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Playing with Mother Nature Down Under!

This is really interesting. ET on a TB mare in Oz!

I think this will be a real mess. Based on the BH article, the mare(s) probably could/would have benefitted by ET.

But , Australia’s JC doesn’t condone either AI or ET any more than the US JC.

:unamused:

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It’s a shame to lose excellent mares from the gene pool because of reproductive issues. There should be a way to modify the rules without flooding the market with little Rachel Alexandras.

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I think there is the conundrum. We don’t need a bunch of little Rachel’s for sure. Maybe a way to limit ET registration (ie, original mare still must be bred LC) to the first born in a single year. So, even if you collect 3 little Rachel’s out of surrogates, only the first born in that year can be JC registered (maybe with the stand and nurse caveat). The remaining 2 Rachel’s would still be born but not eligible for JC registration. DNA on all 3 little Rachels would not be the same so a way to differentiate.

I know for me being able to say I have a son/daughter of Rachel Alexandra would be awesome and still eligible to compete in the sport horse arenas (ie, dressage, hunter, jumper, eventer, etc)… not eligible for JC awards but I know for me, not sure I’d care :star_struck:

Not holding my breath on this notion however :smiley:

Agree - the last thing the Thoroughbred needs is a license to get out of control like the AQHA has allowed.

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If you don’t allow them to register all the foals born in that year you get into another lawsuit (as in AQHA had). Mares don’t super ovulate anyway so there will never be more than a handful and literally no more than 5 or 6 foals born a year from a mare. Now they COULD limit it to one set from one breeding cycle a year. So you can breed and harvest and the first time you get viable pregnancies that is it. Nobody would be breeding past the normal breeding season anyway because of the importance in TB world of early born foals for the sales. Or simply allow a reasonable number (less than 10) but they all have to be from one collection. Something like that anyway. Shoot even 10 per mare (you won’t get that many) would be nothing compared to the stallions putting dozens and dozens and sometimes a couple hundred foals on the ground. It is also expensive so you would only have the best mares in ET production.

Don’t the Quarter Horse people clone embryos?

Yes they do. I believe it may have been a result of another lawsuit but not sure.