail high”.

“Tam also liked to throw in a little buck when the flying changes first came in – and at the trot-up; he had a big personality.”

Their personality traits are fascinating, opening the discussion of nature versus nurture.

“Of course, they had different mothers,” said William. “For the first few months of life, Tamarillo was brought up by a little Anglo Araby feisty mare who was scared of her own shadow. This chap was brought up in Texas by a relaxed old Percheron, so they’ve had a very different take on life. This chap thinks, ‘what on earth is there to worry about?’, while Tamarillo was brought up to think that everything was terrifying, so I think that is a factor. Their personality might be the same, but their development is very different.

“Tam didn’t really like men and I always thought, ‘poor Tam, someone somewhere has given him a hard time, got frustrated with him and that’s why he doesn’t like men’. Some days he would not let me catch him in the stable, so my groom Jackie Potts would get him ready and as soon as I got on he was fine. But in the stable it could be like he’d never seen me before.

“Then, when I was starting this guy, some days I’d go into the stable and he’d rush to the back as if saying, ‘who are you? I’m terrified!’ I knew no one has ever given him a hard time – so there are certain things that are in the chromosomes and aren’t anything to do with what we do and how we might have ‘ruined’ them. It’s just in him not to like men. Funny things like that must be something to do with biology.”

Aaron Millar and Tamarillo clone Tomatillo at Hartpury International Horse Trials in 2022 (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Chilli Morning’s event horse clones: number IV

William then swapped on to Chris and Lisa Stone’s Chilli Morning IV, a chestnut stallion with a white blaze very like the original. He’s a seven-year-old competing at three-star level with Gemma Stevens, and aiming for Le Lion d’Angers young horse world championships at the end of the season. The original Chilli Morning, who died in 2020, is the only stallion to have been victorious at Badminton, and he won Bramham three times, world individual bronze and team silver, as well as 12th at the Rio Olympics.

“It’s very strange getting on him because I don’t know him at all,” William said. “But straight away I get a feeling of how well he has been trained compared to mine! He’s got a far better mouth – Chilli was always quite gobby and opinionated. He is in a lovely balance and is easy to ride – you can imagine him scoring very well in a dressage test because he won’t throw away any marks.

“He opens up so naturally, giving the feeling that he’ll gallop well. Chilli was a bit German so he didn’t have that thoroughbred blood that Tam had, but he always had real ability to cover the ground and he ate up Badminton. This one gives the same feeling, a real good gallop and go.”

William only started riding Chilli Morning when the horse was 12, so comparisons are tricky with a horse that’s five years his junior.

“He’s still a bit weak in his body and carriage but I think when you get on a horse, if you get a good feeling in the first five minutes then your instinct is nearly always right,” he said. “I never rode Chilli this young, but he has the same feeling of confidence. When I was coming back from my injury in 2015/16, I had some double vision and couldn’t always see where the jump was. Chilli knew and couldn’t care less, whereas other horses would have been unsettled. Chilli just took me with him and this horse feels like that even though he’s not yet that experienced.

“I’m telling Gemma she has to wait until he’s 12! That’s when you’ll see the best of him. You can feel he’s going to get better with age – when you look at how much Chilli improved in his teens.”

For Alice, the experience of watching William riding these two horses who had played such a huge part in her husband’s five-star career was both special – and “a little spooky!”

How exciting to watch these two stallions to see whether either of them follow in the footsteps of their originals – but they are already well on that path.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the National Dressage Championships, Blenheim Horse Trials, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

‘We can’t get enough of this special horse’: plans unveiled to clone Olympic dressage medal winner

Becky Murray — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 17:56:52 +0000

Zen Elite’s Bohemian, the former medal-winning partner of Cathrine Dufour-Laudrup, is to be cloned.

The 14-year-old Bordeaux 28 x Samarant gelding recently arrived in the United States, having been sold to Zen Elite Equestrian Center, for Florida-based US rider Endel Ots to campaign for the Paris Olympics.

“Bohemian isn’t wasting any time leaving his mark on the USA,” said a Zen Elite spokesman.

“Follow along with this journey, and stay tuned for an adorable Bohemian clone. We can’t get enough of this special horse and are excited for the future.”

Bohemian is best known for his partnership with Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour-Laudrup. The pair won individual bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, and the same year won team bronze, individual bronze, and an individual silver at the Europeans in Hagen. As a six-year-old, the Bohemian was eighth in the final at the World Breeding Championships in Ermelo, under Katrine Kraglund, before Cathrine took over the ride in 2017.

In January 2023 Bohemian was sold by Cathrine’s long-time supporters, the Zinglersen family, to Sportfede Galleria as South Korea’s Dong Seon Kim’s Paris hopeful. When months later Dong announced he was stepping away from the sport Sweden’s Patrik Kittel took on the ride. Bohemian was then put on the market, along with Rossetti and Vincent Maranello. The three had been due to be sold at auction, but were withdrawn following online backlash, and in December Zen Elite announced it had bought Bohemian.

Bohemian is not the only top horse Zen Elite has sourced lately; it has bought Lars Van De Hoenderheide, the upcoming grand prix ride of Lottie Fry, and Helix, a Swedish Nations Cup team horse, for Adrienne Lyle to campaign.

Cloning horses

A clone horse is a genetically identical replica of another horse, with no programmed changes to their DNA. The pair are genetic twins. Top horses who have been cloned to date include showjumpers Gem’s Twist and Cruising, and eventers Chilli Morning and Tamarillo. In 2012 the FEI changed its stance and allowed cloned horses in international competition.

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‘A carbon copy of the original’: clone of top showjumper revealed

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‘A carbon copy of the original’: clone of top showjumper revealed

Becky Murray — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:28:29 +0000

A clone of the late showjumping stallion Pacino turns three this year – as his owner says the similarities between them are “uncanny”.

Pacino, by Diamant De Semilly and out of a Muguet Du Manoir mare, was bought as three-year-old and produced by Clem McMahon. Pacino competed at the World Breeding Championships for young horses in Lanaken as a six-year-old, and as an eight-year-old was making his mark on Nations Cup teams. Clem and Pacino were on the Irish team that won the Hickstead leg of the Nations Cup in July 2012, and the following month did the same in Dublin, resulting in Ireland lifting the Aga Khan trophy. Pacino finished the year as the leading eight-year-old showjumper in the world.

Clem told H&H that at the end of 2012, there had been a lot of “serious interest” in Pacino, and he felt “on top of the world” thinking about where they would go the following year.

“I was looking forward to all the big shows and the championships. He was very well bred and the plan had been for him to also have a breeding career. But then in January 2013 we discovered an issue with his kidneys,” said Clem.

“Within three weeks he was dead and buried. It was a terrible blow for the whole family. We always thought if he was ever to get injured we would have him in a stud capacity, so to lose the whole lot brought very low times.”

Clem and the original Pacino. Credit Trevor Meeks. (Image credit: Trevor Meeks)

Clem said he decided to take tissue samples from Pacino.

“I had heard of horses being cloned previously,” he said. “I just really believed in Pacino; the quality he had, the level of scope and carefulness, and the rideability – those three things rarely come together in one package.

“I made a few inquiries. I knew I wasn’t able to [clone him at the time] but I thought it might give me the option later down the line, so I decided to take skin samples and put them in storage.”

Two attempts were made to clone Pacino, in 2015 and 2016, which were unsuccessful, but Clem tried again in 2019.

“I sold a mare called Paparazzi who was placed in the Dublin grand prix, and selling her gave us the opportunity to try cloning again,” he said.

“The other thing that encouraged us to try again was seeing how successful Pacino’s offspring were that were coming through. From very limited numbers he had an unbelievable strike rate for producing top level showjumpers and some very good four-star event horses.”

Pacino II, the clone of Pacino, was born in 2020.

Pictured: Pacino II. (Image credit: Damien Eagers/The Irish Field)

“He was a cracking foal – and three years on he is a beautiful, big, scopey model that is like a carbon copy of the original,” said Clem.

“It really is uncanny. The way he even looks at you, you have to do a double-take. They are so similar in personality. I had Pacino from when he was three which is nice, and this horse will be produced exactly the same way, so it’s interesting times ahead.”

Clem decided to keep the birth of Pacino II quiet until he was older while they watched how he would turn out, but now the MacMahon family is looking forward to Pacino II’s future. Some of Pacino’s offspring include Bertram Allen’s Tokyo Olympic ride Pacino Amiro and Max Kunher’s five-star grand prix winner Cooley Jump The Q, and the plan is for Pacino II to be used as a breeding stallion.

“Pacino was very successful, so that’s why this was done as a breeding project. From April we’ll be supplying semen from Pacino II,” said Clem.

“Maybe later down the line he might compete, but this was about breeding. I want Pacino offspring back in the yard again. We were lucky to have them for three, four years, but I have to say you really miss them in the yard. They were all good types, all really nice to ride – and then you had the chance of also falling on a superstar.”

Showjumping legend Arko III cloned: ‘the birth was very emotional’

Lucy Elder — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 10:42:18 +0000

A clone of legendary showjumper Arko III has been born in the US, seven months after the stallion’s death.

The foal, who arrived in August, is the result of a combined effort by UK-based genetic preservation company, Gemini Genetics, and partner ViaGen Pets and Equine in the US.

“It was an extremely sad day for our family when we lost Arko, he was truly a horse of a lifetime,” said a joint statement from Pat, John and Lisa Hales, of Shaw Farm Stud, owners of Arko and his clone.

“The birth of his clone was very emotional. We believe it is not only exciting for our sport worldwide, but especially for the future of British breeding for years to come. We look forward to breeding many more champions from this wonderful bloodline.”

The Arko III clone. (Image credit: Terry Stickle)

The clone was generated from a small skin sample from Arko, genetically preserved by Gemini Genetics, the sister company to Stallion AI Services. The sample was then shipped to ViaGen Pets & Equine in the US.

Gemini Genetics manager Lucy Morgan, who undertook the preservation, told H&H the clone will remain at ViaGen’s facility in the US until he is weaned, at the earliest.

She added plans for what his future may hold in terms of competition have not been decided yet, but stressed the main intention is for him to be a breeding sire.

“We are thrilled at the successful birth of Arko’s clone,” she added. “A much-loved stallion in terms of his outstanding performances and his unique and full of life character, it is brilliant to have enabled his cloning so that his outstanding legacy can continue. Gemini Genetics are thrilled and highly privileged to have facilitated this amazing revival of Arko III via his genetic twin.”

Ms Morgan clarified there is no issue surrounding the quality or availability of Arko’s semen, rather the decision to clone was about taking the opportunity to preserve his genetics for the future.

“There is plenty of semen left in reserve, but you would never be able to breed another Arko with the exact same genetics [other than by cloning], as 50% of the DNA would be different,” she said.

The original Arko III. (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

The original Arko (Argentinius x Beach Boy) won grands prix across the globe with rider, Nick Skelton. The pair finished 10th individually at the 2004 Athens Olympics and represented Britain at the 2005 European Championships. Arko was also the horse Nick credited with getting him back in the saddle after he broke his neck in a riding accident in 2000.

Their numerous victories included the sport’s richest prize, the CN International at Spruce Meadows. Arko won the leading British showjumper of the year title on five occasions, before stepping down from competition in 2008. He retired from stud in 2019 and died in January 2021.

His off-spring include John Whitaker’s current stable star, Argento, as well as the Hales family’s SFS Aristo.

Blake Russell, president of ViaGen Pets & Equine, said the company has delivered more than 1,000 “healthy, cloned foals” to clients and “each project is truly special”.

“The ability to play a part in reproducing a phenomenal genotype like Arko III is what makes our effort worthwhile,” he said.

“We are very excited to see him grow and develop and make his footprint on the industry. It is a real pleasure to collaborate with great partners like Gemini Genetics and their sister company, Stallion AI Services, to help bring our services to clients around the globe.

“The relationships that we have developed with partners like Gemini Genetics are what make this venture work for everyone. I hope all can see that cloning technology is a powerful advanced reproductive technology that can bring great opportunity.”

Tullis Matson, founder and director of Stallion AI Services, added it has “been a privilege” working with Arko and the Hales family for almost 10 years of the stallion’s life.

“We are thrilled at the news of the successful birth of his clone and are privileged to have been involved in this project via our sister company, Gemini Genetics,” he said.

“We look forward to the coming years of his clone, [and the benefits he will bring] to the performance industry and the breeding sector.”

Tamarillo’s clone takes his first eventing win: connections feel he has five-star potential

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 28 May 2021 10:46:39 +0000

Tamarillo’s clone Tomatillo has won his first event — and his connections believe he has the talent and brain to go a long way.

The Hon Mr and Mrs Guinness’s eight-year-old stallion, clone of William Fox-Pitt’s Badminton and Burghley-winning ride, topped his novice section at Tweseldown on 20 May with Aaron Millar.

Aaron, who has jumped clear at both Badminton and Burghley, and represented Britain at junior level, took the ride on “Tom”, last winter; the horse had been competed at BE90 and BE100 level with Melissa Townshend and Bella Innes Ker.

“He’s been a very good boy,” Aaron told H&H. “I hunted him over the winter and he’s done three events this season, and jumped double clear in all of them.

“He has all the attributes to be a five-star horse; William’s convinced he will be and he definitely feels like he could be. You have to get inside his head a bit but he’s got the sharpness in his brain, in a good way; he’s so quick with his legs across country and so aware of everything, which makes a phenomenal cross-country horse.”

Aaron said that not only is Tom identical to Tamarillo in looks, the way he moves and jumps is exactly the same.

“We have to treat them all as horses in their own right and on how they feel, but I’m constantly on the phone to William to ask what Tamarillo was like with this or that,” he said. “He’s very involved, and he’s great to bounce ideas off. He said Tamarillo was quite tricky in the mouth and Tom’s exactly the same, I ride him in a straight, soft Nathe bit, even across country. I’d rather he took hold on the run than was nervous about what’s in his mouth.

“I once said to William that Tom can be everything in the same moment; sharp, spooky and lazy, and William laughed and said Tamarillo was exactly the same.”

Aaron said Tom raises intriguing questions over the nature/nurture debate, and that his career will develop in the way that is best for the horse.

“We have to treat him as his own horse, and they always tell you when they’re ready to move up,” he said. “He’s phenomenally talented and he doesn’t know the difference between a BE100 and a novice, and won’t between a novice and an intermediate – when he’s ready, he’ll move up. It’s really exciting.”

Aaron described Tom as “quite cheeky, and with a lot of self-belief, in a good way”.

“He doesn’t think he’s only 15.3hh,” he said. “I think he thinks he’s about 18.2hh, and sometimes I think to myself it’s as if he’s been there and done it all before, although I know that’s not true!

“He definitely enjoys it and he loved hunting in the winter; he was always intrigued by watching the hounds work.

“I’m really excited by him, and very grateful to the Guinnesses [Tomatillo and Tamarillo’s owners and breeders] for giving me the opportunity to produce him.”

Mary Guinness told H&H: “It’s just been such an unbelievable experience.

“William was such a partner of Tamarillo, and knew him inside out, and as a result he knows Tomatillo inside out too. Tamarillo was a man’s horse, he was so wilful, and Tomatillo is exactly the same, but Aaron seems to have got to the bottom of him immediately. My fingers are crossed for Aaron, that this is the start of a big run, because he deserves it.”

Mrs Guinness agrees that the two horses share a mindset, and that Tomatillo has the ability to go to the top.

“You can see it in him,” she said. “When you see a horse who really makes so little of any kind of track, and takes it in his stride, you can see it’s in him; it’s so obvious how talented he is, and it’s Aaron who’s really bringing it out.

“Tamarillo would have been lost had William not taken him on; he was full of problems but he took him on and we all know what William did with him.”

Mrs Guinness said she knows what Aaron means about almost feeling the horse has been here before.

“We were lucky enough to clone him, but it was a project that William, me and my husband had thought about for a long time,” she said.

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“A lot of people didn’t really see the point of cloning the horse but if you find one as talented as that and it’s not entire; we really cloned him to be a sire for the stud but we’ve got so into the excitement of competing.

“Aaron’s absolutely wonderful with Tomatillo; you just stand there and it fills your heart.”

Mr Guinness added that there were some small and interesting differences between the two horses.

“Of course Tomatillo is a stallion, so there are some extra complications for him, and he may have a better walk than Tamarillo,” he told H&H.

“We’ll just have to wait and see [what Tomatillo goes on to do]; you just never know till you get there.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

We must act now to save our equine heritage

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 11:02:57 +0000

This is not fake news, experts have warned: our rare native breeds will disappear before our eyes if we do not act now. H&H hears what measures are being taken and how science can help save our equine heritage

WE have to act now, if we want to save our equine heritage – and we have a range of scientific weapons in the fight for our rare breeds.

This was the topic of discussion at the first of two webinars held in advance, and as part of, the 2021 National Equine Forum, on 13 January.

With the title “Just in Time – Using Science to Save our Breeds”, speakers covered the issues facing our endangered native horses and ponies, and how scientific advances are being, and can be, used to secure their future.

“The overall message is that there’s serious concern, but there are things we can do,” said Tim Morris, vice-chairman of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, as he introduced the speakers.

Stallion AI Services founder Tullis Matson, who has worked extensively on preserving endangered breeds and wildlife, looked at the wider context first; that the world is facing its sixth mass extinction, with hundreds of land species at risk of being lost.

“This isn’t fake news,” he said. “Extinction is normal in evolution but we’re now in freefall and we’re going to see a lot of species disappearing if we don’t do something. And it’s not just wild and exotic species; this is happening here in the UK with our native horse breeds, right in front of us.

“There are 14 equine breeds native to the UK; 12 are rare and five of those are critically endangered. We have to do something.”

Extinction vortex

Tullis discussed the extinction vortex; the state caused by inbreeding and lack of genetic diversity that means populations decline to the point of no return. This can be beaten by strategic breeding, “like the Tinder of the horse world”, Tullis said, to match mares with appropriate stallions.

There are many ways now of persevering genetic material, Tullis said. If colts or stallions with important genes die or are castrated, semen can be extracted from the testicles and stored. Female gametes can be extracted from mares and stored, and, using a process called intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) a single sperm can be injected into the egg to create an embryo, which can then also be frozen.

He also cited tissue-banking, referring to the Przewalski’s horse colt born in the US last year, having been cloned from genetic material stored 40 years beforehand.

“This really can help, but we need to store the material now,” he said. “We stand at a pivotal time for the survival of many species and our rare breeds, and we need to do this not just for our future, but for future generations.”

Weatherbys general studbook director Simon Cooper spoke about inbreeding in thoroughbreds, who are all descended from three foundation sires, and what is being done to combat it.

He said that as breeding in thoroughbreds is for performance, there is a “survival of the fittest” outcome, and added that the rule of natural covering only was put in place to combat inbreeding.

And although the breed’s inbreeding coefficient, which measures the degree of inbreeding, is lower than rare breeds such as the Clydesdale, it is higher than more common types of horse – and the global population of thoroughbreds is decreasing, with 123,000 foals born 16 years ago and only 88,000 in 2018 with a resulting drop in genetic diversity.

There has also been a bigger decrease in the number of stallions than the number of mares, which means males covering more females, and again less diversity.

He said measures are being taken, such as leading global studbook authorities working together, limits introduced in some countries to the number of mares a stallion can cover and gene analysis to monitor diversity.

“In all of this, what we must consider first is what’s best for the horse before what’s best for the industry,” he said.

Andy Dell, of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, spoke of the Sparks programme, which has been in use for 16 years, since the society digitised its records and saw a “disturbing” increase in inbreeding.

The system is based on mare- and stallion-based data sheets, which in turn are based on genetic analysis. These calculate the mean kinship; the relationship between any one animal and another, and the potential inbreeding from any mating. Each match is ranked from green, a mating to be encouraged, to red, which should be avoided.

Dr Dell said: “You can’t breed by numbers alone but this is one tool in the breeder’s toolbox. It leaves breeders in control, to make choices good for themselves and good for the breed.”

He added that since Sparks was introduced, the increase in inbreeding has reduced almost to zero, and the population of Cleveland Bays is now far more viable.

“Although these breeds are endangered, they do still have a future,” he said.

Dr Dell added that change is as much about managing people as managing horses. Breeders must be brought on board, while breed societies should collect and analyse data then put plans in place to manage and monitor.

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Eleanor Jones — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 11:02:30 +0000

Societies and enthusiasts are asking “what’s in your paddock” in the hope of finding more breeding-age members of our rarest equine species. H&H finds out more

OWNERS of pure-bred rare-breed horses are urged to consider breeding from them this year as the fight to save our equine heritage goes on.

Five British horse breeds are listed as critical by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, which means there are fewer than 300 registered breeding females: Cleveland Bays, Suffolks, Hackneys, Eriskays and Dales.

Bruce Langley-McKim of Thorpeley Stud, which stands rare-breed stallions, is pushing the catchphrase “Your breed needs you”.

“I’m asking, ‘What’s in your paddock?’” he told H&H. “These breeds are getting rarer and they’re part of our heritage; it’s not right they should die off because we’ve made them redundant and then don’t act to save them.”

Mr Langley-McKim added that if horses change hands, or die, and passports are not updated, they can drop out of the system, so breed societies do not know the full picture.

He also wants to promote the range of jobs the rare-breed horses can excel in. He hunts and has evented his Suffolk stallion Craikhow Hall Jensen to show he can do it, which he thinks is crucial as without a market, especially for the heavier horses, there may be less reason to breed them.

“Otherwise, in 20 years, they’ll be gone,” he said. “We’ve got the tech and the science to keep these breeds going; it can be done, we’ve just got to have people coming forward with horses.”

Cleveland Bay Horse Society council deputy chair Jackie Sparrow told H&H she agrees with the push to breed.

“We’re struggling a bit because people have mares but aren’t breeding them,” she said. “Because they’re critically endangered, we need pure-bred mares to go to pure-bred stallions, and a lot of people may not realise the genetic value of their horses.”

Ms Sparrow said the society found in a survey that there are only 84 mares in the breeding programme in this country, and a total of about 300 worldwide.

“It’s that bad,” she said. “We really need people who have pure-bred mares to think about letting them have a pure-bred foal, naturally or by freezing of embryos or embryo transfer.. The breed is so versatile; they jump, event, do really good dressage and do a lot of endurance in the US.

“We need to know where the mares are. Anyone with one, please contact the society so we can make sure they’re at least in the genetic database.”

Ms Sparrow also urged owners of colts to get in touch, as semen can be preserved from testes after gelding. Tissue banking to harvest DNA from deceased horses for possible future cloning has also recently started.

Suffolk Horse Society chairman Mark Donsworth said the society has just completed a census, in a drive to find out exact numbers, and there are fewer than 70 breeding-age mares left.

“Last year, we bred 32 foals; that’s how critical things are,” he told H&H.

He added that for anyone wary or nervous of breeding, the society has advisers and experts to help at every stage of the process, as well as grants towards breeding, and webinars that will be uploaded to the society’s website early next year.

“We spent £30,000 helping breeders this year; and for anyone with doubts, we’ve got people delighted to help,” he said.

“I can’t tell you how important this is. Suffolks are rarer than giant pandas; there was a suggestion the breed might die out in 10 years if something wasn’t done.

“We’re doing our best and are looking at opportunities like sexed semen to breed fillies, and all sorts of scientific advances, but fundamentally, we need owners and breeders to help us.

“If there’s a mare out there and we can help, it’s crucial.”

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Chilli Morning clones being prepped for competition and breeding: ‘It’s Chilli’s DNA’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:24:40 +0000

Chilli Morning’s three clones are in the process of being started under saddle and will be used for breeding in the future.

The stellar eventing stallion himself died on Tuesday this week (25 August), but owner Chris Stone is excited about the future with his three-year-old clones — Deuce, Trey and Quattro — who are growing up at Chris’ West Sussex yard, Tattleton.

“The way it works is that the laboratory we worked with arranged for a vet to come here to us here at Tattleton and take three little biopsies of flesh from under where Chilli’s mane falls so you wouldn’t see the scars,” explains Chris.

“Those plugs of tissue were flown to a lab in Texas and they then culture that tissue until you have complete strands of DNA. Then they take a healthy egg from another horse, take out all the DNA and replace it with Chilli’s DNA. That fertilised ‘re-DNAed’ egg goes into a healthy recipient mare and 11 months later, out comes a Chilli Morning.

“To be sure of getting one, we started three because all sorts of things go wrong — and all three worked.”

The clones stayed at Bruce Davidson’s farm in Philadelphia until they were 18 months old and then travelled to Tattleton, where Gemma Tattersall is based.

The youngsters are all an identical shade of chestnut to Chilli and have the same white markings, but the size and final shape of those markings varies somewhat because the skin cells move around as the foetus develops in the womb.

“They all have the same quite prominent wither as Chilli, a slight Roman nose, the same bone structure,” says Chris. “But their personalities are different because they pick up characteristics from the mare who carried them while they are on the ground with that mare for six months.”

Two of the clones have started under saddle and the third is in the process of being backed.

“From what we’ve understood clones can be small, but I think they are all going to be a good size,” says Gemma. “The first one we backed is quite colty — he likes to tell us he’s a stallion — but with the second you wouldn’t even know he’s a stallion. I think they are all going to be slightly different, but they are all kind, intelligent horses and want to learn. It’s kind of weird but amazing.”

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Gemma adds at this stage the clones will just learn to walk, trot, canter, go for a little hack and jump a small fence.

“Next year, they will come in and do some proper work — Gemma will keep one and the others will go to different riders,” says Chris.

The owner also plans to breed from the colts in the future. Their registered parents are Chilli’s sire (Phantomic) and dam (Koralle, by Kolibre).

“It’s Chilli’s sperm — identical DNA,” said Chris.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

New rider for Tamarillo’s stallion clone

Becky Murray — Sun, 03 Feb 2019 13:03:25 +0000

Tomatillo, clone of the great Badminton and Burghley winner Tamarillo, has moved from William Fox-Pitt’s yard to a new rider.

Melissa Townshend, a pupil of William’s, has taken on the six-year-old stallion, who is owned by the Honn Finn and MW Guinness of Biddesden Stud.

Mr Guinness told H&H Melissa took on the ride because William is too tall for Tomatillo, who stands at 16hh.

“Tamarillo was a bit bigger — it is believed that generally geldings grow a bit bigger than stallions and of course you don’t have a direct comparison usually but in this case it’s more or less the same genes and same environment so it’s interesting he is coming out a bit smaller,” said Mr Guinness.

“He went to William’s yard a year ago and Andrew McConnon rode him in the early stages under William’s supervision, but Andrew went back to America where he has an eventing yard so this is the solution, that Melissa has taken him on.”

Mr Guinness said Tomatillo will be used for breeding and “if all goes well” he will event in future.

“Our main aim was so we could breed from the equivalent of Tamarillo and we’ve got two sets of foals and more mares in foal this year,” said Mr Guinness.

“Tomatillo is due to go to the stallion parade at Addington on 16 February and the sports horse breeding stallion grading in April. These are two activities for him as a breeding horse, then we have our eye on competitions after that.”

Tomatillo is now based with Melissa, who has competed up to three-star level (now four-star under the new FEI ratings), at her parents’ yard in Dorset, and the aim is for her to compete him.

“Everything is going ok so far, but he’s still quite green. It’s awkward in this case because we have high expectations. With a horse of that age, normally you don’t really know how they’re going to go, but we have those expectations,” said Mr Guinness.

“We’ll have to see step by step. In this case we’re confident he has the genes for it, but there is the added difficulty with the hormones.”

Mr Guiness said there are some similarities and differences showing between Tomatillo and Tamarillo.

“It’s possible that Tomatillo has some areas where he’s better than Tamarillo,” he said. “His walk seems to be better; it was never Tamarillo’s best point. The trot is the same – that was a special feature of Tamarillo. We hope his flying changes will be better. Tamarillo’s flying changes were a problem as he wasn’t taught them at an early age because they weren’t in the dressage test – when it was introduced into the advanced test, he hadn’t learnt it as a young horse and it was extra difficult for him.”

Melissa, who has trained with William for more than three years, told H&H she is “very excited” about the ride.

“I’m really grateful to the Guinness family for giving me the opportunity. Sadly Tomatillo came out a bit smaller than the original Tamarillo so Mr Guinness asked William to find someone and he very sweetly suggested me – I was quite shocked when I heard,” said Melissa.

“I had my first sit on him during the first week of January. It was amazing to see how he quickly improved from the first time I sat on him to just before we took him home – credit to the team at William’s. They did an incredible job laying the groundwork.”

Melissa said the aim is to do some events when Tomatillo “is ready”.

“There will be lots of eyes on him and we don’t want to rush him. We’ll try and get him out to some local showgrounds and take him for training,” she said. “It’s about showing him the world, doing some showjumping, cross-country schooling and just opening his eyes. He’s so green, he’s six but is like riding a four-year-old, but he’s so well behaved – we’ve got mares on the yard and he’s very good with it all.”

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Melissa said she feels “a bit of pressure” taking on the ride, but will continue to train with William.

“It’s a big opportunity and I definitely don’t want to let anyone down, but I like a bit of pressure. I’m incredibly lucky – these opportunities don’t come up often. It will be a good challenge and I’m excited about it, we all are – the whole team and the connections,” said Melissa.

“I go to William’s usually twice a week. He’s an amazing coach for me and we work well together. I’m very very lucky to have him, he has a wealth of knowledge – I just have to try and keep up.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

First foals by Tamarillo’s clone are born

Lucy Elder — Mon, 22 May 2017 18:34:09 +0000

Tomatillo’s first foals have been born.

The clone of Tamarillo stood at stud for the first time in 2016 and six foals are expected by him this year.

Owner The Hon. Finn Guinness told H&H the first four of these have arrived, with two more still to come.

The first two to be born at the Gunnisses’ Biddesden Stud, both fillies, are out of Anglo Arab eventer Turkish Candle (by Bajazeth) and her daughter Imbroglio (by Indoctro). Both mares and fillies, who are also owned by Finn, are doing well.

Imbroglio and her Tomatillo foal (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“It is extremely exciting as it always is with foals, but particularly the first foals of a stallion,” said Mr Guinness. “It is interesting to see their way of going.”

He added Tomatillo “has a slightly better walk” than Tamarillo and this is where the latter was pipped in competition by Pippa Funnel’s great campaigner Supreme Rock when the two were eventing at the same time.

Partnered by William Fox-Pitt, Tamarillo’s list of eventing achievements include wins at Badminton and Burghley as well as European, World and Olympic medals.

Turkish Candle evented in the UK and Canada, reaching two-star level before retiring to become a broodmare.

Imbroglio also competed up to CCI2* and this is her first foal.

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Tomatillo, who is rising four and is owned by Finn and MW Guinness, will stand at stud again this season and is currently in training at William Fox-Pitt’s yard.

Tamarillo was cloned at Replica Farm in Texas and H&H revealed his existence to the world in September 2013.

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“People are all asking whether we are going to compete [Tomatillo] and that is not the primary aim of the whole project,” Mr Guinness told H&H earlier this year.

“He is very like Tamarillo, but as similar as an identical twin would be, not exactly the same.”

Tamarillo, who was put down in 2015, was out of MW’s Anglo Arab event mare Mellita (by Master Spiritus), by the Anglo Arab Tarnik. These are also the genetic parents of Tomatillo.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

‘We’re trying to make it available to everyone’: cloned ponies on the rise

Polly Bryan — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 07:25:52 +0000

A record number of clone ponies look set to feature in Adolfo Cambiaso’s string when the world number one polo player takes to the field for the Argentine Open later this month (20 Nov-12 Dec).

The ten-goaler’s business partner, Alan Meeker of Crestview Genetics, has revealed that clones of the famous Cuartetera (pictured) and other top high-goal ponies Small Person, Raptor and Lapa are likely to be played by Cambiaso in what is the most prestigious tournament in the world, at Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Cambiaso rode a clone of Cuartetera in the Hurlingham Open, which he won with his La Dolfina team earlier this month. He also played the original Cuartetera alongside one of her clones in the 2014 Argentine Open. His pony list for this year’s tournament, however, is likely to feature the highest number of clones yet.

Since teaming up with Meeker’s Crestview Genetics in 2008, Cambiaso has copied his ponies multiple times and is thought to have in excess of 100 clones now on the ground.

However, Cambiaso is not the only top player who has gone down this sometimes controversial route.

Califa, the 2009 US and Argentine Open team pony played by Mariano Aguerre, became the first polo pony in the world to be cloned in 2010 (news, 11 February 2010).

The procedure — which involves taking cells from a donor animal and implanting them in an unfertilised egg with the DNA removed, which is then placed in a host mare — costs around £100,000.

While cloning has not taken off among British players, the procedure itself being illegal in the UK, in Argentina it is becoming widespread practice in polo.

“There are very few players not doing it,” said Mr Meeker. “It’s easier to count those who are not cloning than those who are. Probably 60-70% are cloning for breeding purposes only, whereas we are doing it for both breeding and performance.”

For Mr Meeker, cloning shouldn’t just be an option for the elite.

“I see it making lots more quality DNA available to more players,” he added. “We’re trying to make it available for everyone and I think we’ll see the cost drop. I also sell the offspring of clones, and I haven’t yet met anyone I wouldn’t sell a horse to.”

Ref: 19/11/2015

Clone of Cruising sires first foal

Amy Mathieson — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 10:55:38 +0000

The first foal by Cruising Arish, the cloned colt of legendary grey sport horse sire Cruising, has been born in Ireland.

The chestnut filly was born around three weeks ago at Hartwell Stud in Ireland. The dam is a thoroughbred mare by Kings Theatre.

Cruising, the top sport horse sire, died in September 2014 aged 29 at Hartwell Stud in Co. Kildare, in the stable where he was born.

The stud took biopsies from Cruising in 2011, and in February this year it emerged that two clones had been born at the stud in 2012.

Cruising Arish (pictured below) and a second colt, Cruising Encore, have been available for breeders this year

And the colts are getting on well at the stud.

“The colts are great. They are growing big and bold, and have had about 25 mares this year, as we planned,” Jenny McCann of Hartwell Stud told H&H.

“We are breaking them now, and everything is going well.”

Cruising Arish (Image credit: creditUnknown)

At the time the stud’s Mary McCann told H&H that cloning Cruising was a difficult decision but that they wanted to keep the traditional Irish sport horse genes going.

The procedure — which involves taking cells from a donor animal and implanting them in an unfertilised egg with the DNA removed and being placed in a host mare — costs around £100,000.

When cloning horses, genes are identically reproduced. A horse and its clone share the same genetic background — but this does not mean that they will achieve the same results and performance in competition.

The news was revealed when Hartwell Stud went to put a stallion listing in the Irish Field.

“It took a bit of ingenuity to keep it quiet for three years,” Mrs McCann added.

“We can’t get over the amount of attention it’s received,” she said. “There’s been very little negativity.”

Top Irish sport horse sire Cruising cloned

Amy Mathieson — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 13:20:12 +0000

Cruising — one of the most successful and influential sport horse sires ever — has been cloned.

By Sea Crest and out of Mullacrew, the stallion died in September aged 29 at Hartwell Stud in Co. Kildare, in the stable in which he was born.

The stud took biopsies in 2011, and last year owner Mary McCann told H&H they hadn’t ruled out cloning the stallion.

However, last week (13 February) it emerged two clones were born at Hartwell Stud in 2012. Cruising Arish and Cruising Encore will be available for breeders this year.

Cruising Arish (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“We were approached by an American company in 2011, and took the biopsies. It was a hard decision as a lot of people don’t approve of the idea of cloning, so it took about three months to weigh it up,” said Mrs McCann told H&H. “But after a lot of research we discovered how many clones are around, so we decided to go for it.”

The procedure — which involves taking cells from a donor animal and implanting them in an unfertilised egg with the DNA removed and being placed in a host mare — costs around £100,000.

Cruising Encore (Image credit: creditUnknown)

When cloning horses, genes are identically reproduced. A horse and its clone share the same genetic background — but this does not mean that they will achieve the same results and performance in competition.

“Cruising was an amazing character. He was a lovely horse and had his own ideas about things,” added Mrs McCann.

“He’s a proven sire of eventers and showjumpers at top level — with his progeny including Mr Medicott, Flexible, Mr Cruise Control and Mo Chroi.

“We wanted to keep the traditional Irish sport horse genes going. We can’t say they’ll be great showjumpers like Cruising was — as that’s a nature vs nurture question — but they will have his genes.

“There’s a little bit of déjà vu when I’m on the yard when they do something as they have exactly his mannerisms. They are also the same colour he was at that age.”

The first cloned horse was born in 2003 and although not allowed in racing, the FEI lifted its ban on clones in international horse sport in 2012.

Cruising as a three-year-old (Image credit: creditUnknown)

It is believed to be the first time a horse has been cloned in Ireland.

Horse Sport Ireland’s Damian McDonald said that the sport horse sector has always welcomed the use of science to breed better horses.

“Cloning won’t be something everyone will embrace but it is another option for breeders and Cruising’s genetics are traditionally Irish, which is important to a cohort of breeders,” he said.

Although Mrs McCann will be breeding from the clones, she told H&H she doesn’t want to push them too early.

“They are only three but we have a couple of mares lined up. We also don’t know if they will compete yet as I don’t jump three-year-olds as I think it’s too young,” she said.

Cruising and Cruising Arish as a yearling (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The news was revealed when Hartwell Stud went to put a stallion listing in the Irish Field.

“It took a bit of ingenuity to keep it quiet for three years,” Mrs McCann added.

“When people visited the stud and they saw the two heads over the stable door and they asked about them I’d just say “Cruising” and they’d assume I meant ‘by’ Cruising.

“We can’t get over the amount of attention it’s received,” she said. “There’s been very little negativity.”

Tamarillo’s clone to feature in TV documentary

Sophia Heath — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 12:55:46 +0000

Tomatillo, Tamarillo’s clone, is set to become a TV star before his second birthday.

The controversial topic of cloning horses is the subject of a new documentary to be aired on Sky Sports this Sunday (7 December).

The first cloned horse was created in 2003 and there are now around 200.

Although clones are not allowed in racing, the FEI lifted its ban on clones in dressage, showjumping and eventing shortly before London 2012.

H&H broke the news in September last year that William Fox-Pitt’s Badminton and Burghley winner Tamarillo had been cloned. The documentary features footage of the Hon. Finn and MW Guinness’ Tomatillo at their Hampshire stud.

Despite his resemblance to Tamarillo, it is still unclear whether Tomatillo will compete.

“We will breed from him as soon as possible to see what kind of animals he produces,” MW says in the programme.

“We wouldn’t dismiss the idea of having him in competition, but breeding is the number one objective of this exercise.” Continued below…

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Cloning Tamarillo: H&H readers have their say

Horse & Hound readers have their say about the concept of cloning and which horses they would most like to

The documentary also features Peter Charles and Olga White’s less publicised cloning operation, involving Gem Twist. The Olympic gold medal-winning has cloned Murka’s Gem, who was foaled in 2011.

Peter argues that the cloning process is a vital way of introducing strong thoroughbred bloodlines back into British showjumping.

“There are not enough good horses in the world available for the number of riders that are prepared to buy them,” he says.

The documentary also focuses on those within the industry that do not agree with the practice.

Showjumper Tim Stockdale is concerned that clones will allow “big spenders” to corner the equestrian industry.

“I think it is driven by a business thought process as opposed to a sporting thought process,” he argues.

The Royal Veterinary College clinical research fellow Dr Madeleine Campbell and World Horse Welfare also raise concerns about the welfare issues surrounding the process.

As well as looking into how cloning is affecting the equine world, the programme also looks into other sports and how this subject crosses over into broader ethical issues

Cloned: Creating Designer Horses will be aired on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday 7 December at 6.30pm

Ref: H&H Thursday 4 December, 2014

Cloning Tamarillo: H&H readers have their say

Lucy Higginson — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 10:00:22 +0000

Shortly before Horse & Hound broke the thrilling news that former British eventer Tamarillo has a clone on the ground, we canvassed our reader panellists for their views.

We asked them, if you could see any former British team horse cloned, who would you choose? And what was their opinion on cloning horses as a concept? Here is what they had to say…

Jennifer Hart

Candidates for cloning: Supreme Rock, Tamarillo, Drivetime.

Should we clone? NO, on ethical grounds.

Danielle Dawson

Candidates for cloning: Opposition Buzz, Miners Frolic.

Should we clone? UNSURE. It’s a step further away from nature, but I can see it becoming the norm.

Sarah Merchant

Candidates for cloning: Milton, King William, Get Smart

Should we clone? YES. It’s a long time since domesticated animals were allowed to breed in a wholly natural manner, so I see no distinction.

Amanda Myall

Candidates for cloning: Big Star, Valegro, Toytown

Should we clone? UNSURE: It’s no guarantee of success, as still exposed to injuries, training and different riders.

Amy Bratt

Candidates for cloning: Milton

Should we clone? NO. Not viable and potentially gives a horse an unfair advantage in competition.

Here is how you responded to the news on social media:

Gillian Lillis

Who’s going to be cloned next then; Valegro, Frankel, Milton? It’s so wrong messing with nature.

Lisa Gibbons

I don’t agree with it and I don’t think any cloned horse should be allowed to breed or compete. Nature should be left alone and not interfered with.

MayMay Lam

Cloning takes the individuality out of horses. Part of the fun is pairing horses up to see what can be produced. Besides, cloning an amazing horse doesn’t necessarily gaurantee an amazing horse as a result. Most great things come from love and good training, not just genetics. It’s very interesting though.

Nikki K Gear

I found the article interesting and given how much it costs I can’t see it happening that often.

Jackie Cook

What about genetic mutations in years to come? These horses should not be allowed to compete. It’s owners greed yet again.

@Velvet659

I don’t understand why people are so against it, I say fair play to them. If I could do it I would!

@JennaFfion

LOVE that Tamarillo has a clone!

What do you think? Send us your views to hhletters@ipcmedia.com or let us know via facebook comments below.

Watch the foal at 6 weeks old in this video

Tamarillo cloned: watch the foal at 6 weeks

Horse & Hound — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 11:00:42 +0000

In today's Horse & Hound magazine we broke the news that a clone of the brilliant event horse Tamarillo had been born.

Above is a video of Tomatillo (aka Tom) aged 6 weeks enjoy some turnout with his surrogate mother, Blondie.

After viewing this video Tamarillo’s former rider William Fox-Pitt said: “It’s spooky how like Tam he is. You see this little boy darting around while all the other horses are standing still — he’s a clown, just like Tam. Tam’s still like that at 21.”

5 things you might not know about Tomatillo

He looks like the 100% genetic match to Tamarillo his makers claim he is. He even has a left-hind white sock — although apparently markings don’t necessarily replicate.
The buxom surrogate mare, Blondie, was specifically chosen for her size as it was thought the extra room in the womb would give the best chance of the clone’s legs being straight and produce a larger foal.
The foal’s farrier paid particular attention to keeping his feet absolutely level to ensure Tamarillo’s faults were not repeated — despite being one of the greatest eventers of his time, he wasn’t the straightest movers and dished.
Tamarillo’s rider, William Fox-Pitt, says that it was “uncanny” seeing pictures of the cloned Badminton-Burghley winner.
The dream for Tamarillo’s legion of admirers would be to see his brilliance repeated. William insists it has “never crossed his mind” that he might compete the clone.

The cloning process

Though Tamarillo’s connections had discussed cloning, the prohibitive cost deterred them.

The first horse clone, Promothea, was born 12 years ago, and the cost has decreased from the initial £250,000. By 2010, when William met up with Kathleen McNulty, who runs US cloning facility Replica Farm, the dream was back on the drawing board.

Kathleen proposed gathering a syndicate to share the $165,000 (£104,000) cost of the project. These stakeholders will earn a percentage of the clone’s future stud fee, but the Guinnesses will keep him and decide his future.

“They liked Tamarillo because of his compelling story,” says Kathleen of the anonymous shareholders. “He had everything it takes to win the Olympics, and then injured his stifle. This foal is phenomenal, and the shareholders are excited to be associated with such a famous horse.”

Replica Farm, Texas, has cloned more than 50 horses since 2007. In simplest terms, a tissue sample is taken from the neck and a nucleus from one of those cells is put into an unfertilised egg that has had the DNA removed. This is stimulated with a small electrical shock to develop it into an embryo. It is then transferred into a recipient mare and follows a normal gestation, with the foal being a 100% genetic match to the original.

The scientists make many embryos, which go into surrogates and are flushed out and graded before around three top-quality ones are inserted into three recipients. Of these it is rare that more than one will produce a live, healthy foal — although the client can purchase this at a small price if it happens.

Read the exclusive story of how Tamarillo came to be cloned, what the Guinnesses plans are for the foal and what William Fox-Pitt thinks of process in Horse & Hound magazine (19 September, 2013).

Two clones of top dressage gelding Rusty

Horse & Hound — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:00:55 +0000

Two yearling clones of Ulla Salzgeber’s brilliant dressage horse Rusty have been unveiled, one in France, one in the US.

Dressage is a new area for the cloning specialist Cryozootech, which has already cloned several show jumpers.

Rusty Clone 1 and Rusty Clone 2 — which are owned by Cryozootech — will be raised as stallions. They will be considered for partnership with top breeders or dressage riders, or they may be sold. The FEI lifted its restriction on competing clones last summer.

Both yearlings are chestnut with one white sock, like Rusty — though on different hindlegs.

Rusty, a Latvian warmblood gelding by Rebus out of Akra, won two team Olympic golds, as well as individual silver and bronze. He was also a dual team gold and individual bronze medallist at the World Equestrian Games, and triple European Champion.

Cloned showjumping champion ET put to sleep

Horse & Hound — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:36:52 +0000

Hugo Simon’s dual World Cup-winning ride ET has been put to sleep, along with his field-mate Apricot D, at 27 and 29 respectively.

ET is one of the most successful showjumpers of all time and is best known for being cloned.

The Austrian rider won team silver at the 1992 Olympics with Apricot D.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (17 January 2013)

Cloning horses: the health concerns

Horse & Hound — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:30:10 +0000

Early concerns that cloned horses might suffer from health problems appear unfounded, with little evidence that they are affected by complications seen in other species.

Cloning of cattle and sheep, for instance, is associated with high rates of embryo loss and abortion, and increased likelihood of heart, lung and other organ problems.

These problems appear to arise when some genes in the donor DNA remain “switched off”.

However, careful reprogramming of this DNA during the laboratory phase of equine cloning can help ensure that the genes support full and proper development of the foetus.

One of the pioneers of equine cloning, Dr Katrin Hinrichs of Texas A&M University, has reported an increased likelihood of crooked legs due to either an angular deformity or contracted tendons.

Cloned foals may also be initially weak or show signs of neonatal maladjustment syndrome, a neurological problem.

Their umbilical cord is commonly larger than normal, leaving them more susceptible to navel infections.

All of these complications are readily corrected and, with the right treatment, are likely to have no impact on normal development of the foal.

However, given the limited number of equine clones in existence, firm statistics on these and other health problems are lacking. Welfare bodies are keeping a close eye on further research.

To read all the latest research on cloning see the current issue of H&H (6 December 2012)

Read more about cloning

Read more about breeding

Cloned horses may now compete says FEI

Charlotte White — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:49:17 +0000

The prospect of cloned showjumping greats competing against each other has moved a step closer, with the news that cloned animals are no longer banned from international competition.

The FEI announced that it “will not forbid participation of clones or their progenies” earlier this month.

Previously, horse sport’s international body believed that cloning went “against its objective, to enable FEI athletes to compete in international events under fair and even conditions”.

The change of heart followed discussion about advances in equine cloning at the spring sports forum in Lausanne (30 April-2 May), said the FEI.

It would be keeping a close eye on further research, particularly that relating to welfare, it added.

A number of potentially world-beating clones are maturing in fields around the world. They include a clone of Austrian rider Hugo Simon’s grand prix horse ET, two clones of American Olympic showjumper Gem Twist and one of the Zangersheide stallion Chellano Z.

None is yet competing, but this is the news their owners have been waiting for.

Gem Twist’s breeder Mary Chapot owns his clone Gemini. Although she cloned him for breeding purposes, she is pleased that his progeny may now compete.

“There are very many similarities between him and Gem Twist, but being a stallion [Gem was gelded] he will be different,” she said. “We don’t have Gem Twist reborn, but we do have his breeding.”

The other clone, Gem Twin, is owned by Peter Charles’ patron Olga White.

And Kathleen McNulty of Replica Farms, who part-owns a two-year-old clone of US showjumper Mark Watring’s Sapphire – named Saphir – said she thinks more people will gene bank, or store, a tissue sample of their horses.

“Many clients plan to compete their cloned horses, viewing them as quality competition prospects,” she said.

“But cloning is expensive, so we expect that it will be limited to a relatively small number of exceptional horses.”

The two big companies offering cloning are ViaTech in Texas and Cryozootech in Sonchamp, France.

Both companies welcomed the news, but said that rather than producing copies of the world’s top horses, cloning’s real value is from allowing the genes of top horses that have died or been gelded to be available once more.

“We have concentrated on making stallions – our job is genetics,” said Eric Palmer of Cryozootech.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (28 June 2012)

Califa becomes first polo pony to be cloned

Horse & Hound — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:06:30 +0000

Polo is the latest high-value horse sport to turn to cloning to provide the star rides of the future.

Califa, the 2009 US and Argentine Open team pony played by Mariano Aguerre, has become the first polo pony in the world to be cloned, with his three “doubles” due in April.

Top showjumpers Gem Twist and ET were cloned in 2008 and 2006. But cloning has proved controversial, with British Showjumping suggesting a ban on clones competing.

David Morley, chairman of the Hurlingham Polo Association pony welfare committee, said he wasn’t against the idea: “You can’t stop progress, you just have to monitor the situation and make sure it is not detrimental to the horses or the sport.

“People were very sceptical about embryo transfer to start with, but it has really caught on.”

Candace Dobson of Viagen — the US cloning company behind the copying of Califa — thinks he could be the first of many polo ponies to be cloned.

“The top-playing ponies have a high value and are often geldings,” she said.

“Califa is a great first horse to present the technology to the industry and we have already had a lot of enquiries from the US and Argentina.”

The industry is curious to find out how much effect environment and training have on genetically identical horses.

“I can’t believe a cloned pony will be an exact replica because who knows what their temperament will be like,” said England player Henry Brett.

Polo Times broke the story, reporting that the bay gelding had been copied with cell information from a tissue biopsy.

The process, which costs $165,000 (£105,260), involved removing the nucleus from a donated egg and replacing it with the nucleus of a cell from Califa.

These eggs were implanted in surrogate mares which, it is hoped, will give birth in April.

Both Mr Morley and Mr Brett insist that only ponies with great conformation and playing ability should be replicated.

Their wish list includes Adolfo Cambiaso’s Mambo and Legend as well as Chesney, who was played by Carlos Gracida.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (11 February, ’10)

‘Cloned horses must be banned from competition’, says BSJA

Horse & Hound — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:05:12 +0000

NEW rules must be created banning cloned horses and their offspring from national and international competitions following the creation of a clone of famed US show jumper Gem Twist, says the British Show Jumping Association (BSJA).

In a joint statement, BSJA chief executive Di Cornish and her predecessor Jacky Woods said: “There are no rules at present that prevent cloned horses competing within our sport, but it could be deemed to be taking away the spirit of the game if they are allowed to do so.

“National and international rules will need to be reconsidered in light of this advance.”

A spokesman for the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) said the subject had been raised by a number of federations, but as no clones were yet of competition age, no decision over rules had been made.

The cloned foal, informally known as Gem Twin, has been created by a French firm, Cryozootech, to join the small but growing number of competition horses who are being reproduced using the latest technology.

Gem Twist, who won two silver medals at the 1988 Olympics with Greg Best, was euthanased in 2006 at age 27.

His chest tissue was used to produce the clone, who belongs to Gem’s breeder, Frank Chapot. The colt is in France, but Chapot hopes eventually to import him to the US to start a breeding business.

The clone preserves the Bonne Nuit bloodlines that produced many great jumpers, including Gem Twist’s sire, Good Twist, Riviera Wonder, Night Owl and Miss Budweiser.

“The last of that line is gone. To have that back again would provide the world with some wonderful jumpers,” said Chapot, a former US show jumping coach.

Read this story in full, including William Funnell’s views on the situation, in today’s Horse & Hound (25 September, ’08

Cloned mare due to give birth to spring foal

Horse & Hound — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:48:18 +0000

The world’s first cloned horse is to give birth to her own foal in April.

Cesare Galli, director of the Laboratory of Reproductive Technology in Cremona, Italy, created the mare, Prometea, in 2003 by fusing the nucleus of a skin cell taken from the mother with an empty egg from another horse.

Mr Galli said of the news: “This is further confirmation that clones are normal if they are reared healthily.”

Pieraz, a cloned stallion created in 2005, is also expecting his first offspring.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (20 December, ’07)

Top show jumper sires clone

Horse & Hound — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:40:59 +0000

A clone of celebrated show jumper ET has been born at College Station in Texas, USA. The foal, named E.T. Cryozootech-Stallion is a genetically identical copy of his sire and will be used exclusively for breeding purposes from the age of three. Despite the risks of genetic flaws developing during the cloning process, scientists report that the foal is healthy and his progeny should be available by 2009.

ET, now 20, won two world cups with Austrian show jumper Hugo Simon but as a gelding he was unable to reproduce naturally. In September 2003, Hugo Simon and Eric Palmer, founders of Cryozootech, decided to clone him. A skin biopsy was carried out while the horse was still competing and the cloning process started in collaboration with the University of Texas.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Cells from the horse were removed during a biopsy and kept frozen in liquid nitrogen. An egg was then taken from another horse and its nucleus replaced with one from an ET cell – containing almost all of his genetic code. The egg was then implanted into a surrogate mother who gave birth to E.T. Cryozootech-Stallion in June.

The foal is a genetic duplicate of his sire in all but negligible detail. Both horses have two hind leg socks but their facial markings are different.

Even before the birth, international breeders formed a syndicate to manage shares in E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion. A total of 200 shares are available, giving holders the right to use the stallion for reproduction.

The foal is soon to be transported to the Cryozootech stud in France where it will eventually begin work as a stallion.

Show jumping champion cloned

Horse & Hound — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 16:17:47 +0000

He won two world cups, ended fourth at the Atlanta Olympics and landed 120 podia in a decade. There was only one thing top showjumper E.T. couldn’t do — father foals. But now a French laboratory is creating a clone of the 17-year-old gelding with a view to putting it to stud. E.T-Stallion will be a genetically identical copy of E.T. and, when he grows up, he will be able to cover mares.

Austrian rider Hugo Simon, who rides E.T., announced last week that he agreed to have his horse cloned. “I wanted to save its genes,” he told the press at the Vienna Horse Jumping Festival. “The experiment was only carried out for breeding reasons. When young E.T. shall see the light of day in summer 2006, it will be a dream come true for me.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Simon was approached by French genetic laboratory Cryozootech more than a year ago. Cryozootech, which has already cloned endurance champion Pieraz, was storing cells from top sporthorses. E.T. caught their eye because of his hugely successful career and record earnings.

“I wanted a horse the quality of which was unquestionable and that was gelded,” Cryozootech CEO Eric Palmer explains. “I came too late for Milton, but E.T. has the absolute record of earnings in show jumping, won three times the WBFSH ranking and twice the world cup. He also has excellent bloodlines. His father and his grandfather have been elected at least once “Stallion of the year” in Hannover. So, I think nobody can discuss the fact that castrating such a quality horse was a mistake and that restoring his capacity to transmit his genes is a good thing.”

Simon was initially reluctant to have his horse cloned, but Palmer persuaded him when he explained that the cloning process would only create a stallion with the same genetic patrimony as E.T., rather than give birth to a second jumper.

“Hugo was first surprised and said that “there is only one E.T.,” Palmer recalls. “But when I explained that I agreed on the fact that the clone was not a second E.T., but that as a stallion he would give exactly the same genes, he said “of course I would love to have offspring from E.T.”. That what will be possible with E.T-Stallion.”

Palmer then took some cells from the area between E.T.’s front legs, which he cultivated, froze and preserved in liquid nitrogen. “The storage of such a treasure is done in several places for safety,” says Palmer.

The Cryozootech team then prepared the cells for injection into an oocyte—the unfertilised egg of a mare—then removed the oocyte’s nucleus and replaced it with the nucleus of E.T.’s cells. After cultivating what Palmer calls a “reconstructed embryo” for a week, the team implanted it in a recipient mare, which will carry the pregnancy to term.

“Of course it seems easy when explained like this, but each step is difficult and has a low efficiency,” says Palmer. “The overall efficiency takes several hundreds of ova to get one foal. This is why this is a technique only for exceptional horses.”

E.T-Stallion will be born next summer, and this announcement has reopened the debate over sport horse cloning. Earlier this year, the British government banned commercial cloning of sports horses on the grounds that it is unclear how much a horse’s performance depends on its genetic makeup and that in any case cloning is an inefficient reproduction method that can result in abnormalities.

Professor Twink Allen of Newmarket’s Equine Fertility Unit, who is at the forefront of this kind of experiment, decided to appeal against this decision and claimed that, while Britain dithered, other countries were already working on cloning to overcome the problem of reproducing sport horse geldings. Now that France’s Cryozootech has cloned Pieraz and is well on the way to cloning E.T., his fears appear well founded.

Speaking to Horse & Hound Online, earlier in the year, Allen argued that horse cloning has a low incidence of abnormality compared to cattle and sheep. Cryozootech’s Palmer agrees and believes that overall the procedure has a minimal impact on welfare. “The oocytes [we use in cloning] come from ovaries that we collect at slaughter houses and that would be put to waste otherwise. No suffering of donor animals come from the procedure and these animals were slaughtered anyway,” he says. “The transfer is the same as the routine embryo transfer and you know that the key of success of such embryo transfers is: no stress to the embryo nor to the recipient. There is an increased embryo loss during early pregnancy, but I cannot see any sign of suffering in mares during early embryo loss. There are some later abortions that do not differ from the abortions we see in normal breeding except a higher incidence.

“Now we know three cloned mules and one cloned horse from 2003 (they are two and a half years old and they are in good health). We have produced this spring the first two clones of champions—Pieraz Cryozootech-Stallion, clone of Pieraz, a double world champion of endurance races, and Paris-Texas, the clone of Quidamde Revel, the top stallion of show jumping—and they are now eight months old and in perfect health.”

But the question remains whether the genes of a champion showjumper, endurance or dressage horse will actually produce equally talented offspring. After all, training plays a considerable part in the success of a sporthorse.

“I know that genetics is approximately responsible for 1/3 of the performance,” says Palmer “In fact genetics is only a “potential” and everything around it (the “environment” which starts in the mother’s uterus, the lactation, the accidents, the breaking and dressage, and finally the rider) gives a possibility for this potential to be expressed. In consequence, you cannot assert that the clone of E.T. will perform exactly the same way [as E.T. did]. However, you can assert that he has in his genes exactly the same potential as E.T. and that he will transmit it exactly the same way as if E.T. was a stallion himself.”

And, he adds, “there is no champion with no potential!”

It remains to be seen whether the international sporting community will accept cloned horses and their foals. So far, there are no specific rules on the matter. “We don’t have any rules on this matter because it is regarding breeding and the FEI doesn’t interfere on any breeding issues,” says an FEI spokeswoman. “And also those horses, if they survive, won’t be competing for years so the FEI doesn’t have any policy on the issue.”

Palmer, however, believes that there should be a clear framework of rules to allow cloned horses and their offspring to have a sporting future. “I cannot see how there can be an international ban [on cloned horses],” he says. “International competitions do not need registered horses and a ban would just cause unofficial clones to be produced. This is exactly what we want to avoid by making our operation in front of the public. Make reasonable rules and transparency is certainly the best attitude.”

Champion endurance horse cloned

Horse & Hound — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 15:13:13 +0000

Pieraz-Cryozootech-Stallion has become the second ever cloned horse to be born. He was produced by taking samples from international endurance champion Pieraz, a gelding, and it is hoped the new foal will eventually become a valuable breeding stallion.

The new foal was engineered by the same research team which produced the world’s first ever cloned horse, Prometea in 2003, and was born on 24 February 24.

Many top competition horses cannot be bred from because they have been castrated at an early age, so this is a way for Pieraz’s owner to be able to produce offspring from extremely successful genetic makeup of the original winner.

Current plans are that Pieraz-Cryozootech-Stallion will not compete, although it is hoped that he will hand on the talent of Pieraz to any foals he produces.

“This new approach opens the possibility of preserving the genetic heritage of many exceptional horses whose genes are presently lost because of castration,” said Professor Cesare Galli, part of the team who successfully cloned the foal.

It is hoped that Pieraz II, as he is affectionately known, will be mature enough to breed in around two years time.

This new development introduces a number of complex issues about whether cloned horses, or the offspring from a cloned horse, should be allowed to compete under international rules. Currently the Jockey Club will not allow horses produced by any methods other than natural covering to race under its rules.

Green light for horse cloning

Horse & Hound — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 10:50:09 +0000

Professor William (Twink) Allen, of Newmarket’s Equine Fertility Unit, has received approval from the Home Office to clone horses for research purposes. The permission has been granted subject to regular progress reports being provided to the Home Office, including details of any animal welfare costs it may entail. The government has specifically forbidden any cloning of sport horses for commercial reasons.

Allen, who is the father-in-law of champion jockey Frankie Dettori, had applied to the Home Office to include cloning in his project licence in 2001, but his request was turned down last year amid controversy that the government was giving in to pressure from animal rights groups. He appealed against the ban and has now been given the green light. Although his application has been approved in principle, he will still have to get a licence to take his experiments forward.

The professor and his team have long been pioneers of equine genetic research in Britain and abroad. They engineered the test-tube birth of two foals in Newmarket in 2001. A year later, an implantation technique they developed allowed a horse to give birth to a donkey at Monarsh University, in Australia.

Implantation also lies at the root of the cloning experiments Allen wants to conduct in Britain. The professor intends to apply to horses the same nuclear transfer technique followed by the Roslin Institute in 1996 to create Dolly the sheep. In nuclear transfer experiments, an oocyte — the unfertilised egg of an animal — is hollowed out and replaced with the nucleus of the donor animal, which is to be cloned. An electrical impulse stimulates the development of an embryo. The cloned embryo is then implanted in a recipient womb, which carries the pregnancy to term.

Allen’s research is geared to discovering the relative importance of genetic composition and womb environment in the development of equine foetuses by implanting identical embryos in mares of different breeds and ages, and studying their behaviour. But the Newmarket professor also plans to place the cloned embryo into the womb of its genetic donor — effectively implanting the clone into itself — to study immunological reactions in pregnant mares. A third strand of experiments will test what happens when putting a donkey nucleus into a horse oocyte and viceversa.

Allen had also made a case to clone embryos to produce high performing sport horses. In his application, he pointed out that it is difficult to breed dressage, show jumping, eventing, endurance and carriage driving horses, and polo ponies, because many star performers are geldings.

Cloning, he argues, would allow scientists to reproduce genetically identical copies of top sport horses. And while he recognises that womb environment, birth conditions, and upbringing and training schedules would all have an impact on competitive performance, this technique would allow him to boost genetic excellence.

“One animal species [cloning] can be very useful for is the horse to get past the problem of geldings,” he says. “It won’t recreate a champion horse because other factors intervene, but it can reproduce its testicles.”

There are currently four equine cloned pregnancies currently underway abroad using the genetic material of champion geldings. However, the Home Office turned down his request for commercial sport horse cloning, on the grounds that similar results can be achieved by innovative breeding programmes along the lines of those adopted on Continental Europe, and that, in any case, the inefficiency linked to cloning and the uncertainty over how much of a horse’s performance depends on its genetic makeup make this kind of experiments unlikely to succeed.

Allen was disappointed at this restriction. He believes it is “absurd” to think that Britain could introduce the breeding methods used in France and Germany, and points out that equine cloning does not have the same degree of inefficiency as other species. “The incidence of abnormality is very low compared to sheep or cattle because of different placentation,” he says.

“The gelding problem is a great problem to breeding. Here is a technique to overcome it but the government will not let us do it because it panders to a few protesters. This is typically British. This country has a reputation for not exploiting the techniques it develops. Anyway, [getting permission for experimental cloning] is a chink in the armour, it’s a moral victory, although it is slightly pyrrhic, as we watch France do it [commercially].”

However, Timothy Corner QC, who advised the government on the matter, didn’t rule out commercial cloning forever and wrote in his report that “if in the future there is produced either evidence of greater benefits [of cloning] than I have identified, or evidence that the costs are less, then a different view might be taken.”

Government gives thumbs down on cloning

Horse & Hound — Fri, 14 May 2004 12:10:11 +0000

The Home Office has refused to grant a licence to one of Britain’s experts in equine reproductive work to continue with his project to clone horses.

Professor Twink Allen, who has been developing cloning techniques at the Equine Fertility Unit, Newmarket, for three years, cites the most significant benefit as reproducing genes of top eventers — which are mostly geldings — for breeding purposes.

“Here is a heaven-sent method for overcoming the ‘gelding problem’,” says Prof Allen. “The horse world could really benefit, not to recreate the champion, but to recreate the testicles, and bolster the genetic constitution of the British sport horse population. If you want science to help the industry, here’s your chance.”

The rejection letter to Prof Allen stated that Labour MP Caroline Flint, who made the decision, was “not convinced that the potential scientific benefits are sufficient to outweigh the likely adverse effects for the animals concerned”.

But Prof Allen, who is to appeal against the decision, says: “To say there’s a welfare problem is absurd: if an abnormal foetus occurred, we would not let it be born.

“The government allows cloning in cattle, sheep and pigs, and has turned us down because the horse is a politically sensitive species, in the same category as cats, dogs and primates. They know there would be protests [if they said yes] — they don’t want that.”

Dr Jonathan Pycock, a vet who is involved in AI and sport horse breeding, says: “I believe we would do better to concentrate on shipping good quality semen within the UK. Let’s get this right before we embark on cloning.”

Cloning of horses is permitted abroad, and in the US, breeders are said to be “queuing up” to try it out. In France, Dr Eric Palmer has frozen skin cells from 20 top show jumpers and dressage horses, pending sufficient facilities and expertise.

Read the full story, including the views of breeders and some of the sport’s governing bodies on the cloaning debate, in the current issue of Horse & Hound (13 May 04)

First cloned foal born in Italy

Horse & Hound — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:26:00 +0000

Italian scientists have cloned the first horse, reports today’s issue of science magazine Nature (7 August). Prometea, a two-month-old Haflinger foal, was born on May 28 and is genetically identical to the mare that gave birth to her.

A team of 10 geneticists and technicians from the Laboratory for Reproductive Technology in Cremona, Italy, collected a skin cell from the mare and fused its nucleus with an empty egg from another horse. The cultured embryo was then implanted in the mare’s womb and Prometea, named after the mythical hero who stole fire from the Gods, was born after 336 days.

Delivering her cost around £100,000 because scientists had to undertake extensive research to obtain one successful pregnancy.

Beside being the world’s first horse clone – earlier in the year, a mule called Idaho Gem was cloned in the United States – Prometea is unique because it is the first time that a female mammal has given birth to a copy of herself. So far, embryos have been implanted in the womb of a different animal from the one being cloned.

Laboratory for Reproductive Technology Director, Cesare Galli told HHO: “It was long thought that, for a pregnancy to be successful, the foetus must be recognised as different from its mother. Prometea demonstrates that this is not the case and that a lot remains to be understood about the immunological aspects of pregnancy in mammals.”

Medical benefits represent the long-term aim of the experiment, according to Cesare: “Cloning a different species – and comparing our results with the more established findings for sheep and cows – allows us to understand more about these mechanisms. The real goal for cloning, which applies not only to horses but to any animal, is to understand how you get from embryos to tissue and from tissue to tumour in order to cure it.”

Cesare thinks that the technology which delivered Prometea will also have a significant effect the horse racing and show jumping industries.

“The obvious advantage lies in cloning geldings, such as the one who won the Kentucky Derby earlier in the year. We have already received some interest about this. Clearly, rules would have to change but racing bodies may well consider doing this in the future.”

A secondary application of the research lies in understanding the relative importance of nature versus nurture in the making of a champion.

“With cloning, genes are identically reproduced. A horse and its clone share the very same genetic background but this is not to mean that they will achieve the same performances. Cloning could throw some light on the impact of external factors such as training.”

However, animal welfare campaigners have voiced strong concerns about the birth of Prometea. The RSPCA views cloning as “a serious and totally unnecessary exploitation of animals”.

Dr Maggy Jennings, who heads the charity’s research animal department, said that “the entire focus always seems to be on the excitement of the science. There is no mention of the suffering of the huge numbers of horses that have been involved over the past few years in producing this one cloned animal.

“The extremely low success rates of live clones in this project highlights the massive inefficiency of cloning and shows why this procedure should never be attempted for such trivial purposes.”

Unsurprisingly, Cesare disagrees. “I don’t think the RSPCA really understand how this technique works. While it is true that only few cultured oocytes (unfertilised eggs which have been manipulated in the lab) survive to be implanted, at no stage does this process cause animal suffering. We obtained empty eggs from mares that had been slaughtered for other, non-scientific reasons and cultured them in a lab for seven days.

“The only ‘exploitation’, if it can be defined as such, lies in implanting the embryos on 9 mares through a non-invasive procedure. Of these, eight aborted within the first 30 days. One lost the foetus at six months for a reason that we believe is not connected to cloning (premature separation of the placenta) and one delivered successfully, so there really was no suffering involved.”

Picture by kind permission of Giovanna Lazzari, from the Laboratory of Reproductive Technology

First equine clone created

Horse & Hound — Fri, 30 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Scientists in America are celebrating the live birth of the world’s first cloned mule, which was born in Idaho on 4 May.

The birth of Idaho Gem (pictured) is a milestone in equine genetics and breeding. This step could pave the way for cloning to play a role in the future development of competition horses, in particular racing.

The arrival of the male mule, which is the offspring of a male donkey and female horse, comes after five years of extensive research at the University of Idaho Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory.

Scientists successfully injected a mare’s egg with DNA from a donkey and then implanted the fertilised egg into a surrogate mare.

Both Idaho Gem and his surrogate mother are reported to be doing well, but as the foal develops scientists will keep a close eye on his development as previous cloning attempts on other species have often shown development problems.

Professor Woods from the Equine Reproduction Laboratory told the Daily Telegraph: “Idaho Gem is doing great, his birth was natural and unassisted. He rose to his feet by 12 minutes and when allowed to roam on the grass at 33 hours of life, he romped like a rabbit. This is one healthy animal.”

Read more . . .

First foals born from frozen eggs
Britain’s first test-tube foals born
Got a news story? Click here to email the HHO newsdesk.

Cloning horses could be next

Horse & Hound — Thu, 11 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000

Plans by a US biotech company to clone champion horses have been met with scepticism by the UK breeding industry

Animal Cloning Sciences (ANCL) in the USA plan to offer horse clones for $10,000 after building up a DNA bank from leading bloodlines, ranging from Thoroughbred racehorses to dressage horses and show jumpers.

However, the UK breeding industry has met these plans with scepticism.

The US company claims that purchasers will be able to specify colour, sex, temperament and performance ability since the clone will be a perfect copy of its “parent”, and states that “if you clone a champion you get a champion”

Henry Sanderson of Weatherbys, which operates the British Thoroughbred studbook, says that the plan is a non-starter for the UK racing industry.

“Horses produced by any artificial insemination methods, including cloning, will not be eligible for registration in any Thoroughbred studbook, and there are no plans to alter this ruling.”

Kim Hall of Sport Horse Breeding GB, which registers progeny produced by artificial insemination and embryo transfer, confirmed her organisationcurrently has no policy on cloning and would have to consider all the options before a decision was made on whether to register cloned animals.

The British Equestrian Federation is currently developing a breeding programme for sport horses, but consultant director of breeding Graham Suggett says that cloning is not on the agenda.

“We are more interested in exploiting advanced, but proven breeding techniques such as embryo transfer and artificial insemination.”

How cloning works

Cells are taken from the donor animal. In the case of a horse from its ear or chest and implanted in an unfertilised egg, which has had its own DNA removed.

An electric pulse causes the two to fuse together and also starts cell division.

The resulting embryo is then implanted into the uterus of a host, and a normal gestation period takes place before the birth of an animal which is genetically identical to the donor.

Read the full story in this week’s Horse & Hound 11 July 2002, or click here to subscribe and enjoy Horse & Hound delivered to your door every week.

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“He was a cracking foal – and three years on he is a beautiful, big, scopey model that is like a carbon copy of the original,” said Clem.

“It really is uncanny. The way he even looks at you, you have to do a double-take. They are so similar in personality. I had Pacino from when he was three which is nice, and this horse will be produced exactly the same way, so it’s interesting times ahead.”

“Pacino was very successful, so that’s why this was done as a breeding project. From April we’ll be supplying semen from Pacino II,” said Clem.

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His off-spring include John Whitaker’s current stable star, Argento, as well as the Hales family’s SFS Aristo.

Blake Russell, president of ViaGen Pets & Equine, said the company has delivered more than 1,000 “healthy, cloned foals” to clients and “each project is truly special”.

“The ability to play a part in reproducing a phenomenal genotype like Arko III is what makes our effort worthwhile,” he said.

“We are very excited to see him grow and develop and make his footprint on the industry. It is a real pleasure to collaborate with great partners like Gemini Genetics and their sister company, Stallion AI Services, to help bring our services to clients around the globe.

“The relationships that we have developed with partners like Gemini Genetics are what make this venture work for everyone. I hope all can see that cloning technology is a powerful advanced reproductive technology that can bring great opportunity.”

Tullis Matson, founder and director of Stallion AI Services, added it has “been a privilege” working with Arko and the Hales family for almost 10 years of the stallion’s life.

“We are thrilled at the news of the successful birth of his clone and are privileged to have been involved in this project via our sister company, Gemini Genetics,” he said.

“We look forward to the coming years of his clone, [and the benefits he will bring] to the performance industry and the breeding sector.”

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