Jos Mottershead, my favorite equine reproduction specialist has published the following news article about happenings with equine cloning.

Charmayne James’ multiple world-champion gelding “Scamper” cannot of course sire foals himself, but his clone - “Clayton”, foaled in 2006 - has proven fertile, with two mares being bred, embryos flushed, and maintained pregnancies identified in the recipient mares. This exciting new development for North American breeders offers future potential for perpetuation of genetics from stallions that have been gelded - something that Professor W.R. “Twink” Allen has been promoting for over 10 years, with his recommendation being that all prospective quality geldings have semen frozen before they are gelded! The “after the fact” technique of cloning means that Scamper’s genes have now been passed on, and it will be interesting to watch the resulting foals in barrel racing performance in the future. Continue Reading »