Gem Twist

Medal record
Olympics
	1988 Seoul	Individual jumping
	1988 Seoul	Team jumping
Pan American Games
	1987 Indianapolis	Team Jumping

Gem Twist (June 12, 1979 – November 18, 2006) was a 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) world champion American Thoroughbred show jumping horse registered under the name Icey Twist.^[1] Bred by equestrian Frank Chapot,^[2] Gem Twist had an incredible career at the Grand Prix level. The gelding is the only horse to have won the "American Grand Prix Association Horse of the Year" title three times,^[3] and is regarded as one of the best show-jumpers in history.^[4]

Three genetic clones of Gem Twist were subsequently foaled after Gem Twist's death in 2006: Gemini CL, Murka's Gem, and Gem Twist Alpha Z. All three clones are primarily used for breeding German warmblood sport horses in Europe.

Career

Gem Twist had an extensive show jumping career between 1985 and 1997 under three different international level riders: Greg Best (up to 1992), Leslie Howard (1992-1995), and Laura Chapot (1995 onward).

With Greg Best

Gem Twist began winning early in his career with rider Greg Best, including the 1985 USET Talent Derby as a six-year-old. He went on to win his first two competitions at the Grand Prix level, the Grand Prix of Tampa and the Grand Prix of Florida, in 1987. He finished the year with his first American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Horse of the Year honor, as well as a team silver medal from the Pan American Games.

Best continued to ride Gem Twist for several years with great success, including earning two silver medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. In 1989, Gem Twist was named the American Grand Prix Association Horse of the Year for the second time.

In 1990, he was named the "World's Best Horse" at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm. Best injured his shoulder in 1992, however, and the ride was turned over to Leslie Burr Howard (then Leslie Burr Lenehan).^[3]

With Leslie Howard

Howard continued the gelding's career, winning both another AGA Horse of the Year title and the AGA Championship in 1993. The team qualified for the 1994 World Equestrian Games, but an infection occurring at the games disqualified Gem Twist from the championship round and put him out of competition for almost a year.^[3]

With Laura Chapot

In 1995, after a lengthy recuperation period, Gem Twist came back into the show ring with Laura Chapot. Although Chapot was still a "Young Rider" (21 and under), her first year with Gem Twist was very successful. She won the World Cup class at the $100,000 Autumn Classic, earning her the Budweiser Rookie of the Year award, and she rode the horse to his third win at the Budweiser AGA Championships. Her second season continued to be successful, with wins at three World Cup qualifying classes, including Tampa's Volvo Grand Prix of Florida—whose starting field of more than eighty horses made it the largest grand prix jumper class of all time.

She finished Gem's career with a win at the World Cup USA East League Championship (which was held at the same venue at which he won his first Grand Prix with Best nine years earlier). Chapot formally retired Gem Twist at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 1997.^[3]

During his career, Gem Twist accumulated more than $800,000 in prize money. In 2002, Gem Twist was inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame.^[5] He was euthanized November 18, 2006 at the age of 27.^[2]

Cloning

Gemini CL

In early 2006, Practical Horseman magazine first leaked a report that Gem Twist was to be the subject of a cloning experiment by a then-undisclosed international laboratory.

On September 15, 2008, the French genetic bank, Cryozootech, announced the successful birth of a healthy clone of Gem Twist, initially named "Gem Twin", and then later renamed "Gemini CL".^[6] Gemini CL, at 10 months, was moved from the Chapot family's Chado Farm in Texas to Frank Chapot's Neshanic Station farm in New Jersey.^[7] He eventually grew to 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm), smaller than the original Gem Twist, who was 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm).

In May 2012, it was revealed that Gemini CL had successfully sired his first crop of foals, primarily out of German warmblood mares, and through the use of artificial insemination (AI). He was also bred to the Thoroughbred mare Otherwise Engaged, a descendant of the Irish Thoroughbred racehorse Turn-To (1951–1973),^[8] who gave birth to a healthy chestnut colt.^[9] The colt was born at Park Avenue Stables in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in March 2012, and he was named "The Proposal".

Any offspring of clones are not considered Thoroughbreds, and cannot be registered with the Jockey Club, as the breed requires natural procreation for the bloodlines to qualify for the stud book; as such, "The Proposal" was registered with the Anglo European Studbook (AES) instead.^[10] However, Thoroughbred clones and their offspring would still be eligible to compete in Olympic competitions,^[11] with Gemini CL primarily being bred to produce show jumping horses.

As of 2023, Gemini CL was listed by Groupe France Elevage for stud services through artificial insemination (AI), with fresh semen being available for warmblood and sport horse breeding in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, and frozen semen being available for breeding worldwide. His booking fee was listed at €350, and his pregnancy fee was listed at €850. He is advertised as "passing blood, power and an incredible technique" to his offspring.^[12] He was exported from the United States to the Netherlands, where he currently stands at stud as a sire of German warmblood sport horses and show jumpers. Starting in 2013, Gemini CL also started being regularly bred to Zangersheide mares.

The website Horse Telex Pedigree listed a total of 217 offspring sired by Gemini CL as of 2023.^[13] Most were registered as German warmbloods, but one foal - the filly Obora's Guapa (b. 2016) - was listed as a purebred Thoroughbred, out of the mare Emirates (Pop Rock x Enamaqua, by Namaqualand, a son of Mr. Prospector).^[14] The foal was registered as a Swedish Warmblood^[15] due to Jockey Club restrictions on cloned Thoroughbreds. Another offspring, the bay filly Rocana Twist (b. 2018), is ¾ Thoroughbred, being by Gemini CL out of the partbred Thoroughbred mare Rocana II (by Ituango, a German Thoroughbred stallion of the Dark Ronald line, out of Rose, an Oldenburg mare).^[16]

Murka's Gem

Horse & Hound magazine confirmed the birth and existence of a second clone of Gem Twist,^[17] who was foaled in 2011.^[18] The foal was nicknamed "Gem Twin" (originally, a nickname also given to Gemini CL). He was sold to new owner Olga White, and the Chapot's website confirms that he will be stationed at stud in Europe, under the management of Peter Charles. He was later exported to the United Kingdom (UK).

On July 5, 2012, it was revealed that the new colt's official name would be "Murka's Gem",^[19] and that there were no plans to compete him, only to have him stand at stud.

As of 2023, Murka's Gem has been used by Olympic riders and trainers for both eventing and show jumping. His stud services are offered through artificial insemination (AI) for £800. He is 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) hands high; officially registered in the Anglo European Studbook (AES); and has sired at least 26 foals to date.^[20]

His offspring include horses registered under various warmblood and sport horse studbooks, including Belgian Warmbloods and Irish Sport Horses, and three of his foals - the mare Blue Twist (b. 2016), the mare Flipper WL (b. 2016), and the stallion NFS Gem Twister (b. 2017) - have competed in International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) events.^[21]

Gem Twist Alpha Z

A third clone of Gem Twist, "Gem Twist Alpha Z" - or just "Alpha Z" - was born in July 2012 in the United States, and later exported to Belgium.^[22] He was bred by Frank Chapot, and is currently used to breed Zangersheide and Belgian Warmblood sport horses. He is registered in the Zangersheide studbook under number 056015Z55501412.^[23][24]

Alpha Z sired his first foal, a chestnut colt named "Guns n' D'Ive Z", in 2014, who was registered as a Zangersheide. The foal was out of the Zangersheide mare Delizia d’Ive Z (b. 2004), by the Belgian Warmblood show jumping stallion Darco (b. 1980) out of the Belgian Warmblood mare Radetsky (by Chin Chin, a 1978 Holsteiner show jumping stallion).^[25]

Pedigree

Gem Twist was a male-line descendant of the Byerley Turk through his ancestor, the gray French Thoroughbred sire Le Sancy (b. 1884), and his sire, Atlantic (1871–1891), a chestnut British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. After his retirement, Atlantic was exported to France, where he became a successful and influential sire of stakes winners. Gem Twist's gray coat came from Le Sancy, who was out of Gem of Gems (b. 1873), a gray Thoroughbred broodmare.^[26][27]

Tracing the origin of Gem Twist's gray coat gene back further, Gem of Gems inherited the gray gene through her maternal line from her ancestor, the British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Crab (1722 – 1750), a son of Alcock's Arabian out of a daughter of Basto. Although gray (or "grey") was a fairly common color in the foundation stock of the Thoroughbred in the 1700s, it became increasingly rare over time. All modern grey Thoroughbreds descend from Crab through his great-great-granddaughter, Bab (b. 1787) - a descendant of the "Crab Mare" by Crab (b. 1750) - and her great-great-grandson, Drone (b. 1823).^[28] The gray coat color gene only appears in about 3% of Thoroughbreds today.^[29]

Le Sancy's influence at stud in France was likened to that of St. Simon in England, and his stud fee also matched that of St. Simon (500 guineas). Almost all of his offspring could win at classic distances and beyond, and many got better as they aged. He sired numerous stakes winners, as well excellent stayers who won the principal distance races in France, and a number of show jumping winners as well. Le Sancy was leading sire in France four times due to this, topping the list of stallions at stud in 1895, 1987, 1900 and 1903.^[27][30]

The sire-line grandsons of Le Sancy also included three Grand Steeplechase de Paris winners and an American Grand National steeplechase winner; other sire-line descendants included the American Thoroughbred stallion Bonne Nuit (b. 1934), the founder of a line of Olympic show jumpers, and one of the most influential sires of hunters and jumpers in the history of equestrian sports. Gem Twist was a male-line great-grandson of Bonne Nuit.^[31]

A grandson of Le Sancy, the French Thoroughbred stallion Roi Herode (b. 1904), and Roi Herode's son "The Tetrarch" (b. 1911),^[32] show up several times in Gem Twist's pedigree. Other Thoroughbreds that show up in Gem Twist's pedigree more often include War Admiral, Cyllene, Thormanby, Newminster, Stockwell, Vedette, Pocahontas, et al.

"The Tetrarch", a gray Irish Thoroughbred champion racehorse and the sire of Ethnarch (b. 1922), is one of the most notable sires in Gem Twist's pedigree. The most vivid picture of "The Tetrarch" is the oft-quoted description of the great horse as given by his trainer, Atty Persse, on his speed, stamina, movement, and conformation:

"The Tetrarch", in turn, was linebred to Doncaster (5x5), Speculum (by Vedette) (5x5), Rouge Rose (5x5), Macaroni (5x6), Thormanby (6x6x6), and King Tom (6x6). Another famous sire of Thoroughbred show jumpers that shows up in Gem Twist's pedigree is the French Thoroughbred stallion Prince Chevalier (b. 1943), of the Darley Arabian sire line.

Gem Twist was also a descendant of the American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Count Fleet (1940–1973), a descendant of Rock Sand (1900–1914) through one of his lesser-known sons, Malachite. Malachite was a half-brother to Mahubah (b. 1910), the dam of Man o' War, who also sired War Admiral, a prominent stallion in Gem Twist's dam line; as well as a half-brother to Gunrock, a Thoroughbred stallion of the U.S. Army Remount Service that was chosen in the 1920s to be the mascot of the University of California, Davis.