Crispr-cas9 polo ponies

[FieldOrnaments]

https://www.reuters.com/science/argentina-breeds-gene-edited-polo-super-ponies-2025-02-04/#:~:text=Scientists%20at%20Argentine%20biotech%20firm,and%20scientific%20director%20of%20Kheiron.

 

[I'm Dun]

Interestingly I'm reading Polo again at the minute. I know its very dated now, but I cant imagine the sport has changed much and it sounds like a horrible job for a horse. I wonder how long till they find the gene for enlarged hearts in race horses and start messing about with fast twitch muscle fibres.

 

[Snowfilly]

Interestingly I'm reading Polo again at the minute. I know its very dated now, but I cant imagine the sport has changed much and it sounds like a horrible job for a horse. I wonder how long till they find the gene for enlarged hearts in race horses and start messing about with fast twitch muscle fibres.

I don’t think racing will allow anything like that, they still don’t allow AI of mares hence the shuttle stallions who travel the world twice a year.

Quarter horse and endurance racing on the other hand…

And there’s already a bunch of clones out eventing.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Interestingly I'm reading Polo again at the minute. I know its very dated now, but I cant imagine the sport has changed much and it sounds like a horrible job for a horse. I wonder how long till they find the gene for enlarged hearts in race horses and start messing about with fast twitch muscle fibres.

I thought they had to be all "natural" in racing? Like ai foals can't be jockey club registered

Interestingly I'm reading Polo again at the minute. I know its very dated now, but I cant imagine the sport has changed much and it sounds like a horrible job for a horse. I wonder how long till they find the gene for enlarged hearts in race horses and start messing about with fast twitch muscle fibres.

 

[I'm Dun]

I don’t think racing will allow anything like that, they still don’t allow AI of mares hence the shuttle stallions who travel the world twice a year.

Quarter horse and endurance racing on the other hand…

And there’s already a bunch of clones out eventing.

Yeah, for now. It cant last if everything else is being tinkered with surely?

And clones are one thing, and not a particularly successful thing at that, specifically engineering the parts that you know make winning horses is the next level. It will take a good while to perfect it, but then what happens? If people are riding horses that are engineered to be physically superior it just becomes even more about money equalling success.

The science part is interesting, but the other aspects just make me feel sad for the future of horses, although if someone could clone my youngest dog minus the insane prey drive I'll take 10 please!