ViaGen Preserving and Multiplying Superior Genetics

Austin, Texas– The cloned foal of 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre’s famed gelding, Califa, was born April 22, making him the first cloned polo pony in the world. The bay colt is an intact stallion genetically identical to Califa.

 Aguerre has not settled on a name for the colt yet, but already has big plans for him. The colt will be able pass along Califa’s superior genetics as a stallion, an opportunity that otherwise would have never existed without cloning technology. 

“I was actually surprised how much he looks like Califa,” Aguerre said. “I couldn’t believe it. The position of his neck, hind end and even expression in his face is so much like the original. I never saw Califa at that age, but he already looks like him.” 

In terms of breeding, Califa is not only a tremendous success on the field as an individual athlete; his pedigree is considered polo pony royalty.

 ”The chance to have him back as a stallion is incredible,” Aguerre said. “His mother, Luna, was one of the greatest broodmares of all time. The whole family line is very strong.”

Califa has become world renowned for his talents and earned some of the industry’s most prestigious titles, including United States Polo Association Horse of the Year in 2005. Most recently he landed a spot on the American Polo Horse Association’s Legendary Ponies list and was named the 2009 APHA Horse of the Year. He returned to Argentina last year to join Aguerre’s string for the Argentine Open.

Aguerre plans to take the colt to Argentina as a yearling and stand him at his Los Machitos operation when he reaches breeding age.

*photo courtesy of Timbercreek Veterinary Hospital

The Continental Studbook and ViaGen are pleased to announce that the two companies are working together to register cloned foals produced for North America.ViaGen is recognized as the global leader in cloning technology and gene banking services. The Austin, Texas, based company has produced more cloned horses than any other company or research institution in the world. The Continental Studbook is an elite Olympic and hunter sport breeding registry modeled specifically for North America. The Eugene, Oregon, based company is an inclusive registry of high quality horses comprised of sport thoroughbreds and all top ranked warmblood breeds.

The relationship is an excellent fit for both ViaGen and the Continental Studbook. ViaGen has cloned and continues to clone some of the signficant performance and breeding horses in our sports, and the Continental Studbook is dedicated to giving domestic breeders the opportunities to produce the highest quality and best performing horses possible. Until now, the genetic contributions of many great horses were unavailable to breeders. Colts born at ViaGen can now be registered in the Continental Studbook and eventually can be licensed for breeding provided stallion requirements are met. High performance mares which may have competed through their prime reproductive years can now produce.

The Continental Studbook Future stallions can service the largest possible domestic mare population with limited overhead for their owners, and mare owners can use these stallions without geopolitical restrictions. Traditional breeding methods will continue to represent the vast majority of horse registrations, but the Continental Studbook is proud to support access to important genes for domestic breeders who choose to use them. Cloned stallions are now used for breeding in Europe, and the Continental Studbook is pleased to bring the same opportunities to breeders in North America.

For more information about registration, visit www.continentalstudbook.com

It looks like a clone of Doc’s Serendipity may make history again — this time, by being the first clone in the United States to produce a foal. An embryo by the No. 1 leading cutting horse sire, High Brow Cat, and out of the clone of the 1977 National Cutting Horse Association Open Futurity Reserve Champion is due to be foaled in Texas in April. 

The clone, owned by David and Janet Brown, Gainesville, Texas, initially made history when it was the first clone to be offered for sale at public auction during the Western Bloodstock Preferred Breeders Sale at the 2007 NCHA Futurity. David Brown, who owned the original Doc’s Serendipity when Joe Heim piloted the great Doc Bar mare to a 220 in a finals run cutters still talk about today, purchased the clone for $14,000 from Performance Equine Associates, Whitesboro, Texas.

The original Doc’s Serendipity, out of Biltoft’s Poco by Bar Mix, died in 2006 at the age of 32.

The first offspring of a clone was foaled on May 5, 2008, in France. The filly, Pierazade du Vialaret, was the first get of Pieraz-Cryozootech-Stallion, a clone of the two-time World Champion endurance horse, Pieraz. 

The embryo of the Doc’s Serendipity clone was transferred by Dr. David Jasko at DLR Ranch Stallion Station in Weatherford, Texas. After a recipient mare carrying an initial embryo of the Doc’s Serendipity clone resorbed the embryo, another embryo was transferred to a second mare that has had no complications.

The recipient mare is at the Browns’ ranch in Gainesville, but will be transferred to a stallion station for delivery, Janet Brown said.

“The Doc’s Serendipity clone was real easy to get in foal,” she said. “The second recipient mare and embryo are doing well.”

The Browns have entered the Doc’s Serendipity clone in the 2009 NCHA Futurity. Jamie Beamer is training her in Weatherford.

“She’s not particularly interested in a mechanical cow, but when a real cow is put in front of her, she goes right after it,” Janet said with a laugh. “She’s a very smart horse.”

David Brown discussed the cloning process with Dr. Gregg Veneklasen, who performs all the embryo transfers for ViaGen, the Austin, Texas-based company that holds the patent for equine cloning. Veneklasen performs the transfers at his Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas.

“We have 75 pregnancies this year of clones that include some of the world’s most famous jumping horses, as well as some top cutting and barrel racing horses, that will be born in 2009,” Veneklasen said.

Clayton, a clone of Scamper, Charmayne James’ 11-time World Champion barrel racing horse, is standing at Veneklasen’s facility.

In a ruling that is the first of its kind in the performance horse industry, the National Cutting Horse Association has decided it will allow clones to compete in aged events.On Sept. 9 during the NCHA Executive Committee’s fall meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, the board unanimously approved a policy that will let clones to be shown, according to NCHA President Bronc Willoughby.

Executive Committee member Phil Rapp, who wants to show two clones in the 2009 NCHA Futurity, abstained from voting. The clones, Whats On Tap and Playboys Ruby Too, are being trained at Rapp’s ranch in Weatherford, Texas.

Whats On Tap is a replicate of Tap Olena, the multiple NCHA champion Rapp and his wife, Mary Ann, bred and own. Playboys Ruby Too is a clone of Playboys Ruby, the second all-time leading producer of cutting horses that Rapp showed and owned until he sold her and the clone to Waco Bend Ranch, Graham, Texas, in October 2006. Both of the originals and their clones remain at Rapp’s facility.

This is the first time an equine performance group has set a policy that allows clones to compete. The decision was made after NCHA member and attorney Lew Stevens addressed the committee and suggested that the policy be adopted, Willoughby said.

“Lew Stevens recommended that as a performance horse association, not a breed association, NCHA should allow clones to be shown,” he explained. “After it was discussed, Phil Rapp excused himself from the vote, and the policy was passed unanimously.”

Stevens was a member of the NCHA’s task force on cloning.

Rapp and his wife, Mary Ann, said they were relieved, but not totally surprised, by the vote’s outcome.

“According to NCHA rules, any horse can be shown if it’s 3 years old, whether it’s registered or not,” Rapp said.

Although other performance groups, including the National Barrel Horse Association, have no rules that prohibit clones, the American Quarter Horse Association, one of the world’s largest equine breed organizations, does not allow clones in its registry. AQHA tabled a proposal requesting that its rule be changed during its 2008 convention, pending a study on cloning by the association.

While the NCHA is the first equine performance group to actually establish a policy on cloning, it was just business as usual, said Willoughby, who was chairman of the NCHA’s task force on cloning. The policy was one of several items the Executive Committee considered during its annual two-day meeting.

“We didn’t look at it as a landmark decision. We just set a policy as we saw fit, like we do others,” Willoughby said.

“I hadn’t thought about it being historical, but I guess it’s a big step,” Rapp said after the meeting. “It’s pretty exciting. I guess we’ll get our entries in when we need to and go from there. We’ll send our check in shortly.”

The first payment for 2-year-olds to be entered in the 2009 Futurity is due Oct. 15. Whats On Tap and Playboys Ruby Too are being trained by Clint Modistach, who starts Rapp’s 2-year-olds. When he has time, Rapp plans to take over the clones’ reins.

“The clones are doing great,” he said. “I’ve been so busy getting my 3-year-olds trained and Clint does such an excellent job that I’ve been leaving the clones’ training up to him for a while. But I’m looking forward to working with them again.”

Meanwhile, Rapp has been busy in the cutting arena. On Sept. 5, the 39-year-old horseman, who is the industry’s all-time earnings leader, surpassed the $6 million NCHA milestone at a weekend cutting in Sweetwater, Texas.

Whats On Tap and Playboys Ruby Too were produced by ViaGen, a commercial cloning and gene-banking company headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company, which controls the patents for equine cloning, has successfully replicated at least 20 champion horses from around the world.

At press time, the company’s most recent clone to be born was foaled on Aug. 4. The clone is a replicate of Airwolf, the legendary saddle bronc horse who was inducted into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2006. It was born at Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas.

Airwolf from Viagen on Vimeo.

April 29, 2008

The world’s first cloned horse, Prometea, has had a foal.

Pegaso, her son, is the first offspring of an equine clone confirms, once again, that cloned animals can grow and reproduce normally, giving rise to healthy offspring.

Prometea with her foal Pegaso: The development may help the breeding of champion racehorses

The name Prometea, a Haflinger mare, is a reference to Prometeo (Prometheus), who was punished for stealing fire from Olympus for the benefit of mankind.

She entered the history books in 2003 when she was unveiled as the world’s first horse clone, one that offered a way to preserve the genetic heritage of many exceptional horses whose genes are presently lost because champion geldings are castrated.

“During these five years Prometea has been in very good health and often at the centre of media attention,” says her creator, Prof Cesare Galli of the Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies in Cremona.

“The ultimate proof of her normality has just come with the birth of Pegaso, on March the 17th 2008, after a single insemination with the semen of the Haflinger stallion Abendfurst.”

Pegaso has special significance in racing because sporting horses are castrated at a young age. “When they become adult and demonstrate to be champion horses, they are unable to reproduce and it is therefore impossible to obtain the next generation: the champion’s offspring,” says Prof Galli.

“This is a bitter reality that clashes with the driving principle of animal breeding and selection that is based on the reproduction of superior individuals to pursue genetic improvement of the breed.

“Therefore, today, horse cloning is simply an assisted reproduction technique that allows us to obtain copies/clones of castrated champion horses and finally, from these clones, the champion’s offspring that otherwise would never be born.”

Prof Galli showed the technology could revolutionise blood stock breeding when he unveiled a cloned foal of Pieraz, an Arab endurance champion, in 2005.

He has cloned cattle and pigs too, and worked with human embryo cells, which led to him being excommunicated by the Catholic Church, even though he did not himself destroy embryos but used embryonic stem cells that had been derived in other countries.

Prof Galli first encountered problems with the authorities when he unveiled Galileo, Italy’s first cloned bull, which was confiscated by Italy’s Health Ministry.