First commercial equine clone thrives

AUSTIN, TEXAS - 03/30/06 - A partnership between ViaGen Inc. and Encore Genetics produced the first commercially cloned horse. Royal Blue Boon Too, the genetic replica of a champion cutter owned by Elaine Hall, was born healthy in February.

"The birth of Royal Blue Boon Too, our clone, represents a significant advance in reproductive technology for horse breeders, giving them the opportunity to consider gene banking and cloning for important genetic lines," says Dr. Brad Stroud of Encore Genetics.

The clone will be a breeding mare, a task so far left undone, as no cloned horses have reached maturity. Last spring, researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University were the first in North America to clone a horse for a private owner. Dr. Katrin Hinrichs, veterinarian and professor, led the research team.

ViaGen says it expects to deliver six more cloned horses this spring. The company charges about $150,000 for the first copy of a genetic line.