Clones set to feature in Irish horse breeding

Cloning has become an important technique for some Irish breeders, says Horse Sport Ireland.

He was speaking after news that two clones of champion stallion Cruising — Cruising Arish and Cruising Encore — will be available to Irish Sport Horse breeders in 2015.

Damian McDonald, Horse Sport Ireland chief executive, said artificial insemination and embryo transfer are in wide use in sport horse breeding. “The international governing body, the Federation Equestre Internationale, allow clones to compete and we altered the rules of the Irish Sport Horse Studbook in recent years to permit the registration of clones,” he said.

“Cloning won’t be something everyone will embrace but it is another option for breeders and Cruising’s genetics are traditionally Irish, which is important to a cohort of breeders.”

The McCann family of Hartwell Stud in Co Kildare, who owned Cruising, agreed to have DNA samples taken from the horse, who died last September aged 29.

Mary McCann features in the Irish Field magazine, and on tonight’s Ear To The Ground on RTE One.

Cruising sired famous showjumpers such as Flexible, Mo Chroí, Mr Medicott, and Mr Cruise Control.