Genetic conditions of joint Nordic genetic evaluations of lifetime competition performance in warmblood sport horses.

This research explores the potential benefits of a joint Nordic genetic evaluation on the breeding of sport horses in the Nordic nations – Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. By examining data from almost 75,000 horses’ performance in dressage and show jumping, it suggests that a collective genetic evaluation could enhance breeding effectiveness by improving accuracy and expanding the number of stallions with breeding value estimates.

Research Methodology

• The research team assembled data on lifetime competition performance from approximately 45,000 horses in show jumping and 30,000 horses in dressage.
• This pool of combined information largely came from Sweden and Denmark, giving them a contribution rate of 85%.
• The aim of the research was to determine the potential benefits of shared genetic evaluation on sport horse breeding programs across the Nordic countries.

Key Findings

• The team estimated heritabilities, which refers to the proportion of observed variances in a trait among individuals of a population that is due to genetic differences. The range for show jumping was found to be 0.25 to 0.42, and for dressage it landed between 0.14 and 0.55.
• Genetic correlations (the genetic link between different traits) between competition performances in the Nordic countries were also examined, and the results showed correlations between 0.63 and 1.00. A correlation of 1.00 implies a direct matching of the performance, while a correlation of 0.00 suggests no link.
• There was a substantial boost in the accuracies of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) – a prediction of the genetic worth of an animal based on its own performance data – for stallions when using joint data. Accuracies went up by 38-81%, giving researchers a better basis to predict breeding successes.
• Similarly, with joint data, the number of stallions with EBVs also saw a significant increase. They expanded by 40-288% as compared to using only national data.

Conclusion

• The outcomes of this research suggest that a collective Nordic genetic evaluation for sport horse breeding would be beneficial.
• This joint evaluation approach can potentially lead to more accurate breeding predictability for stallions and a larger pool of stallions with credible EBVs.