CLONING IS THE TOPIC OF FORUM AT 2009 AQHA ANNUAL CONVENTION

America’s Horse, January 22, 2009 – The American Quarter Horse Association will host a forum on equine cloning at the 2009 AQHA Annual Convention, March 5-9 at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio.

Within the past couple of years, commercial cloning of a number of horses, including American Quarter Horses, has been well publicized. However, under Rule 227(a) of the AQHA official handbook, a rule that became effective in 2004, American Quarter Horses produced by any cloning process are not eligible for registration.

At AQHA’s 2008 convention, the AQHA Stud Book & Registration Committee was for the first time presented with a proposed change to Rule 227(a) that would allow a live foal produced via a particular type of cloning to be registered if its DNA matches that of a registered American Quarter Horse. At that time, the stud book committee recommended that any decision regarding the proposed change be postponed pending further study to be undertaken at the direction of the committee. As a result, on October 15, representatives from Colorado State University, Texas A&M University and ViaGen, a commercial cloning company, met with the stud book committee in Amarillo to discuss equine cloning.

The proposed change to Rule 227(a) will again be on the SBRC agenda at the 2009 AQHA Convention March 5-9 in San Antonio. In an effort to make the most recent information on equine cloning available to AQHA members, AQHA has scheduled an open forum for Friday, March 6, from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt hotel. AQHA anticipates the forum will include presentations by a panel of speakers from the equine industry and educational research institutions. This forum is open to all interested AQHA members.

In addition to the forum, an article on equine cloning will appear in the February issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal and The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal. To subscribe to The American Quarter Horse Journal, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.