Cloning is now a reality. Thanks to current cloning procedures and techniques, it’s now possible to produce a near-identical copy of any animal. Thanks to Ovoclone, our specialist cloning company, we can clone dogs, horses and cats, among other species.
News has recently emerged of the cloning in Europe of “Contara”, the mother of “Chacco Blue”, one of the most important horses in the world of showjumping. Although he passed away in 2012, Chacco Blue will always be remembered as one of the best showjumping stallions ever. Moreover, his legacy is such that there is no competition where a “Chacco” is not present. Three of his sons and a grandson competed at the recent European Championships in Milan. It’s clear that “Chacco-Blue” is a reference in show jumping, which is why the search is now on to obtain “Chacco” offspring via assisted reproduction techniques (OPU-ICSI and straw cutting), or through cloning.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DAM LINE AND THE PRESERVATION OF CELL LINES
“Contara”, the dam of “Chacco Blue”, and whose sire was the legendary “Contender”, is present in the genetics of many top horses. She has always been highly sought after as the dam of the “stallion king”. Although the initial plan was to obtain embryos from Contara using assisted reproduction techniques, her advanced age made this impossible. Therefore, it was decided to increase her offspring by means of cloning.
“Contara”, who’s now 29 years old, had ‘Chacco Blue’ at the age of 4, before beginning her competitive career with André Plath (Germany). Together, they competed up to International 1.50m level. Plath has also ridden several of “Chacco Blue’s” offspring.
At Ovohorse & Ovoclone, we can initiate the cloning process by cryopreserving cell lines. This innovative method we’ve implemented involves obtaining a small tissue sample (biopsy) from the animal and storing it in our genetic bank with complete guarantee and security. By preserving this genetic material, we can obtain the desired offspring we from a member of the ‘Chacco Blue’ lineage.
