Horse cloning sparks debate in America's breeding stables

Zarela Olsen decided to clone her horse Capuchino, who was named Paso Fino "Horse of the Millennium" in 1999, before he died, investing $160,000 in the replicating services of a biotech company specializing in animal cloning.

Capuchino's genetic duplicate, Capuchino Forever, was born in May.

But breeders are unhappy with the idea, claiming that cloning threatens their industry, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"They smell money," Carol Harris, horse breeder and owner of Bo-Bett Farm near Ocala, told the paper. "They're looking for a shortcut to a great horse."

"Breeding is an art," she said. "Cloning is just replication."

Cloned horses are currently banned from competing in breed-sanctioned events, but that could change in the future.

The Stud Book and Registration Committee of the American Quarter Horse Assn., recently voted down a proposed rule change that would have allowed registration of clones.

But supporters of cloning claim the opposition stems from a lack of knowledge about the process.

"They're thinking it's growing Frankensteins in a lab, and that's simply not the case," said Karen Batra, spokeswoman for BIO, a 1,200-member...