July 13, 2006

Above - ET's clone; below ET in action with Hugo Simon.

French cloning company Cryozootech has announced the birth of a colt clone of "E.T.", Hugo Simon's show jumping gelding. Named "E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion", his first offspring are planned for 2009.

ET, now aged 20, was a champion showjumper for 10 years. He was gelded as a three-year-old. Between 1994 and 2003, he won many show jumping competitions: twice winner of the World Cup, No.1 on the World ranking for 3 years in a row.

E.T. is a modern horse: light, rapid and nimble. Unfortunately, as this type of horse was not the standard in Hanover region, 20 years ago, he was castrated at three, before anyone could foresee his exceptional qualities.

Without the cloning technique, he would have been lost for breeders who are looking for exceptional genetic. E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion, who has exactly the same genetic heritage as E.T., will be able to breed E.T.'s traits on.

In September 2003, Hugo Simon, E.T.'s rider, and Eric Palmer, who founded the French company Cryozootech, decided together that E.T. should have offspring. Thus a skin biopsy was carried out on this horse who, at the time, was still participating in high competitions. E.T.'s cloning process was started in collaboration with the Texas University, who had already participated with the production of Quidam de Revel's clone.

E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion was born on June 2, 2006. Like E.T., he has a stripe and two socks on his hind legs but the fine and side ways stripe on his nose is very different from E.T.'s blaze. On the other hand, the DNA test carried out by the official laboratory Labogena has shown the same identical genetic content.

E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion will be registered in the Belgium studbook (Stud-book Zangersheide) which was founded by Leon Melchior. In 2001, Melchior showed his support for horse cloning, and confirmed it later by registering the first two clones produced by Cryozootech: Pieraz-Cryozootech-Stallion and Paris-Texas, Quidam de Revel's clone.

Even before his birth, many international breeders participated in the project by contributing to a syndicate of 200 shares to own and manage E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion.

E.T.Cryozootech-Stallion will stand at Cryozootech's stud. Mares will be inseminated in 2008.

Cryozootech, founded in 2001 to preserve rare genetic heritage, has realised the above-mentioned projects. Cryozootech is awaiting this year the birth of a Calvaro V' clone and next year the birth of Rusty's clone, the great dressage champion.

Worldwide, seven orders for clones of sport horses have been taken on behalf of their owners. In total, Cryozootech genetic bank has the cells of 49 horses.