If you could would you?

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Rockchick_uk

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Just a question for you guys really.

Say that you had a gelding or a Mare that physically could not produce any offspring due to medical reasons would you consider cloning?

I know there are moral factors here but if you have the choice and money would you do it if your own horse couldnt reproduce?

My personal opinion is yes i would love to have Indiana cloned purely because he has so many good qualities about him and obviously when his time comes i will always have a little peice of him with me. Now my reason against cloning Indi is he suffers from athritus etc so carrying these qualities in to the cloned foal would be unfair and also everytime i looked at the clone i would always no that although DNA wise it would be my boy but obviously personality and looks wise it wouldnt.

Whats your opinions of horses being cloned? Do you think that its playing god? or is it a good option for those who cant breed.

Discuss.........
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Yes, absolutely without a doubt I would have Willsy all over again so long as he didn't come out with two heads!

He's not got perfect conformation but is pretty good and has a temparament to die for. Most of his problems have been caused by human hand not genetic so yes, if money was no object.
 
See i know with natural breeding you can try and level out any comfirmation faults by carefully choosing a partner for your horse that can counter act them (for example: if your mare is extreamly short backed, putting her with a longer backed stallion may help the foal get a medium length back etc)

Now with cloning can they rectify confirmation faults by adding DNA that would counteract these faults?

you may be able to tell im interested in genetics and cloning lmao
 
No, I think there are enough horses being bred without adding to it. More responsible breeding, with an almost clinical eye to conformation and temprement would produce a better quality of horses and less need to try to replicate one good horse.
 
but obviously people who 1) can afford to clone and 2) take the time to actually go through to process wont just do it to sell the foal at a local sale so its tottally different in that respect to natural breeding surely?

Surely the whole idea of cloning is to reproduce something that is a part of the original horse so just buying a "better quality" foal would not be the same as it wont carry the blood lines and qualities that the clone surely will have?
 
Morally there is very little difference between selective breeding and cloning or genetic manipulation. Eventually the technology will mature and the cost will come down. First for animals, then for humans.
 
No I certainly would not! Never - I think it is completely and utterly wrong I'm afraid.
 
Didn't they have problems with Dolly the sheep? I'm not sure of the age of animal they cloned her from but when she died she was young, but suffering 'old age' illnesses. Just say she was cloned from an 8 year old sheep, well it seems she was born '8 years old' if that makes sense!

Dolly the sheep

In light of this I don't think I could clone Kiyo
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They've had problems with many of the clones. No way could anyone believe that it is the same as natural breeding surely?
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I agree with Tia on this one that cloning is wrong. For me it's more of a moral issue. I don't have a problem with implantation of an embryo of an endangered species into the womb of a similar animal especially if it is man who made the animal become endangered in the first place ( usually the case). However in cloning no, I have a problem with it and always will have.
As for horses there are plenty of them out there to choose from and there are also thousands who have suffered neglect and abuse. Why not spend the money that would have been used cloning horses on horses in need. Help those horses that are in dire need and try and educate people in responsible horse welfare.
For me personally that is a more worthwhile cause to spend thousands on than the cloning of a horse.
Sorry going off the subject a tad but I always give reasons behind my decisions.
Cazx
 
Have to agree with Caz, and Tia. it is very wrong, not natural.
There must be qualities that you (not OP but the royal you) see in other horses, maybe similarities etc.
Can't go back, only forwards. Can't change the past only improve the future, therefore finding good qualities, temperaments, style etc in othey horses is the way forward.

If that makes sense....
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I dont agree with cloning, every horse is special in their own way and to clone them is to take away from that fact I think.
We need to concentrate on appreciating the horses that we have and doing the best by them, what would worry me would be the possible mindset of 'oh well we ruined this one, lets just clone another!'.

Then there is the nature vs nurture thing, cloning wouldnt replicate the environmental influences that the horse has experienced, so its not like you would even have the exact same horse again.
 
I don't agree with cloning but part of me would love my old boys back........

Still I suppose that's what memories are for.........
 
Yes, If I had the money now I would have my horse cloned - for type etc - and hopefully he would have a similar personality. I haven't ridden another horse that is anything like my boy - ever! I waited 8 years to find him, and even though it hasnt been plain sailing its perfect!

I guess I would just like the oportunity to start off of the right foot and not waste 3 years
 
i dont agree with cloning because i am scared about where it would stop or if it would eg people etc. However my brother shocked me the other day when he said that we sould clone izzy (its hard enough to get him to go near the yard at all lol) but i let him ride woody before he went back and he hated it hopped straight back onto izzy (i am glad he appreciates her know he did take her for granted!!)
 
Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion and although i have looked in to the case studies and scientific papers on cloning animals i really do not know where i stand (just to clarify i am not looking to clone as i dont have the money or incentive and i did not say that its the same as natural breeding)

My Horse has amazing bloodlines and is the only colt foal born to his parents (Indian Queen UK TB, Nightshift USA TB), even though he was no mean racer during his time if he could reproduce he would be worth his weight in gold so to speak, now obviously i will never clone him as i have no interest in doing so but as a example i can understand why people who have amazing horses with bloodlines that would end with their horse would wish to do so.

I just wanted to know all your opinions on this subject.
 
I think the vast majority would be disappointed, so yes, I think it is likely they would sell the horse on and add to the market. Cloning reproduces genetics, it does not reproduce behaviour. The way in which a horse is handled at a young age, introduced to work, competition experiences, differences int eh rider - even the same rider 10 years later is very different etc etc will all produce a different horse from the one that was cloned.
 
No, I wouldn't. Firstly I think it is morally wrong (and that is just my personal opinion) but mainly, why would I want to clone an animal that is born at the same age as the animal it was cloned from? It may look like a foal, but it's organs are already aged. (Hence Dolly's problems)
 
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