European cloning company Cryozootech announced Sept. 18 the birth of the clone of Calvaro 5, Swiss rider Villi Melliger’s top-ranked jumper who died in 2003.

It took five years to clone this horse successfully. After a few failed attempts for a full-term pregnancy, a healthy colt was born in early August of this year.

Calvaro 5 won silver medals at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in show jumping, was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1999, and 2nd in 1996 and 1998. Calvaro left the jumping arena in 2002 and was retired to Melliger’s stud farm in Neuendorf, Switzerland. Calvaro’s health rapidly declined and he died in September 2003.

The clone of champion show jumper Calvaro 5.

Cryozootech founder, Eric Palmer, approached Melliger with the idea of cloning Calvaro in 2002, but because the process was so new Melliger declined Palmer’s offer. After the first horse clone was born in 2003, Melliger allowed Cryozootech to take a biopsy, just a few days shy of Calvaro’s death.

The first embryos of Calvaro were obtained in 2004, and a first pregnancy was obtained in 2005, however the foal was born premature and weak in 2006 and died of acute septicemia (infection of the blood). A new attempt occurred in 2007, with the resulting foal born healthy this summer. In 2004 Cryozootech started selling shares of the stallion clone for co-ownership, and, to date, has sold 25% of the shares to investors and still owns the remaining shares of the foal, called Calvaro-Cryozootech-Stallion.

Cryozootech has already produced clones of other renowned horses, such as Pieraz, Quidam de Revel, Poetin, Chellano, and, most recently, Gem Twist. Palmer founded the private company in 2001 in order to build an equine cloning research programg. Cryozootech aims to produce its own stallions, which are clones of famous castrated champions. Financial support results from the sale of cloning as a service to owners of stallions, mares, or geldings.