Clones- Harmless Harbingers of the Future of Horses!

The concept of cloning has been controversial since before it even was a possibility. This controversial nature remains intact even through it is in use within the equine industry. The science itself is a wonderful way to compensate for the sometimes tricky task of breeding your mare. Bloodlines of horses have been hundreds of years in the making and even when you think that you finally have the best combination, there is still never a way to know for sure. Cloning enables horsemen to ensure that their foal will be of the best genetic make up for his or her vocation.

Horses contain the potential to be such beneficial tools in society. Guide and therapy horses have the potential to make great strides in the lives of disadvantaged and disable persons. However, the issue is that in such a sensitive situation as this a dependable and predictable animal is absolutely necessary. With cloning technology, we can better ensure that this animal is the best possibly suited for the job it will be performing. On top of this assurance, we also have the ability to replicate this perfect mix. This way, we can help a better number of people all over the world,

In the competitive realms of the equine world such as Thoroughbred racing, cloning is completely looked down upon and prohibited by The Jockey Club. They will not so much acknowledge the animals let alone let them race. What they do not understand is the fact that the horse is an artificially bred identical twin, not the same horse mass produced. We know that a horse’s personality and performance can be greatly influenced by how it is trained, what type of environment it has been exposed to and what individual experiences it has.  In order to mass produce a perfect copy of the same animal the clones would have to be exposed to the exact same upbringing as the original. It is quite obvious that this is impossible. This said, this idea that cloning would take away the competitive nature of the sport is absurd. Now, this fact is beginning to be realized by some in the sporting division. It has been decided that cloned horses may be used in the 2016 Olympics and hopefully this supportive trend will make its way to other events and organizations.

Companies such as ViaGen are making their way through the industry by providing a service to those who desire their horse cloned or their DNA banked. As of now most of their customers are professionals seeking to create the best horse for some sort of sport. Occasionally however, they have customers simply desiring to have something             similar to what they once loved. 

Cloned horses hold such a huge potential for breeding of horses for specific uses. The possibilities here are really endless. With some responsible regulations, cloning can be a wonderfully useful tool to help the equine industry remain active for many years.