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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Phenotypic and Genetic Study of the Presence of Hair Whorls ...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(18); 2943; doi: 10.3390/ani13182943

Phenotypic and Genetic Study of the Presence of Hair Whorls in Pura Raza Español Horses.

Abstract: Hair whorls are a hereditary feature in horses that may be associated with temperament and coat color. Hair whorls are described as changes in the hair pattern and may take various forms, such as circular and linear whorls. We first carried out a frequency analysis of hair whorls (circular and linear). Next, a Generalized Non-Linear Model was computed to assess the significance of some potential influencing factors, and a genetic parameter estimation was performed. ENDOG software v4.8 was used to estimate the inbreeding coefficient of all the animals analyzed. It was more common to find horses with circular hair whorls than with linear whorls. The heritability ranges obtained were, in general, medium-high for both circular whorls (0.20 to 0.90) and linear whorls (0.44 to 0.84). High positive correlations were found on the between left and right positions, indicating a tendency to symmetry in certain locations. The laterality of hair whorls was also evidenced, with the biggest concentration on the left-hand side, particularly in gray horses, showing circular whorls below the central line of eyes, which has been associated in a previous paper with a calmer and more docile temperament.
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Publication Date: 2023-09-16 PubMed ID: 37760344PubMed Central: PMC10525084DOI: 10.3390/ani13182943Google 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.

This study investigates the genetic and physical factors influencing the presence of hair whorls in Pura Raza Español horses, demonstrating that these characteristics may be associated with temperament and coat color.

Understanding Hair Whorls

  • Hair whorls are whirls or spirals in the hair’s growth pattern that typically occur in horses. The researchers noted these might be related to the animal’s temperament and coat color.
  • The study characterizes the hair whorls as being either circular or linear in appearance.

Frequency Analysis

  • The study began with a frequency analysis of the hair whorls, aimed at identifying their occurrence’s patterns.
  • The findings indicated a greater prevalence of circular hair whorls over linear ones among Pura Raza Español horses.

Use of the Generalized Non-Linear Model

  • A Generalized Non-Linear Model was used to examine the importance of potential influencing factors.
  • This model served to statistically analyze and find correlations between variables to better understand the relationship between factors such as hair whorls, temperament, and coat color.

Genetic Parameter Estimation

  • The researchers performed a genetic parameter estimation to understand the heritability of hair whorls.
  • The software ENDOG v4.8 was used to determine the inbreeding coefficient of the horses studied, providing an understanding of their genetic diversity.
  • Heritability ranges obtained were generally medium-high for both circular whorls (0.20 to 0.90) and linear whorls (0.44 to 0.84), indicating these hair patterns are likely passed down through generations.

Observations and Conclusions

  • High positive correlations were found between the left and right positions of hair whorls, suggesting a propensity towards symmetry in some instances.
  • The researchers noted laterality, or the dominance of one side over the other, as most whorls were predominantly on the left-hand side, particularly in gray horses.
  • Circular whorls below the central line of eyes were associated with calmer and more docile temperaments in previous research, which was confirmed by the findings of this study.

Cite This Article

APA
Encina A, Ligero M, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros A, Bartolomé E, Valera M. (2023). Phenotypic and Genetic Study of the Presence of Hair Whorls in Pura Raza Español Horses. Animals (Basel), 13(18), 2943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182943

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 18
PII: 2943

Researcher Affiliations

Encina, Ana
  • Real Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballos de Pura Raza Española (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
Ligero, Manuel
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Sánchez-Guerrero, María José
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros, Arancha
  • Real Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballos de Pura Raza Española (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
Bartolomé, Ester
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Valera, Mercedes
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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