joint measurements
Reshaping horse breeding for the digital age Dr. Annik Gmel outlines research showing how equine joint angle measurements reveal how genetics can affect conformation. To date the work has been carried out using European riding horses, but could be of significant future use in the thoroughbred
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BREEDING THE BEST with the best and hoping for the best” has been the main horse breeding strategy for centuries. But how can we select for performance and longevity without waiting for the end of the horse’s career? Imaging and genomic tools bring new insights to the selection of horses, focusing on conformation as the traditional base. In equine breeding, conformation regroups a set of traits describing the shape and proportions of an animal, strongly determined by the underlying musculoskeletal apparatus. The shape of the head, the length of the limbs in relation to the body, and the angulation of certain joints are important traits involved in the aesthetics and functionality of a breed. Currently, across Europe, judges visually assess riding horses according to a breed-specific scoring sheet. These scores are used to select the best horses for breeding.
Conformation assessments – more art than science
However, scorings in most European horse breeds are an unreliable source of information for breeding. Certain traits are difficult to evaluate, with
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