Horse cloning suit could have major impact on animal events
Lynx Melody Too, a clone of a renowned quarter horse, is at the center of a lawsuit that could change the world of animal breeding and competition.
Texas Panhandle horse breeder Jason Abraham and veterinarian Gregg Veneklasen sued the American Quarter Horse Association, claiming that Lynx Melody Too should be allowed to register as an official quarter horse.
An Amarillo jury decided in their favor in 2013, but a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in January, saying there was “insufficient” evidence of wrongdoing by the association.
Abraham and Veneklasen are now seeking a rehearing before the full 15-judge circuit panel. Association frowns
The suit is among the first to deal with the status of clones in breeding and competition, and its outcome could impact a number of fields, including thoroughbred horse racing and dog breeding.
The quarter horse association is adamant that clones and their offspring have no place in its registry.
“It’s what AQHA was founded on — tracking and preserving the pedigrees of these American quarter horses,” said Tom Persechino, executive director of marketing for the association. “Whenaperson buys an American quarter horse, they want to know that my quarter horse has the blood The suit is among the first to deal with the status of clones in breeding and competition, and its outcome could impact a number of fields, including thoroughbred horse racing and dog breeding. of these horses running through it, not copies of it.”
But Abraham and Veneklasen say that cloning follows a long tradition of using the latest technology to improve and maintain the breed.
Cloning “is nothing more than an assisted reproductive technique, similar to in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination,” the plaintiffs wrote in their suit. “A clone is simply the genetic twin of the original animal separated in time.”
Horses were first cloned in 2003, and various breeding groups have taken different stances. The Jockey Club, which registers thoroughbreds, has banned them from racing. But clones are allowed in other competitions, such as dressage and rodeo.
There is little uniformity among other animal groups. The American Kennel Club has banned clones; the Cat Fanciers’ Association has no policy yet since no one has tried to register a cloned cat.
Katrin Hinrichs, a professor at Texas A&M University whose lab has cloned nine horses and published more on horse cloning than any other lab in the world, said the asso- ciation’s rule was reasonable.
“You don’t really know what the effect will be on how people breed horses, on the whole horse industry,” she said, noting that clones could have some health issues, such as crooked legs, that weren’t present in the original. “I think the AQHA was very prudent.” ‘A reset button’
But health issues seem to work themselves out in the second generation, “kind of like a reset button,” Hinrichs said.
She added that she saw a specific role for cloning. “Cloning, to me, is a way to preserve genetics,” she said. “If you geld a horse and … he becomes a champion in the field, you’ve lost those genes.”