FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Life (Basel) / The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in White Leg M...
Life (Basel, Switzerland)2025; 15(11); 1661; doi: 10.3390/life15111661

The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in White Leg Markings: Prevalence and Heritability Analysis in Pura Raza Española Horses.

Abstract: White leg markings in horses are phenotypic traits influenced by genetic and environmental factors. This study analyzed their prevalence, symmetry, and genetic parameters in 38,825 Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses registered in the official studbook. White markings were scored using a binary (affected/unaffected) and a four-level ordinal scale. Most horses (38,341 out of 38,825; 98.8%) had at least one limb without white markings. The prevalence of white markings was higher in the hindlegs (17.9% LH; 14.5% RH) than in the forelegs (5.3% LF; 4.6% RF). Markings were most frequent above the fetlock (≈64%), chestnut horses showed the highest prevalence, whereas black coats showed the lowest. Genetic analyses using Bayesian animal models revealed moderate-to-high heritabilities, ranging from 0.488 for Right hindlegs to 0.574 for Left hindlegs in the multinomial model, which outperformed the dichotomous model (h = 0.030-0.515 for all legs and left foreleg, respectively). Additive genetic variance was highest in the left hindleg (σ = 7.904). Genetic correlations were high between contralateral homologous limbs (0.991 forelegs; 0.995 hindlegs), confirming strong bilateral genetic control, while diagonal correlations were lower (≈0.886). These findings confirm a substantial genetic component underlying white leg markings in PRE horses and highlight the importance of refined phenotyping and genetic evaluations for breeding strategies, particularly when markings are penalized as in the PRE breeding program.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2025-10-23 PubMed ID: 41302086PubMed Central: PMC12653778DOI: 10.3390/life15111661Google 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

Cite This Article

APA
Encina A, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Ligero M, Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros A, Valera M. (2025). The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in White Leg Markings: Prevalence and Heritability Analysis in Pura Raza Española Horses. Life (Basel), 15(11), 1661. https://doi.org/10.3390/life15111661

Publication

Life (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 2075-1729
NlmUniqueID: 101580444
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 15
Issue: 11
PII: 1661

Researcher Affiliations

Encina, Ana
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
  • Real Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballos Españoles (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
Sánchez-Guerrero, María José
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Ligero, Manuel
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
Rodríguez-Sainz de Los Terreros, Arantxa
  • Real Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballos Españoles (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
Valera, Mercedes
  • Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniaría Agronómica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

Grant Funding

  • PRJ202304988 / This research has been partially financed by the VI PPIT-US. Resolución definitiva de la Convocatoria 2020 de Contratos de Acceso al Sistema Español de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para el Desarrollo del Programa Propio de I + D + i de la US. (II

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

References

This article includes 36 references
  1. Rieder S., Hagger C., Obexer-Ruff G., Leeb T., Poncet P. Genetic Analysis of White Facial and Leg Markings in the Swiss Franches-Montagnes Horse Breed. J. Hered. 2008;99:130–136. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esm115.
    doi: 10.1093/jhered/esm115pubmed: 18296388google scholar: lookup
  2. Maciel S.V.S.A., de Queiroz V.H.O., de Oliveira C.A.A., de Godói F.N., Pereira G.L., Curi R.A., Costa R.B., de Camargo G.M.F. Genetic heterogeneity of white markings in Quarter Horses. Livest. Sci. 2020;232:103935. doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2020.103935.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2020.103935google scholar: lookup
  3. Woolf C.M. Influence of Stochastic Events on the Phenotypic Variation of Common White Leg Markings in the Arabian Horse. J. Hered. 1995;86:129–135. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111542.
    doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111542pubmed: 7751597google scholar: lookup
  4. Encina A., Valera M., Ligero M., Rodriguez Sainz de los Terreros A., Sánchez-Guerrero M.J. Characterisation of white facial markings in Pura Raza Española horses (a worldwide population genetic study) Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 2024;23:929–937. doi: 10.1080/1828051X.2024.2367673.
    doi: 10.1080/1828051X.2024.2367673google scholar: lookup
  5. Woolf C.M. Multifactorial Inheritance of Common White Markings in the Arabian Horse. J. Hered. 1990;81:250–256. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a110987.
    doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a110987pubmed: 2273238google scholar: lookup
  6. Hauswirth R., Haase B., Blatter M., Brooks S.A., Burger D., Drögemüller C., Gerber V., Henke D., Janda J., Jude R., et al. Mutations in MITF and PAX3 cause “splashed white” and other white spotting phenotypes in horses. PLoS Genet. 2012;8:e1002653. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002653.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002653pmc: PMC3325211pubmed: 22511888google scholar: lookup
  7. Hauswirth R., Jude R., Haase B., Bellone R.R., Archer S., Holl H., Brooks S.A., Tozaki T., Penedo M.C., Rieder S., et al. Novel variants in the KIT and PAX3 genes in horses with white-spotted coat colour phenotypes. Anim. Genet. 2013;44:763–765. doi: 10.1111/age.12057.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12057pubmed: 23659293google scholar: lookup
  8. Negro S., Imsland F., Valera M., Molina A., Solé M., Andersson L. Association analysis of KIT, MITF, and PAX3 variants with white markings in Spanish horses. Anim. Genet. 2017;48:349–352. doi: 10.1111/age.12528.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12528pubmed: 28084638google scholar: lookup
  9. Patterson Rosa L., Martin K., Vierra M., Lundquist E., Foster G., Brooks S.A., Lafayette C. A KIT Variant Associated with Increased White Spotting Epistatic to MC1R Genotype in Horses (Equus caballus) Animals. 2022;12:1958. doi: 10.3390/ani12151958.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12151958pmc: PMC9367399pubmed: 35953947google scholar: lookup
  10. Nebe H.D. Ph.D. Thesis. Institut für Tierzucht und Haustiergenetik, Justus Liebig Universität; Giessen, Germany: 1984. Die Farbvererbung beim Pferd unter Besonderer Berücksichtigung der Vererbung Weisser Abzeichen.
  11. Valera M., Molina A., Gutierrez J.P., Gómez J., Goyache F. Pedigree analysis in the Andalusian horse: Population structure, genetic variability and influence of the Carthusian strain. Livest. Prod. Sci. 2005;95:57–66. doi: 10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.12.004.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.12.004google scholar: lookup
  12. Sánchez M.J., Cervantes I., Valera M., Gutiérrez J.P. Modelling genetic evaluation for dressage in Pura Raza Español horses with focus on the rider effect. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 2014;131:395–402. doi: 10.1111/jbg.12088.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12088pubmed: 24673743google scholar: lookup
  13. 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;135:460–471. doi: 10.1111/jbg.12352.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12352pubmed: 30043458google scholar: lookup
  14. LG_ANCCE Purebred Spanish Horse. Breeding Program. [(accessed on 20 September 2025)]. Available online: https://www.lgancce.com/Documentacion/Normativa/Nacional/programa_cria_en.pdf.
  15. Sánchez M.J., Azor P.J., Molina A., Parkin T., Rivero J.L.L., Valera M. Prevalence, risk factors and genetic parameters of cresty neck in Pura Raza Español horses. Equine Vet. J. 2017;49:196–200. doi: 10.1111/evj.12569.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12569pubmed: 26877245google scholar: lookup
  16. R core Team . R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing; Vienna, Austria: 2024. [(accessed on 21 September 2025)]. Available online: https://www.r-project.org/
  17. Bürkner P.C. brms: An R package for bayesian multilevel models using stan. J. Stat. Softw. 2017;80:1–28. doi: 10.18637/jss.v080.i01.
    doi: 10.18637/jss.v080.i01google scholar: lookup
  18. Misztal I., Tsuruta S., Lourenco D., Masuda Y., Aguilar I., Legarra A., Vitezica Z. Manual for BLUPF90 Family of Programs. University of Georgia; Athens, GA, USA: 2014. [(accessed on 20 September 2025)]. Available online: https://nce.ads.uga.edu/html/projects/programs/docs/blupf90_all8.pdf.
  19. Gutierrez J.P., Goyache F. A note on ENDOG: A computer program for analysing pedigree information. J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 2005;122:172–176. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2005.00512.x.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0388.2005.00512.xpubmed: 16130468google scholar: lookup
  20. Stachurska A., Ussing A.P. White Markings in the Horse. Medycyna Wet. 2012;68:74–78.
  21. Bellone R.R. Pleiotropic effects of pigmentation genes in horses. Anim. Genet. 2010;41:100–110. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2010.02116.x.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2010.02116.xpubmed: 21070283google scholar: lookup
  22. Grandin T. Genetics and the Behaviour of Domestic Animals. 2nd ed. Academic Press; San Diego, CA, USA: 2014.
    doi: 10.1016/C2011-0-07148-Xgoogle scholar: lookup
  23. Trut L.N. Early canid domestication: The farm-fox experiment. Am. Sci. 1999;87:160–169. doi: 10.1511/1999.20.160.
    doi: 10.1511/1999.20.160google scholar: lookup
  24. Dobney K., Larson G. Genetics and animal domestication: New windows on an elusive process. J. Zool. 2006;269:261–271. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00042.x.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00042.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  25. Stachurska A., Pieta M., Lojek J., Szulowska J. Performance in racehorses of various colours. Livest. Sci. 2007;106:282–286. doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2006.07.017.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2006.07.017google scholar: lookup
  26. Haase B., Signer-Hasler H., Binns M.M., Obexer-Ruff G., Hauswirth R., Bellone R.R., Burger D., Rieder S., Wade C.M., Leeb T. Accumulating mutations in series of haplotypes at the KIT and MITF loci are major determinants of white markings in Franches-Montagnes horses. PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e75071. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075071.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075071pmc: PMC3787084pubmed: 24098679google scholar: lookup
  27. Perdomo-González D., García de Paredes R., Valera M., Bartolomé E., Gómez M.D. Morpho-Functional Traits in Pura Raza Menorquina Horses: Genetic Parameters and Relationship with Coat Color Variables. Animals. 2022;12:2319. doi: 10.3390/ani12182319.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12182319pmc: PMC9495247pubmed: 36139184google scholar: lookup
  28. Brooks S.A., Lear T.L., Adelson D.L., Bailey E. A chromosome inversion near the KIT gene and the Tobiano spotting pattern in horses. Cytogenet. Genome Res. 2008;119:225–230. doi: 10.1159/000112065.
    doi: 10.1159/000112065pubmed: 18253033google scholar: lookup
  29. Brooks S.A., Palermo K.M., Kahn A., Hein J. Impact of white-spotting alleles, including W20, on phenotype in the American Paint Horse. Anim. Genet. 2020;51:707–715. doi: 10.1111/age.12960.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12960pubmed: 32686191google scholar: lookup
  30. Ripolles M., Sánchez-Guerrero M.J., Perdomo-González D.I., Azor P., Valera M. Survey of risk factors and genetic characteriza tion of ewe neck in a world population of Pura Raza Español horses. Animals. 2020;10:1789. doi: 10.3390/ani10101789.
    doi: 10.3390/ani10101789pmc: PMC7600715pubmed: 33019702google scholar: lookup
  31. Ripollés-Lobo M., Perdomo-González D.I., Azor P.J., Valera M. Evaluation of potential effects and genetic parameters in conformational limb defects in Pura Raza Española horses. Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 2023;22:407–417. doi: 10.1080/1828051X.2023.2206419.
    doi: 10.1080/1828051X.2023.2206419google scholar: lookup
  32. Sánchez-Guerrero M.J., Solé M., Azor P.J., Sölkner J., Valera M. Genetic and environmental risk factors for vitiligo and melanoma in Pura Raza Español horses. Equine Vet. J. 2019;51:606–611. doi: 10.1111/evj.13067.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.13067pubmed: 30624804google scholar: lookup
  33. Sánchez-Guerrero M.J., Ramos J., Valdés M., Rivero J.L.L., 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.2019.103851.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103851google scholar: lookup
  34. Poyato-Bonilla J., Perdomo-González D.I., Sánchez-Guerrero M.J., Varona L., Molina A., Casellas J., Valera M. Genetic inbreeding depression load for morphological traits and defects in the Pura Raza Española horse. Genet. Sel. Evol. 2020;52:62. doi: 10.1186/s12711-020-00582-2.
    doi: 10.1186/s12711-020-00582-2pmc: PMC7576714pubmed: 33081691google scholar: lookup
  35. Sánchez M.J., Bartolomé E., Valera M. Genetic study of stress assessed with infrared thermography during dressage competitions in the Pura Raza Español horse. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2016;174:58–65. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.11.006.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.11.006google scholar: lookup
  36. Gómez M.D., Sánchez M.J., Bartolomé E., Cervantes I., Poyato-Bonilla J., Demyda-Peyrás S., Valera M. Phenotypic and genetic analysis of reproductive traits in horse populations with different breeding purposes. Animal. 2020;14:1351–1361. doi: 10.1017/S1751731120000087.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731120000087pubmed: 32026801google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,021 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.