Success stories in equine cloning

Horse cloning is a technique that has been evolving over the years. At Ovohorse & Ovoclone, we are committed to equine assisted reproduction, and on this occasion, we want to share success stories that highlight the work of industry professionals in creating nearly identical copies of stallions.

“It’s like Messi and Maradona together,” said Adolfo Cambiaso, considered by many to be the greatest Argentine polo player in history. These words referred to ‘Cuartetera,’ who, along with her rider, achieved the greatest sporting successes in this discipline. Although the animal passed away in 2023, she had previously been cloned, producing outstanding offspring, most of whom are now dedicated to polo.

Another excellent example is ‘Otterongo Alpha Z,’ a KWPN clone of ‘Otterongo Van de Kopshoeve,’ who achieved a 4th place finish at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, among other successes. In 2023, ‘Otterongo Alpha Z’ won the CSI5*-W Grand Prix at 1.55 m in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In this case, cloning was performed through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a technique that involves introducing the nucleus of a somatic cell into an enucleated egg cell to generate an embryo, which is then transferred to a recipient mare.

We cannot overlook the case of ‘Contara,’ a daughter of ‘Contender’ and the dam of the famous ‘Chacco Blue.’ This mare had only three offspring, including the acclaimed stallion. Due to her advanced age and the impossibility of new pregnancies, cloning was chosen to produce descendants from her clones and preserve her outstanding genetics. To date, the first three clones have been successfully born.

‘Quarela de Toscane,’ the 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 to be registered in the Spanish Sport Horse Studbook (CDE).

Also in 2023, Kurt, a Przewalski’s horse colt, was born, bringing new biological hope. His birth was made possible using biological cultures from the mentioned Przewalski’s horse, which had been considered extinct until that moment. Cloning, despite often sparking societal controversy, is a highly viable solution to help animal species on the brink of extinction.