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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Genetic Parameters of Effort and Recovery in Sport Horses As...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(3); 832; doi: 10.3390/ani11030832

Genetic Parameters of Effort and Recovery in Sport Horses Assessed with Infrared Thermography.

Abstract: The way a horse activates (effort phase-EP) and recovers (recovery phase-RP) during a sport event can affect its sport performance. The aim of this manuscript was to test horses' adaptation to sport performance and its genetic basis, using eye temperature assessed with infrared thermography. EP and RP were measured in 495 Spanish Sport Horses, during a performance test, considering sex (2) and genetic lines (5) as fixed effects. The ranking position obtained on an official sport competition was also collected. Differences in variables due to genetic line and sex effects were found, showing that, regardless of the genetic line, stallions tended to recover better than mares after the sport test developed. High positive intra-class correlations ( < 0.001) were found between EP and RP for both fixed effects, so that the higher the EP, the higher the RP. However, for the ranking position, a low negative correlation ( < 0.01) was found, so that the higher the eye temperature increase, the better the position. Heritabilities showed medium-high values with a medium positive genetic correlation between them. Thus, breed origins and sex influence horses' effort and recovery during sport performance, showing a genetic basis adequate for selection.
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Publication Date: 2021-03-16 PubMed ID: 33809482PubMed Central: PMC8001494DOI: 10.3390/ani11030832Google 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 is a study investigating the genetic influences on sport horses’ performance and recovery during sport events, measured via eye temperature using infrared thermography.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

  • The main purpose of this study was to evaluate how sport horses respond to and recover from performance tests, and to understand the genetic basis influencing these responses.
  • This was achieved by measuring the eye temperature of 495 Spanish Sport Horses using infrared thermography during a performance test. Eye temperature was used as a non-invasive method to assess the horse’s effort (EP) and recovery (RP) phases during a sport event.
  • The research considered the sex of the horse and their genetic lines as fixed factors affecting these measurements.
  • The researchers also collected data on the ranking position each horse obtained in an official sport competition.

Findings of the Research

  • The research found differences in the effort and recovery phases due to the genetic line and sex of the horses. Despite the genetic line, it was observed that male horses (stallions) tended to recover better than female horses (mares) after the sport test.
  • Strong positive intra-class correlations were found between effort and recovery phases, indicating that the more effort a horse put in, the better their recovery phase was.
  • However, a slight negative correlation was found with the ranking position – the higher the increase in eye temperature (indicating more effort), the better the ranking the horse achieved in the competition.

Implications of the Findings

  • Heritabilities, a measure of how well traits can be inherited, showed medium to high values, and there was a medium positive genetic correlation between effort and recovery phases. This suggests a genetic basis that can be selected during breeding to improve sporting performance in horses.
  • Overall, the study concludes that the ancestry and sex of a horse can influence their effort and recovery during sport performance. This knowledge can be harnessed for selective breeding to optimize sport horse performance.

Cite This Article

APA
Bartolomé E, Perdomo-González DI, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Valera M. (2021). Genetic Parameters of Effort and Recovery in Sport Horses Assessed with Infrared Thermography. Animals (Basel), 11(3), 832. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030832

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 3
PII: 832

Researcher Affiliations

Bartolomé, Ester
  • Departamento de Agronomía, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Utrera Rd. Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Perdomo-González, Davinia Isabel
  • Departamento de Agronomía, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Utrera Rd. Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Sánchez-Guerrero, María José
  • Departamento de Agronomía, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Utrera Rd. Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Valera, Mercedes
  • Departamento de Agronomía, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Utrera Rd. Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
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