Now that clones are a reality, as well as an issue of contention among some Quarter Horse breeders, it is interesting to look back to the late seventies and early eighties, when foals were first being produced via the embryo transfer process.

In 1977, Steve Vogelsang, a student at Texas A&M University, performed an embryo transfer that resulted in the first live ET foal. In 1980, the American Quarter Horse Association amended its rules to allow for the registration of foals produced via embryo transfer, with some restrictions, including a limit of one registered foal per mare per year.

Although many breeders were quick to take advantage of the process, some were convinced that surrogacy was close to heresy. But racehorse breeder J.E. Jumonville Jr. jumped at the chance to get a foal from his champion Justanold Love, while continuing to race her.

Jumonville had an embryo transferred from Justanold Love in 1983, the year that she won three stakes races, including the G1 $100,000 Champion of Champions; set a new track record at 440 yards; and closed her career with lifetime earnings of $949,836.

Together At Last, Justanold Love’s 1984 filly, was not a big winner, but she was a better runner than her half-brother Alydash, who Justanold Love carried herself in 1985, and Together At Last’s first foal, Call Me Together, was the stakes winner of $92,000.

It was cutting horse breeders, however, who opened what would become a Pandora’s box for AQHA regarding the embryo transfer process. National Cutting Horse Association events are open to all horses, whether registered or not.

In May 1989, at the NCHA Super Stakes, Peppy Star Rio, (pictured) became the first embryo transplant to win a major cutting event. The unregistered 4-year-old daughter of Phantom Peppy was one five 1985 embryo transfer foals from Docs Star Chex, bred by Crawford Farms.

Peppy Star Rio went on to claim the 1989 NCHA Derby in what became a banner year for embryo transfer foals, crowned by NCHA Futurity Open champion and Non-Pro reserve champion July Jazz, an unregistered ET sired by Sons Doc and out of Spencer Harden’s champion Jazabell Quixote.

Here’s a look at the NCHA Futurity champions produced by embryo transfer process:

• July Jazz – 1986 c. (Sons Doc x Jazabell Quixote)
• Peptoboonsmal 1992 c. (Peppy San Badger x Royal Blue Boon)
• Playboy McCrae 1993 g. (Dual Pep x Playboys Madera)
• Shania Cee – 1996 m. (Peppys Boy 895 x Lynx Melody)
• One Smart Lookin Cat (2000 c. (High Brow Cat x The Smart Look )
• Spots Hot – 2001 c. (Chula Dual x Sweet Shorty Lena )
• Oh Cay Felix -2003 c. (High Brow Cat x Oh Cay Shorty)

Note: In June 2002, a court decision forced AQHA to lift all restrictions on embryo transfer-related registrations and allow all embryo transfer foals, including those bred since AQHA began registering ET foals, to be registered.