Pedigree Analysis of Warmblood Horses Participating in Competitions for Young Horses

• Main Authors: Tomasz Próchniak, Kornel Kasperek, Sebastian Knaga, Iwona Rozempolska-Rucińska, Justyna Batkowska, Kamil Drabik, Grzegorz Ziȩba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-04-01
• Series: Frontiers in Genetics
• Subjects: sport horses; inbreeding; animal breeding; pedigree; genetic diversity
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.658403/full

The aim of the study was to characterize the population structure and assess the genetic diversity of warmblood horses used in the show jumping discipline. Pedigree data of 1,048 horses participating in the Polish Championships for Young Horses were analyzed. The pedigree of these animals included 12 863 individuals. The study consisted in analysis of the pedigree structure of the horses and characterization of the homozygosity and genetic diversity in the population. It was found that pedigree completeness and depth were sufficient for reliable assessment of the genetic diversity in the analyzed population. Although the average inbreeding coefficient exhibited at an acceptable level (approx. 1.01%), the increasing percentage of inbred animals seems disturbing. The results have shown that modern sport horses are derived from a small number of high-quality sires whose offspring were intensively used for breeding—bottleneck effect. In consequence, a greater part of the genetic variation reduction was observed in the non-founder generations. Given the changes in the studied population, the level of inbreeding in modern sport horses should be monitored, and pedigree data should be effectively used in selection for mating.