Horse cloning is a technique that has continued to evolve over the years. At Ovohorse & Ovoclone, we are committed to equine assisted reproduction, and on this occasion we want to share some successful cases that highlight the work of professionals in the sector to reproduce nearly identical copies of top stallions.
CUARTETERA
“She’s like Messi and Maradona combined,” said Adolfo Cambiaso, considered by many to be the best Argentine polo player in history. These words referred to ‘Cuartetera’, who, alongside her rider, enjoyed the greatest sporting successes in this discipline. Although the animal passed away in 2023, she was previously cloned and produced several ‘cracks’ from the process, most of which now play polo professionally.
OTTERONGO ALPHA Z
Another excellent example is ‘Otterongo Alpha Z’, a KWPN clone of ‘Otterongo Van de Kopshoeve’, who finished fourth at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, among other achievements. In 2023, ‘Otterongo Alpha Z’ won the CSI5*-W Grand Prix at 1.55 m in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In this case, the cloning was done using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a technique that involves inserting the nucleus of a somatic cell into an enucleated egg to generate an embryo, which is then transferred to a recipient mare.
CONTARA
We also cannot overlook the case of ‘Contara’, daughter of ‘Contender’ and dam of the famous ‘Chacco Blue’. This mare had only three offspring, including the acclaimed stallion. Due to her advanced age and inability to become pregnant again, cloning was chosen to obtain descendants from her clones and preserve her excellent genetics. Today, the first three cloned foals are known to have been born.
QUARELA DE TOSCANE
‘Quarela de Toscane’, daughter of ‘Coriano’ and ‘Karla de Toscane’, was born in 2004 and her first clone arrived in 2023, specifically on April 11 of that year. This was the first clone registered in the Studbook of the Spanish Sport Horse (CDE).
KURT
Also in 2023, Kurt was born—a cloned foal of a Przewalski’s horse—bringing a new biological hope. His birth used biological cultures from the aforementioned Przewalski, which had been extinct until then. Although cloning often sparks societal debate, it is a viable solution to help save animal species on the verge of extinction.
