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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Anim Sci / Designing an early selection morphological traits index for ...
Journal of animal science2023; 102; doi: 10.1093/jas/skad409

Designing an early selection morphological traits index for reproductive efficiency in Pura Raza Española mares.

Abstract: The low rate of reproductive efficiency in horses may be linked to the equine industry's practice of maintaining breeding stock that stands out for its athletic or morphological performance but exhibits poor reproductive efficiency. In this study, the age at first foaling, age at last foaling, interval between first and second foaling, average interval between foaling, foaling number and reproductive efficiency, and their relationship with the morphological records in 19,758 Pura Raza Española (PRE) mares were analyzed. After a partial least squares analysis height at withers, lateral hock angle, dorsal-sternal diameter, perimeter of anterior cannon bone, angle of shoulder, thoracic perimeter, hip-stifle distance, and angle of croup were the most important traits related with reproductive traits in PRE mares. A multivariate animal model with both morphological and reproductive traits was applied, including age, geographical area, coat color, and average stud size in the decade of the mare's first foaling. The results indicate that reproductive selection is feasible, and is enhanced by the use of morphological traits, given the moderate to high magnitudes of heritability values in both types of traits, which oscillated between 0.1 (interval between first and second foaling) and 0.95 (height at withers). The resulting genetic parameters were used to develop a series of selection indexes based on morphological or morphological and reproductive combination traits to improve reproductive efficiency traits in PRE mares and thus compute the expected genetic response (EGR) for the different strategies. The increase in EGR, when comparing EGR using only reproductive traits as selection criteria vs. using a combined index of both morphological and reproductive traits, oscillated between 4.0% for the age at first foaling to 46.8% for the interval between first and second foaling. In addition, two precocity indexes showed positive EGR when the age at last foaling and the interval between first and second foaling, both with and without morphological traits, were used as selection criteria. Therefore, this analysis reveals that the preselection of reproductive traits based on morphological traits is possible in PRE mares. Ultimately, this knowledge will help breeders achieve genetic progress in reproductive traits, leading to healthier and more successful breeding outcomes in horses. Historically in livestock production, employing combinations of traits as selection criteria for indirect selection of related traits has been a challenging task, particularly when this implies selection for reproductive traits based on the animal morphology. However, if the decision about animal selection is based on morphological traits that are quick and easy to obtain, in addition to early reproductive traits, selection responses can be improved and made earlier. This is particularly significant in sport horse breeds like the Pura Raza Española horse, which is primarily used for dressage competitions. Mares belonging to this breed commonly engage in several years of competition before transitioning to breeding, without the breeders having prior knowledge of their reproductive efficiency. Nonetheless, the availability of existing morphological information enables us to make informed decisions in this regard. While a selection index using morphology alone would not yield as good a response as direct selection for reproductive traits, there are cases, such as age at last foaling, where the correlated response can be very high. Our study further illustrates a substantial increase in selection response when morphological and reproductive traits are jointly included as selection criteria, with the aim of enhancing reproductive efficiency.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.
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Publication Date: 2023-12-20 PubMed ID: 38118055PubMed Central: PMC10762892DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad409Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article investigates the effect of specific morphological traits on the reproductive efficiency of Pura Raza Española (PRE) mares. It suggests that by selecting mares based on these traits, the reproductive efficiency of the breed could be improved.

Background of the Study

  • The research revolves around the premise that low reproductive efficiency in horses may be tied to the industry’s tendency to focus on athletic or morphological performance, often overlooking reproduction performance. This practice could affect the overall health and success of the breed in the long run.
  • The study focuses on PRE mares, a breed of horse from Spain that’s widely appreciated for their strength, elegance, and athleticism.

Methods

  • The study involved an in-depth analysis of the morphological records of 19,758 PRE mares. It included details such as the age at first and last foaling, the interval between first and second foaling, the average interval between foaling, and the number of foalings.
  • A partial least squares analysis was conducted to identify the most important traits related to reproductive performance. Traits considered included the height at withers, the lateral hock angle, the dorsal-sternal diameter, the perimeter of the anterior cannon bone, the angle of the shoulder, the thoracic perimeter, the hip-stifle distance, and the angle of the croup.
  • The multivariate animal model utilized considered both morphological and reproductive traits, in addition to details such as age, geographical location, coat color, and average stud size during the mares’ first decade of foaling.

Result and Discussion

  • Following the analyses, it was inferred that selecting mares based on morphological traits could significantly improve reproductive efficiency, given the moderately high heritability of these traits.
  • Heritability of these traits ranged from low (0.1 for the interval between first and second foaling) to high (0.95 for height at withers).
  • This data was then used to design a series of selection indexes. Upon comparing the expected genetic response (EGR) from using only reproductive traits versus a combination of both reproductive and morphological traits, it was found that the latter approach had an increased EGR ranging from 4.0% for the age at first foaling to 46.8% for the interval between first and second foaling.
  • Additionally, two precocity indexes based on age at last foaling and the interval between first and second foaling using morphological traits as selection criteria yielded positive EGR.

Conclusion

  • These results suggest that there is potential in using morphological traits to pre-select mares for improved reproductive efficiency in PRE mares.
  • The application of these findings could help breeders make informed decisions about their breeding stock, aiming for better reproductive success in the long run, and ultimately enhancing the breed’s genetic progression.

Cite This Article

APA
Perdomo-González DI, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Bartolomé E, Guedes Dos Santos R, Molina A, Valera M. (2023). Designing an early selection morphological traits index for reproductive efficiency in Pura Raza Española mares. J Anim Sci, 102. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad409

Publication

Journal of animal science
ISSN: 1525-3163
NlmUniqueID: 8003002
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 102

Researcher Affiliations

Perdomo-González, Davinia I
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agromómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41013, Spain.
Sánchez-Guerrero, María J
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agromómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41013, Spain.
Bartolomé, Ester
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agromómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41013, Spain.
Guedes Dos Santos, Rute
  • Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Portalegre 7300-110, Portugal.
  • Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization (VALORIZA), Portalegre 7300-555, Portugal.
Molina, Antonio
  • Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba 14014, Spain.
Valera, Mercedes
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agromómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41013, Spain.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses / genetics
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Reproduction
  • Phenotype

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no real or perceived conflicts of interest.

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