[accphotography]

I agree with most of what was said... but what about those horses who were gelded before we knew what they could do. Or the Barbaros of the world who didn't get their chance (of course it will never be allowed in Thoroughbreds) at stud. Or horses like Cigar who had fertility problems? In some cases it could be a brilliant thing, but there are serious remifications to all of it.

ACC

[Emma lvs tilly]

cloning isnt right at all, playing mother nature like said above. every horse is totally unique and that is how is should stay. just my opinion.

[Heavenly Jumper]

A clone doesn't have the same soul or heart.

It is like saying that identical twins are the same person (and they are raised at the same time, same environment!)...nope, just clones.

Aside from the cost, I don't have a big problem with cloning if someone wants to. I think that it would get more stallions gelded in the future and then IF they turn out to be great...we can clone for breeding. I'd definitely like to see more mediocre stallions become great geldings.

[EmazingCasper]

Originally Posted by cminor

I don't agree with cloning. Yes genes are genes, but too many environmental factors also go into making any living organism what it is. A clone is going to carry the same genetic make up, but there is no way to go back in time and repeat what the horse went thru in its live that contributed to its developement. Also how many times have there been full siblings out there, on is just outstanding, and the other mediorce. I also don't agree with it because it is kinda like cheating the system.

Personal believes just make me cringe when people talk about cloning. We as mankind are playing with mother nature too much.

I also agree. I think we are medaling where we shouldn't be.

[BPH]

why?

thats all i have to say. why do we have to? why is it needed? why do we feel the need to tamper with something that doesnt need tampering? it is what it is. we have a million and one horses out there already. the past is the past and some are great pasts but what about what we can do in the future without having to dig through the past?

i am curious to see how they perform and produce...

[Xiphias]

If I remember right, the first Cloned animal was a sheep named Dolly, and she died prematurely, they thought it was because she was cloned...correct me if I am wrong....I guess we will see if this horse does as good as the origional...Cathy

[Equine Repro]

Originally Posted by xiphias21034

If I remember right, the first Cloned animal was a sheep named Dolly, and she died prematurely, they thought it was because she was cloned...correct me if I am wrong....I guess we will see if this horse does as good as the origional...Cathy

Here's me correcting you <smile>. Dolly died of natural causes although the rumor that she died due to premature aging is still perpetuated.

Until there is proof for or against cloning, I'll just sit on the fence and watch. <smile>. As far as a clone repeating what the donor animal did, that's something that time will tell and is entirely speculative at this point. It "is" the ultimate determination of nurture vs nature and until there is more information out there, there is absolutely NO way to determine that. The genetic potential is certainly there, but whether or not the enviornment the animals is raised in, who ultimately does the riding, training, feeding, conditioning, etc., has an impact won't be known for probably several more years. The mule clones were the first and have done some racing, but not a sufficient number of races to be able to make an accurate determination of their abilities yet.

It costs approximately $125,000 to $150,000 to produce a clone btw, so it's not likely to become a procedure for the average horse or the average horse owner.

Kathy St.Martin
Equine Reproduction Short Courses
http://www.equine-reproduction.com

[aprimetradition]

I thought that cloned horses were not allowed papers. Is that true in AQHA?

[Buckshot]

[quote=cminor;2583591]I don't agree with cloning. Yes genes are genes, but too many environmental factors also go into making any living organism what it is. A clone is going to carry the same genetic make up, but there is no way to go back in time and repeat what the horse went thru in its live that contributed to its developement. Also how many times have there been full siblings out there, on is just outstanding, and the other mediorce. I also don't agree with it because it is kinda like cheating the system.

Personal believes just make me cringe when people talk about cloning. We as mankind are playing with mother nature too much.[/quote]

Very well said!!!

Cloning is just wrong, imo.

[Cowgirl1013]

When they take the DNA from an animal who is say 15 years old and they want to clone it the DNA is already 15yo. DNA only last so long so that ends up shortening the life of the clone. ( that is what I have been told so correct me if I am wrong). I wonder how long this one is going to last.