How is the Morphometry of Stallions and Mares Show-Winning and Nonwinning Campolina Brazilian Breed with Batida and Picada Gaits?

The study examines the physical characteristics of award-winning and non-award-winning horses (both stallions and mares) of the Campolina breed from Brazil in two distinct styles of gait—batida and picada. It found that generally, award-winning horses were smaller in height and length, which has implications for breeding strategies.

Participants

• The research was conducted on 167 horses, made up of 74 stallions and 93 mares.
• These horses comprised two different gaits: 102 with batida gate and 65 with picada gate.
• Out of these horses, 96 of them had won awards while 71 had not won any awards.

Methodology

• Several morphometric measurements were taken from each horse, including twenty linear measures, seven angular measures, and eleven girth measures.
• The results and awards from judgement events were collected for both male and female horses, as well as for both types of gaits.
• The data was statistically analysed, and variance was computed using the MEANS statement and the generalized linear model procedures of the SAS software.

Findings

• Overall, winning horses were found to be smaller in most size-related measurements, such as height and length, irrespective of sex or gait type.
• This implies that judges’ assessments favour horses that are smaller in size. Therefore, this has led to a trend in breeding strategies attempting to reduce the size of these horses, as the champions become the standard which breeders and technicians aim for.
• This is particularly significant because award-winning horses are more frequently used in reproduction, effectively steering the physical characteristics of future horse generations.