| Q. |
Does Clayton act like Scamper? |
| A. |
Very much so. He has the same conformation, mannerisms, personality, confidence as Scamper. He even reacts the same as Scamper if we touch him in certain areas on his body. That was one of the first things I notice when Clayton was born. He has the same overall traits as Scamper.
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| Q. |
Why does Clayton have white on his face and Scamper does not? |
| A. |
The skin cells which give rise to the white hairs to make up a "marking" move around the fetus while the foal is developing. Where those cells eventually land and how well they develop and spread making a specific pattern or "marking" is due to both random chance and interaction between the developing fetus and the uterine environment. If you think about a set of human identical twins who have a lot of freckles, both those twins will have freckles as they both have the genetics for freckles but not every freckle is going to be in the same place or be the same shape. In this case freckles on a human is like markings on a horse. If a horse has the genetics for a white marking then any clones produced from that animal will also most likely have the white marking but where it is and what shape it's in will vary.
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| Q. |
Have you had any problems with Clayton, since he is a clone of Scamper? |
| A. |
No. He has been a very healthy horse since the time he was born.
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| Q. |
I heard Scamper was mean when he was younger. Is Clayton the same way? |
| A. |
You have to understand Scamper's up bringing and life experiences at a young age. Clayton's experiences are very different. Although Scamper and Clayton are identical, from a genetic standpoint, a horse's life experiences and how they are raised have a lot to do with their overall personality. Remember, Charmayne was a 12 year old little girl when she got Scamper, so how mean could Scamper really be. He just needed a little TLC to respond in a positive way and you know the rest of the story.
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| Q. |
How old is Clayton? |
| A. |
He turned 2 years old on August 8, 2008
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| Q. |
Will I be able to Register my foal with the AQHA? |
| A. |
Not at this point (October 15, 2008), however, I have heard there has been ongoing discussions, within the AQHA, about this subject and it may become available in the near future. We will be offering a certificate stating the proof of pedigree (through our own DNA testing), date of birth and ownership papers. Think about this, in the sport of barrel racing there are many associations, leagues, rodeos, jackpots, futurities, etc. that do not require registration papers. The only association that require AQHA registration is the AQHA for their own shows. If you plan on going to a lot of AQHA shows Clayton, at this time, may not be the stallion option for you. Remember, you will have a lot of options to compete with your horse in the sport of barrel racing and you will have paper from us to prove various information.
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| Q. |
Are you going to run barrels on Clayton? |
| A. |
Not really. We have already started him. He is the smartest horse on my place for his age. What Scamper and I accomplished, I don't think will ever happen again. It was one of those things that comes around once in a lifetime and I'm very thankful for that. Clayton is in a situation where he will always been compared to Scamper and that's unfair. If Clayton were to go out and win a World Championship, there would be people that say Scamper won ten, Clayton only won one. One of the primary reasons we cloned Scamper, is for his DNA/genetics as a stallion and potential as a producer. However, I will be taking him around the barrels at home and having fun with him on the barrels.
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| Q. |
How does cloning work? |
| A. |
The nucleus from a mature, unfertilized egg, containing a single set of genes from the female, is removed and discarded. It is replaced with an adult somatic (body) cell from the donor animal, containing two sets of genes (one from each of the donor's parents). Following the application of an electrochemical stimulus, the egg/cell "couplet" fuses, and the resulting clone embryo begins to divide like a naturally conceived embryo. After a brief period of growth in culture, the embryo is transferred into a recipient (a female of the same species, generally in estrus or hormonally-stimulated) as in conventional embryo transfer. In a matter of months - whatever the natural gestation period is for that species - she will give birth to an animal that is genetically identical to the donor animal.
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| Q. |
Are animals that have been produced by cloning healthy? |
| A. |
The majority of animals produced by cloning reach healthy adulthood. However, the incidence of health problems in animals produced by assisted reproductive technologies-such as cloning, in vitro fertilization, and embryo transfer-is higher than in animals produced by natural reproduction. The health problems that affect some animals produced by cloning, including malformation of the placenta and other organs, also occur in naturally conceived animals. As cloning scientists study these health problems and their prevention and treatment, they may contribute to improved veterinary care for all animals.
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| Q. |
Do animals produced by cloning have normal lifespans? |
| A. |
Yes. The theory that cloning causes animals to be born "old" or age rapidly has been disproved. This theory was based on the fact that telomeres, which are caps on the ends of chromosomes, shorten as an animal ages. When the first adult animals were cloned, scientists wondered whether their telomeres would be the same length as the telomeres of the adult animals from which they were cloned-in other words, would they start life prematurely old. It turns out that cellular reprogramming during the cloning process re-sets telomeres to lengths that are normal for newborns. In short, the age of the donor animal (the animal whose DNA is used in a cloning procedure) does not affect the age or aging process of the new animal.
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| Q. |
Is an animal that has been produced by cloning physically and behaviorally identical to the "original" animal? |
| A. |
Animals produced by cloning have the same genes as their donor animals, which is why we describe them as being like later-born identical twins. Also like identical twins, the new animals and their donors may have phenotypic differences, such as differences in markings. Such differences may be caused by natural epigenetic factors. Because genes influence behavior, animals produced by cloning and their donors generally have behavioral similarities, but they will also likely have differences, because behavior is influenced by experience and environment too. In short, the new animal may not be indistinguishable from its donor, but it will be the closest possible match.
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