FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(10); 1789; doi: 10.3390/ani10101789

Survey of Risk Factors and Genetic Characterization of Ewe Neck in a World Population of Pura Raza Español Horses.

Abstract: Ewe Neck is a relatively common morphological defect in Pura Raza Español (PRE) horses and other Baroque type horse breeds, which adversely affects the breeding industry; (1) objectives: to establish the within-breed prevalence, possible associated factors, and heritability of Ewe Neck in PRE horses; (2) methods: the database included evaluations of 35,267 PRE horses. The Ewe Neck defect, 16 morphological traits, and 4 body indices were recorded. A Bayesian genetic animal model included the following systematic effects: sex, age, coat color, geographical area of the stud, and birth stud size were used; (3) results: in this PRE population, a total of 27.12% was affected. All the risk factors studied were significantly associated with the Ewe Neck score. The heritability coefficient for Ewe Neck score ranged from 0.23 to 0.34. Morphological traits (height at chest, length of back, head-neck junction, and bottom neck-body junction) and the indices (head and thoracic index) were those most closely related with the appearance of Ewe Neck; (4) conclusions: Ewe Neck is a relatively frequent defect in PRE horses, associated with risk factors and other morphological traits, with a moderate level of heritability. Breeding to select against this condition may therefore be beneficial in this breed.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2020-10-01 PubMed ID: 33019702PubMed Central: PMC7600715DOI: 10.3390/ani10101789Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 conducts an analysis of risk factors and genetic characterization of Ewe Neck, a common morphological defect in Pura Raza Español (PRE) horses. The study reveals that this condition is associated with certain risk factors and other morphological traits, and displays a moderate level of heritability.

Research Objectives and Methods

  • The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Ewe Neck in the breed of PRE horses, identify potential factors linked with these issues, and determine the heritability of the condition.
  • The study took into account a database that included evaluations of 35,267 PRE horses. Various traits including the Ewe Neck defect, 16 other morphological traits, and 4 body indices were analyzed.
  • A Bayesian genetic animal model was employed for the analysis. This model considered systematic effects like sex, age, coat color, the geographical location of the stud, and the size of the birth stud.

Research Findings

  • In the PRE population that was part of this study, around 27.12% of horses were found to suffer from Ewe Neck.
  • All of the analyzed risk factors showed a significant association with the Ewe Neck score.
  • The heritability coefficient for the Ewe Neck score fluctuated between 0.23 and 0.34.
  • The morphological traits most closely linked with the appearance of Ewe Neck were height at chest, length of back, head-neck junction, and the junction between the bottom of the neck and the body. The head and thoracic indices were also linked to the appearance of Ewe Neck.

Conclusions of Research

  • As per the study findings, Ewe Neck is a fairly frequent defect in PRE horses, demonstrating significant associations with certain risk factors and morphological traits.
  • The condition showed a moderate level of heritability. This implies that breeding choices potentially impact the prevalence of this defect within the breed.
  • The study therefore suggests that selective breeding against this defect may prove beneficial for the PRE horse breed.

Cite This Article

APA
Ripolles M, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Perdomo-González DI, Azor P, Valera M. (2020). Survey of Risk Factors and Genetic Characterization of Ewe Neck in a World Population of Pura Raza Español Horses. Animals (Basel), 10(10), 1789. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101789

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 10
PII: 1789

Researcher Affiliations

Ripolles, María
  • Department of Agro-Forestry Sciences, ETSIA, University of Seville, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Sánchez-Guerrero, María J
  • Department of Agro-Forestry Sciences, ETSIA, University of Seville, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
  • Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Perdomo-González, Davinia I
  • Department of Agro-Forestry Sciences, ETSIA, University of Seville, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Azor, Pedro
  • Department of Agro-Forestry Sciences, ETSIA, University of Seville, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Valera, Mercedes
  • Department of Agro-Forestry Sciences, ETSIA, University of Seville, Carretera de Utrera Km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 48 references
  1. Vicente AA, Carolino N, Ralão-Duarte J, Gama LTT. Selection for morphology, gaits and functional traits in Lusitano horses: I. Genetic parameter estimates.. Livest. Sci. 2014;164:1–12.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2014.01.020google scholar: lookup
  2. Vostrá-Vydrová H, Vostrý L, Hofmanová B, Krupa E, Zavadilová L. Pedigree analysis of the endangered Old Kladruber horse population.. Livest. Sci. 2016;185:17–23.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2016.01.001google scholar: lookup
  3. Savelkouls J. The Friesian horse and the Frisian horse The (re) invention and the historicity of an iconic breed.. De Vrije Fries 2015;95:9–42.
  4. Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación. Catálogo Oficial de Razas. Pura Raza Español.. .
  5. Solé M, Valera M, Fernández J. Genetic structure and connectivity analysis in a large domestic livestock meta-population: The case of the Pura Raza Español horses.. J Anim Breed Genet 2018 Oct;135(6):460-471.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12352pubmed: 30043458google scholar: lookup
  6. Sánchez Guerrero MJ, Cervantes I, Valera M, Gutiérrez JP. Modelling genetic evaluation for dressage in Pura Raza Español horses with focus on the rider effect.. J Anim Breed Genet 2014 Oct;131(5):395-402.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12088pubmed: 24673743google scholar: lookup
  7. Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Cervantes I, Molina A, Gutiérrez JP, Valera M. Designing an early selection morphological linear traits index for dressage in the Pura Raza Español horse.. Animal 2017 Jun;11(6):948-957.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731116002214pubmed: 27839527google scholar: lookup
  8. Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Negro-Rama S, Demyda-Peyras S, Solé-Berga M, Azor-Ortiz PJ, Valera-Córdoba M. Morphological and genetic diversity of Pura Raza Español horse with regard to the coat colour.. Anim Sci J 2019 Jan;90(1):14-22.
    doi: 10.1111/asj.13102pubmed: 30467923google scholar: lookup
  9. Baillet H, Thouvarecq R, Verin E, Delpouve C, Benguigui N, Komar J, Leroy D. Mechanical horse, a new rehabilitation method for brain-damaged patients: Focus on postural coordination. A preliminary study.. Ann. Phys. Rehabil. Med. 2017;60:e62.
    doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2017.07.240google scholar: lookup
  10. Dos Santos MR, Freiberger G, Bottin F, Chiocca M, Zampar A, De Córdova Cucco D. Evaluation of methodologies for equine biometry.. Livest. Sci. 2017;206:24–27.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2017.10.009google scholar: lookup
  11. Go LM, Barton AK, Ohnesorge B. Objective classification of different head and neck positions and their influence on the radiographic pharyngeal diameter in sport horses.. BMC Vet Res 2014 May 23;10:118.
    doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-118pmc: PMC4041040pubmed: 24886564google scholar: lookup
  12. Rhodin M, Gómez Alvarez CB, Byström A, Johnston C, van Weeren PR, Roepstorff L, Weishaupt MA. The effect of different head and neck positions on the caudal back and hindlimb kinematics in the elite dressage horse at trot.. Equine Vet J 2009 Mar;41(3):274-9.
    doi: 10.2746/042516409X394436pubmed: 19469235google scholar: lookup
  13. Bamford NJ, Potter SJ, Harris PA, Bailey SR. Breed differences in insulin sensitivity and insulinemic responses to oral glucose in horses and ponies of moderate body condition score.. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2014 Apr;47:101-7.
    doi: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2013.11.001pubmed: 24308928google scholar: lookup
  14. Sleutjens J. The Effect of the Head and Neck Position on the Equine Athlete.. Utrecht University Repository; Utrecht, The Netherlands: 2013.
  15. Van Erck E. Dynamic respiratory videoendoscopy in ridden sport horses: effect of head flexion, riding and airway inflammation in 129 cases.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2011 Nov;(40):18-24.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00492.xpubmed: 22082441google scholar: lookup
  16. Gómez Alvarez CB, Rhodin M, Bobber MF, Meyer H, Weishaupt MA, Johnston C, Van Weeren PR. The effect of head and neck position on the thoracolumbar kinematics in the unridden horse.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2006 Aug;(36):445-51.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05585.xpubmed: 17402464google scholar: lookup
  17. Welsh CE, Lewis TW, Blott SC, Mellor DJ, Lam KH, Stewart BD, Parkin TD. Preliminary genetic analyses of important musculoskeletal conditions of Thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong.. Vet J 2013 Dec;198(3):611-5.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.05.002pmc: PMC3899015pubmed: 23746478google scholar: lookup
  18. Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Ramos J, Valdés M, Rivero JLL, Valera M. Prevalence, environmental risk factors and heritability of body condition in Pura Raza Español horses.. Livest. Sci. 2019;230:103851.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103851google scholar: lookup
  19. Finno CJ, Spier SJ, Valberg SJ. Equine diseases caused by known genetic mutations.. Vet J 2009 Mar;179(3):336-47.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.03.016pubmed: 18472287google scholar: lookup
  20. Morgan R, Keen J, McGowan C. Equine metabolic syndrome.. Vet Rec 2015 Aug 15;177(7):173-9.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.103226pmc: PMC4552932pubmed: 26273009google scholar: lookup
  21. Nicolas FW. The Genetics of the Horse.. CABI; Wallingford, UK: 2000. Genetics of morphological traits and inherited disorders; pp. 71–84.
  22. Pieramati C, Pepe M, Silvestrelli M, Bolla A. Heritability estimation of osteochondrosis dissecans in Maremmano horses.. Sci. Livest. Prod. 2003;79:249–255.
    doi: 10.1016/S0301-6226(02)00151-3google scholar: lookup
  23. Stock KF, Hamann H, Distl O. Estimation of genetic parameters for the prevalence of osseous fragments in limb joints of Hanoverian Warmblood horses.. J Anim Breed Genet 2005 Aug;122(4):271-80.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2005.00527.xpubmed: 16060495google scholar: lookup
  24. Lauper M, Gerber V, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Lüth A, Koch C, Dolf G. Heritabilities of health traits in Swiss Warmblood horses.. Equine Vet J 2017 Jan;49(1):15-18.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12537pubmed: 26538098google scholar: lookup
  25. Hilla D, Distl O. Genetic parameters for osteoarthrosis, radiographic changes of the navicular bone and sidebone, and their correlation with osteochondrosis and osteochondral fragments in Hanoverian warmblood horses.. Livest. Sci. 2014;169:19–26.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2014.09.015google scholar: lookup
  26. Lykkjen S, Olsen HF, Dolvik NI, Grøndahl AM, Røed KH, Klemetsdal G. Heritability estimates of tarsocrural osteochondrosis and palmar/plantar first phalanx osteochondral fragments in Standardbred trotters.. Equine Vet J 2014 Jan;46(1):32-7.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12058pubmed: 23448227google scholar: lookup
  27. Sánchez MJ, Azor PJ, Molina A, Parkin T, Rivero JL, Valera M. Prevalence, risk factors and genetic parameters of cresty neck in Pura Raza Español horses.. Equine Vet J 2017 Mar;49(2):196-200.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12569pubmed: 26877245google scholar: lookup
  28. Comparini L, Podestà A, Russo C, Cecchi F. Effect of inbreeding on the "Club Foot" disorder in Arabian Pureblood horses reared in Italy.. Open Vet J 2019 Oct;9(3):273-280.
    doi: 10.4314/ovj.v9i3.14pmc: PMC6794396pubmed: 31998623google scholar: lookup
  29. Farries G, Bryan K, McGivney CL, McGettigan PA, Gough KF, Browne JA, MacHugh DE, Katz LM, Hill EW. Expression Quantitative Trait Loci in Equine Skeletal Muscle Reveals Heritable Variation in Metabolism and the Training Responsive Transcriptome.. Front Genet 2019;10:1215.
    doi: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01215pmc: PMC6902038pubmed: 31850069google scholar: lookup
  30. Morales BA, Méndez SA, Pérez AJ. La región del cuello del caballo. Connotaciones anátomo-aplicativas: Una revisión.. Int. J. Morphol. 2014;32:1212–1221.
    doi: 10.4067/S0717-95022014000400015google scholar: lookup
  31. StatSoft Inc.. STATISTICA (Data Analysis Software System). 2007.
  32. Legarra A, Varona L, López de Maturana E. TM: Threshold Model 2011.. :1–33.
  33. Geman S, Geman D. Stochastic relaxation, gibbs distributions, and the bayesian restoration of images.. IEEE Trans Pattern Anal Mach Intell 1984 Jun;6(6):721-41.
    doi: 10.1109/TPAMI.1984.4767596pubmed: 22499653google scholar: lookup
  34. Szklarz M, Skalec A, Kirstein K, Janeczek M, Kasparek M, Kasparek A, Waselau M. Management of equine ataxia caused by cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy: A European perspective 2010–2015.. Equine Vet. Educ. 2018;30:370–376.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.12777google scholar: lookup
  35. Poyato-Bonilla J, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Santos RD, Valera M. Population study of the Pura Raza Español Horse regarding its coat colour.. Ann. Anim. Sci. 2018;18:723–739.
    doi: 10.2478/aoas-2018-0016google scholar: lookup
  36. Bellone RR. Pleiotropic effects of pigmentation genes in horses.. Anim Genet 2010 Dec;41 Suppl 2:100-10.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2010.02116.xpubmed: 21070283google scholar: lookup
  37. Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Solé M, Azor PJ, Sölkner J, Valera M. Genetic and environmental risk factors for vitiligo and melanoma in Pura Raza Español horses.. Equine Vet J 2019 Sep;51(5):606-611.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13067pubmed: 30624804google scholar: lookup
  38. Lesimple C, Fureix C, Biquand V, Hausberger M. Comparison of clinical examinations of back disorders and humans' evaluation of back pain in riding school horses.. BMC Vet Res 2013 Oct 15;9:209.
    doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-209pmc: PMC4015870pubmed: 24128080google scholar: lookup
  39. Agerholm JS, Bendixen C, Andersen O, Arnbjerg J. Complex vertebral malformation in holstein calves.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2001 Jul;13(4):283-9.
    doi: 10.1177/104063870101300401pubmed: 11478598google scholar: lookup
  40. Gigante A, Chillemi C, Potter KA, Bertoni-Freddari C, Greco F. Elastic fibers of musculoskeletal tissues in bovine Marfan syndrome: a morphometric study.. J Orthop Res 1999 Jul;17(4):624-8.
    doi: 10.1002/jor.1100170424pubmed: 10459772google scholar: lookup
  41. Pérez-Cabal MA, Charfeddine N. Short communication: Association of foot and leg conformation and body weight with claw disorders in Spanish Holstein cows.. J Dairy Sci 2016 Nov;99(11):9104-9108.
    doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-11331pubmed: 27614841google scholar: lookup
  42. Whitlock BK, Kaiser L, Maxwell HS. Heritable bovine fetal abnormalities.. Theriogenology 2008 Aug;70(3):535-49.
    doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.04.016pubmed: 18514810google scholar: lookup
  43. Molina A, Valera M, Dos Santos R, Rodero A. Genetic parameters of morphofunctional traits in Andalusian horse.. Livest. Prod. Sci. 1999;60:295–303.
    doi: 10.1016/S0301-6226(99)00101-3google scholar: lookup
  44. Gómez MD, Goyache F, Molina A, Valera M. Sire x stud interaction for body measurement traits in Spanish Purebred horses.. J Anim Sci 2009 Aug;87(8):2502-9.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2008-0841pubmed: 19359501google scholar: lookup
  45. Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Molina A, Gómez MD, Peña F, Valera M. Relationship between morphology and performance: Signature of mass-selection in Pura Raza Español horse.. Livest. Sci. 2016;185:148–155.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2016.01.003google scholar: lookup
  46. Duensing J, Stock KF, Krieter J. Implementation and prospects of linear profiling in the warmblood horse.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2014;34:360–368.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.09.002google scholar: lookup
  47. Viklund A, Thorén Hellsten E, Näsholm A, Strandberg E, Philipsson J. Genetic parameters for traits evaluated at field tests of 3- and 4-year-old Swedish Warmblood horses.. Animal 2008 Dec;2(12):1832-41.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731108003030pubmed: 22444090google scholar: lookup
  48. Brooks SA, Makvandi-Nejad S, Chu E, Allen JJ, Streeter C, Gu E, McCleery B, Murphy BA, Bellone R, Sutter NB. Morphological variation in the horse: defining complex traits of body size and shape.. Anim Genet 2010 Dec;41 Suppl 2:159-65.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2010.02127.xpubmed: 21070291google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Perdomo-González DI, García de Paredes RLA, Valera M, Bartolomé E, Gómez MD. Morpho-Functional Traits in Pura Raza Menorquina Horses: Genetic Parameters and Relationship with Coat Color Variables. Animals (Basel) 2022 Sep 7;12(18).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12182319pubmed: 36139184google scholar: lookup
  2. Encina A, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Ligero M, Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros A, Valera M. The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in White Leg Markings: Prevalence and Heritability Analysis in Pura Raza Española Horses. Life (Basel) 2025 Oct 23;15(11).
    doi: 10.3390/life15111661pubmed: 41302086google scholar: lookup
  3. Ripollés-Lobo M, Perdomo-González DI, Azor PJ, Valera M. Orthopedic Diseases in the Pura Raza Española Horse: The Prevalence and Genetic Parameters of Angular Hoof Deviations. Animals (Basel) 2023 Nov 10;13(22).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13223471pubmed: 38003089google scholar: lookup
  4. Encina A, Ligero M, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros A, Bartolomé E, Valera M. Phenotypic and Genetic Study of the Presence of Hair Whorls in Pura Raza Español Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 16;13(18).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13182943pubmed: 37760344google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,780 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.