Thursday, September 16, 2021

Horse Cloning?!?!

    In today’s technology, there are new discoveries made daily, the horse industry is no exception. In 2003, the horse industry changed forever. The first successful cloning of a horse (a filly named Prometea) took place in the spring of 2003. Since then technology has only improved and there has been somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple hundred cloned horses produced. Cloning, in terms of the horse, is a complex process of producing individual organisms with identical DNA. This would mean producing a foal with the same DNA as a preceding horse. This is most common in the highest levels of competition. Cloning is no cheap expense. Although the price has gone down it still runs around $90,000. As the first article states cloning seems to have no real benefit except that breeders know what the horse can grow to be (height, weight, muscling, and possible medical immunity.) Clones show no direct relation to their competitive performance. They also grow and develop very similar to that of a naturally bred horse. It is easiest to think of a clone as an identical twin born at a different time. Clones require the same amount of work and training as those of naturally bred means and will not reach their previous full potential without it. Clones also may not have the same demeanor as the previous horse depending on the environment they grew up in. After reading this article about cloning in horses I don’t find cloning to be unethical. If there is not a clear-cut link to their previous competitive performance I do not see a problem in cloning. Although this is not a natural process and can be abused in many ways by irresponsible breeders, it can also advance our knowledge significantly of genetically inherited medical issues in the horse and possibly save others in the future. I am in agreeance with the idea of cloning in equines for medical purposes.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting to think that the idea of cloning for the longest time was thought of as science fiction. In this case, I think there would be some disagreements as to the ethicality of cloning if the market of horse clones is only to be raced or used on a farm. However, the use of them to study diseases is a worthy cause. I just hope that people won't be reckless and try to use the cloning program for nefarious purposes.

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  2. I agree that the cloning of horses is not unethical! If cloning a stud race horse produced another stud race horse, then I could see it being unfair, but as long as the competitive side is unrelated and there are not too many mutations, I find it ethical. My cousin has horses and it would be kind of cool to have one cloned!

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  3. I also do not think that the cloning of horses is unethical but could become unethical if put into the wrong hands. I think there would be a huge market for horses though regardless if it is for competitive reasons as people may still feel that horses with good health are more readily available to get and be able to train with minimal health drawbacks.

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