Foal Born From First Cloned Horse
By Kathryn Brim, Editor

The world’s first cloned horse, Prometea, a Haflinger mare, has had her first foal. On March 17^th the mare gave birth to a healthy colt, named Pegaso.

Born in 2003, Prometea was the center of the scientific world. Not only was she the first horse ever cloned, but she was cloned from the skin cells of the same mare that carried and gave birth to her. This made her the first clone of any species to be genetically identical to her surrogate mother.

Since then, hundreds of equines have been cloned and reproduced in the name of science – and genetic preservation. Prometea’s creator, Cesare Galli of the Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies in Cremona, has focused his career on preserving the genetics of top performing geldings or reproductively challenged horses. He has also cloned numerous other species, including pigs and cattle.

I am curious about the purebred status of cloned horses.

I understand that many registries (including the Quarter Horse & Arabian) do not register clones.

If true, how can cloning save the genetics of outstanding horses? Why breed partbred horses, from a breeding/genetics standpoint?

Registered horses are usually chosen as breeding stock to preserve bloodlines. Unregistered horses are often the first to be undervalued and abandoned....

Since the Jockey Club doesn't allow registration of foals sired via frozen semen, I can't see them accepting clones, either. Some ding-a-ling with more money than foresight (ala Jurassic Park) will want to clone Secretariat and Man O War just to finally answer the question of which was the better horse. Personally, though I will always say Man O War, I don't really need to know. The racing environment (track surfaces, starting gates, city noise, pollution) has changed so much there is no real way to test it. It might help the general grade of unregistered saddle horse, but, as Sharon said, the unregistered horses are the ones who are neglected and mistreated first.