by Fran Jurga | 9 April 2009 | The Jurga Report
Thanks to our friends at the Quarter Horse Racing Journal and American Quarter Horse Association for the “ears up” about horse-related legislation in Oklahoma that is headed for the Governor’s office to be signed.
No, it’s not equine dentists this time: The AQHA announced yesterday that Oklahoma has banned clones and (if I am reading this article correctly) their offspring from racing in the state.
Click here to read the Racing Journal’s article.
An article in the Oklahoman newspaper has some quotes but some of the points aren’t quite clear, since it is unlikely that clones themselves would be racing anyway.
It seems to me that the whole point of commercial cloning (vs sentimental cloning of a pet) is for breeding. Legislation like this would take a lot of wind out of cloning’s sails. And sales. It’s interesting that the clones would be banned from racing but not showing or commercial breeding or sales.
The story gets even murkier when you get down to realizing that if the AQHA doesn’t even register clones, this is a “just in case” piece of legislation–in effect, closing the barn door before the clone gets out.
Will clones have a big C branded into their foreheads for all to see? They look just like other horses, after all, and their offspring will too. And a clone’s DNA test will not look like something from a mountaintop in Transylvania.
The cloning story continues to write itself, right in front of our eyes. I urge you all to read more about this fascinating subject. Sooner or later, no matter where you live or no matter what breed of horse you may show or race or breed or own, or what equestrian sport discipline you choose, you’ll be hearing about cloning.
This subject has rekindled my interest in equine reproduction, which had been eclipsed by my total obsession with lameness for many years. When the first clone goes lame, it will be my story.
Click here for a one-stop archive of recent articles here on the Jurga Report about the AQHA’s struggle with finding a reasonable resolution to this issue.
And stay tuned, both to this blog and AQHA sources for more cloning news as it happens.
