"I wish I had another like him." A heartfelt comment often heard when a favorite old horse makes his swan song appearance. Up until recently it has always been a futile wish but research has advanced to such a degree that it is now likely to become a reality.

Ever since the advent of 'Dolly' the sheep, scientists have pushed the boundaries of cloning, experimenting with pigs, cows, sheep, with even reports of a cloned human as yet unsubstantiated. It was only a matter of time before a horse appeared which it duly did in May 2003 when Italian scientists produced 'Prometea', a Haflinger genetically identical to the mare that gave birth to her. The racing industry immediately placed a ban on cloning for racing purposes, possibly foreseeing the difficulties of policing a workable policy in such a highly commercial industry. For sports horses however, it was a 'wait and see' policy.

Scientists in the UK were hot on the trail. Professor 'Twink' Allen, renowned for his ground breaking research on equine reproduction for the past twenty years, applied for a license to clone horses, which the home office promptly turned down. Professor Allen is appealing against their decision. Opinion is divided on whether this research is desirable, some say it is unethical trivia, others that it is to be endorsed as vital for the improvement of the horse in this country. Maybe it's time the horse owning public made its own mind up.

Professor Allen's ideal is to improve the genetic stock to get a better, faster more competent and sounder horse. Animal breeding comes from breeding the best to the best in the hope of getting the best. The system fails when the best has been castrated as is often seen, particularly in eventing. The figures show a terrific imbalance in favour of geldings. Out of 121 entries at Badminton Horse Trials, there were 117 geldings, 4 mares and no stallions. These figures relate to 1998 but vary little over the years. Professor Allen is adamant. "The only reason to use cloning is to recreate the testicles of the champion winner, not the animal, so that he can be used to breed. You will recreate that gelding by cloning, not to go out and compete on the field on the perfect horse, but to get a chance to breed from the one who has proved himself to be the best of the best."

One of the least attractive human traits is greed, so whether cloning could be restricted in this way is debatable. The prospect of recreating a multi-million pound winner might be irresistible for an unscrupulous millionaire. But then economics is one of the two drawbacks to cloning. With costs starting at £50,000 upwards for a single clone it is unlikely that the market will be flooded with demand from sport horse owners and breeders.

In these days of political correctness and animal rights the morality of tinkering with the make up of living beings leaves a nasty taste in some people's mouths. Animals they may be, but public opinion in the British Isles reaches a fever point of horror and dismay if there is even a whiff of poor welfare or alleged abuse.

At this stage there is no way of knowing what the problems will be; although it seems unlikely cloned animals have a long life expectancy following the early demise of Dolly. Deformed foals can result from cloning, but statistics show that the recorded instances of deformed foals from natural breeding methods have increased steadily in the last forty years. In 1965 at the National Foaling Bank three foals were lost at birth due to deformity, whereas the figure has swelled to twenty in 2003 with fluctuation during the intervening years. Joanna Varden M.B.E. founder of the National Foaling Bank, who has the experience of breeding seven generations of one family up to Olympic standard, from one little pony she found in her kitchen on Christmas day as a present, considers that the wide use of chemicals on the land should be held accountable. "I have had several instances of deformed foals from mares grazing next to property that was heavily sprayed for brushwood."

In layman's terms cloning is the manipulation of eggs in the laboratory. The embryo is then implanted into the mare in much the same way as is currently used for embryo transplant. Any welfare issue must only apply to the offspring which in the case of deformed foals could be equally attributable to farming techniques as to exploitation. The chances of breeding an identical world beater are slim when one looks at full brothers and sisters who frequently don't live up to expectations. Probably some very good horses would appear, but exceptional horses seem to have that 'x' factor.

Breeders are guarded in their reaction welcoming the implications of the research on possible cures for crippling diseases such as melanoma, but voicing concern on the ethics. Joanna Varden says "I would love to have a replica of Crown Marquesite but I think it might be abusing nature. If I had the money maybe I would think differently!"

A supporter is Vincent Jones, a renowned breeder and owner of Wexford Lady, selected for the British Olympic event team, who sees the huge advantages. "All these things can be abused but I cannot see a huge welfare problem. I don't think mares are traumatized by aborting even at a late stage. If these embryos abort it would be at an early stage. Beyond that there would be no more than a normal risk. People were against embryo transfers when they first started but that is now very successful."

Perhaps Professor Allen is right when he says "There are no ethics in relation to horses or animals. It is a human word relating to human population. Domestic animals would not exist if man had not decided to breed one horse with another. It is mans' moral duty not in any way to be cruel or harsh or to treat that animal unkindly but to manage it and husband it correctly."

In view of the fact that last year the Horses and Ponies Protection Association (H.A.P.P.A.)

investigated about 300 cases for abuse we must question our right to take the moral high ground on an issue that must only lead to reduced suffering in horses with no more welfare issues than is seen at present.

Until the day dawns when the sports horse riding public has the know how and desire to ride and manage stallions, the inclination to compete more mares, plus the British breeding industry tightens up it 'modus operendi' in relation to indiscriminate breeding, cloning would seem to be a real alternative to improving British sport horse stock.

Published: 30/07/2004