Smart Little Lena

Smart Little Lena Clones

We eulogized Smart Little Lena a month or so ago here.

As stated in that eulogy, he was among the greatest equine athletes of all time.

Below are the baby pictures of his five cloned offspring.

Four of these colts will be sold as four year olds at this year's NCHA futurity sale.

I personally like #4, Dave ..... seriously, Dave.

I don't know ............ he looks like a good guy.

They are being sold because differences of opinion regarding the ethics of the cloning and subsequent use of the cloned colts broke out within the syndicate that owned him, and landed everybody in court.

The above jpeg links to to a pay site article at Nature Biotechnology entitled Nuclear Transfer Saddles Up, that I just know for sure you are are going to want to read over and over again.

Maybe not.

These here gears here links to an article about a cloned daughter of Docs Serendipity, another great champion cutting horse. It offers some conversation about genetics vs. environment that's not very tough reading.

I liked it.

This little gear here will take you to a very easy to read article which explains why these babies' white markings are all different.

I went looking around for a coherent discussion regarding the ethics of all of this ..... never found it.

Aside from the fact that all of this stuff just causes me to marvel, I really don't even know what I think about it.

Smart Little Lena

Smart Little Lena suffered a stroke and was euthanized Monday August 30, 2010 at his home in Aubrey Texas.

He was 31 years old.

Arguably both the greatest show horse, and the greatest sire in the history of the National Cutting Horse Association, the tiny sorrel earned $743,275 in only eight shows.

His offspring have earned in excess of 34 million dollars in the cutting pen alone.

He has also sired champion Reining and Working Cow Horses.

I really am not crazy about the video available for Smart Little Lena at this sitting, so in order to answer the question,

"Just what the hell is a cutting horse anyway?"

Here's promotional video of Metallic Cat doing his thing.

Smart Little Lena sired both of Metallic Cat's grandams (grandmothers)