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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.
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Publication Date: 2020-10-01 PubMed ID: 33019702PubMed Central: PMC7600715DOI: 10.3390/ani10101789Google 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 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.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 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
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