365
Days in Horse Country – Idaho Gem
The very first member of the equine family to ever be cloned
was a mule named Idaho Gem. Produced as
part of a joint effort between the University of Idaho and Utah State
University, the mule was born to a horse mother and was the clone of the full
brother to a successful racing mule named Taz.
It took many attempts before a successful cloned mule foal was delivered
to term. Since then, several other mule
clones have been born.
Don Jacklin, an Idaho businessman and former president of
the American Mule Racing Association, funded the project. In 2006, Idaho Gem ran his first race and
won. Since then, he set the record for a
350-yard (320,) course by running the fastest time by a three year old
mule. In his racing career thus far,
Idaho Gem won two first, two seconds, a third, and fourth out of six total
races.
Michael