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T H E MAT C H S AW C AMB I A S O R I D E S I X C L O NE S
O F C U A R T E T E R A , WH OM H E C O N S I D E R E D
T H E B E S T H O R S E H E E V E R R O D E
The 18th-century British agriculturalist
Robert Bakewell believed that genetic
breeding should adhere to two principles:
‘breed the best to the best’ and ‘like produces
like’. Having revolutionised the livestock
industry with his research into the science
of selective breeding, his principles offer
relevant consideration today – three
centuries later – on the topic of cloning.
There are currently three methods being
used to reproduce polo horses. The first is
the natural way, where a stallion impregnates
a mare and the pregnancy develops in the
maternal uterus. The second involves an
eight-day-old embryo being transferred from
the mother (the donor) to the uterus of
another mare (the receptor), who carries the
foetus through to full term. With a 60-70 per
cent success rate, this is currently the leading
method of reproduction. The third and most
contentious technique is cloning.
This latter method involves extracting
the genetic information from the nucleus of
a donor egg and replacing it with cells that
contain genetic information from the animal
to be cloned. The egg and cells are fused
together and the resulting embryo is grown
in an incubator until it can be transferred
to a suitable receptor mare to carry it to
term. The process is complex and costly,
but is producing highly successful results.
The first cloned horse to play the
Argentine Open, in 2013, was Adolfo
Cambiaso’s mare Show Me – a copy of Sage,
one of the greatest ponies owned by US
breeder Charlie Armstrong. Cambiaso went
on to play clones of his historical steeds
Dolfina Cuartetera and Dolfina Lapa during
the last Triple Crown. The 10-goaler himself
has a clone of his beloved deceased stallion,
Aiken Cura, as well as of the mare,
Buenaventura, among others.
‘It seems I was not that crazy after all,’
Cambiaso told Argentine newspaper
La Nación
, after the final of the first
tournament – the Tortugas Open – against
Ellerstina. The championship match saw him
riding six different clones of Cuartetera, who
he described as the best horse he ever rode.
Dolfina Cuartetera Clone 06 took BPP
honours. ‘I was euphoric, because I’ve been
dreaming of this for ten years. A final against
Ellerstina… and all six clones played well.
To me, it was a dream fulfilled,’ he beamed.
Cambiaso’s success has served as
a showcase to other high-goal players of
the merits of cloning. Juan Martín Nero
expressed enthusiastic views on the topic
after Cambiaso allowed him to try the
clones during practices: ‘It’s incredible.
I have played Cuartetera herself and the
similarities are incredible. I never thought
cloning could give such great results.
‘I would like to clone some of my good
mares,’ he added. ‘However, I have given
some thought to the issue and I do think that
cloning needs to be kept a bit under control.’
David Stirling, the Uruguayan 10-goaler
who plays for La Dolfina, is also intrigued:
‘Following this season I believe the issue will
change a lot,’ he said. ‘After what Cambiaso
did with the Cuarteteras, cloning will be
seen as a concrete possibility.’
However, not all corners of the polo
world are as accepting. Veterinarian Jorge
MacDonough owns one of Argentina’s most
important equine reproduction centres, and
considers cloning to only be suitable for
horses with exceptional genetics and
aptitude. He has also remarked that the
environment should be carefully considered,
which includes the receptor – in terms of
size and maternal aptitude for breastfeeding
– plus weaning, post-weaning development
and taming of the polo horse.
Gonzalo Pieres, one of the greatest
breeders of the Polo Argentino breed, is less
optimistic about cloning and has voiced his
concerns to
La Nación
: ‘Cloning is not
breeding,’ he stated. ‘The problem is that it’s
a copy, and copies are not always that good.’
He also raised questions about the lack of
legislation surrounding the method: ‘Where
are the limits?’ he asked.
Pieres calls for rules: ‘Most horses that
are cloned today came from Ellerstina, but
they don’t have a patent,’ he says. ‘You copy
a painting, and you sell it, you go to jail. But
nothing happens within cloning. So there
should be a limit and the owner should have
a right over the brand.’
It seems to me that there’s nothing
to object to in terms of the technique: it’s
not simple, but it is successful, if costly. The
right resources make it possible to produce
an excellent string of horses, but the
environment must be responsibly considered,
and relevant legislation set up.
Cloning certainly presents an alternative
form of equine reproduction, but, as breeders
point out, it does not improve genetics.
‘Breed the best with the best’ cannot be
applied to cloning. Only with embryonic
breeding can genetic advancements be made.
