Performance Testing Programs for Horses and Their use in Selection and Breeding
Introduction
When looking for a horse to purchase many people have in mind exactly what they are looking for from the breeding to the color. Although I do not shop on color, there are blood lines that I know without a doubt that I want in a horses pedigree. Of course, the bloodlines that are wanted may change depending on the use of the horse. By working two race horse sales for a ranch I was able to get insight on what buyers are looking for in prospect horses. There are many aspects that are looked at when purchasing a horse. When purchasing horses many people emphasis on the career records of the sire and dam of the horse, how they ranked in events, annual earnings, track times, confirmation, and in some cases color. The main point of this paper is to discuss performance of horses and how it is used in selection and breeding of horses, and the role genetics plays in performance. Along with genetics, there are other factors effecting the performance of horses including: the environment, trainer, rider, and nutritional diet. Though these factors play a role in the performance of horse, I will be focusing mainly on the effect genetics has on performance. Determining the role of genetics in the performance will be a huge break through in the horse industry, especially for competitive sports. An increase knowledge of genetics role in performance would give a better insight for breeders for selection criteria. It will provide a basis of what to select in breeding to make a horse more valuable to buyers, and give the horse the foundation it needs to be competitive in an event. Even though breeding is not all it takes to make a champion in...
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The term ‘easy keeper’ or ‘easy doer’ is heard often in the horse world when it comes to animals that retain fat fairly easily or that simply maintain their body weight without having to be fed in large amounts. Most people don’t think much of it, while plenty are glad to have horses that are easy to feed. However, that ‘cresty neck’, fat on the tail head and on the sheath or mammary glands of horses can have a lot more to do with their health than most folks take into consideration. Yes, they’re overweight but, in most cases, it doesn’t seem like a very big deal. However, recent studies have shown that these ‘easy keepers’ may be a big target for a detrimental condition.
Even if you do not know what an Appaloosa horse is you can almost bet you have seen one. Throughout history they have come and gone through different cultures appearing in Asian, European, and Native American art. Nobody is completely sure how the breed came about but there are some definable traits found around the world in other breeds, such as the Russian Altai and different Spanish horses. The Nez Perce tribe, from the western states, was the first to domesticate these animals and also the first to practice selective breeding. The Nez Perce trained the Appaloosa for many tasks such as hunting, farming, travel, and war. Throughout time of being a multi-skilled horse the Appaloosa still shows these traits today with their grace, surefootedness, and speed. Because of their dramatic history the Appaloosa is well suited for stressful situations and has a very trainable personality.
Every competitor has a question when showing. The question that may come up is what breed of horse do judges prefer? The real answer is that judges don’t necessarily care what breed of horse you have. Their real focus is on the the horse's structure and confirmation. Confirmation includes your horse’s balance and degree of muscling. However, some experts say the American Quarter horse is the best breed to show, “perhaps nowhere else is the breed’s versatility, heritage and work ethic more apparent than in the show arena” (“AQHA Competition Classes”). American Quarter horses are better for showing because “they change leads precisely, easily, and simultaneously” (“AQHA Competition Classes”). Regardless of the horse’s breed, any horse can be trained to do well in the show ring.
An assessment of adequate energy intake can be established by evaluating body condition. Deficient diets result in weight loss in the horse. Alternate causes of weight loss are internal parasites and disease. Excess energy intake wall cause obisity which stresses joints and reduces athletic ability. (arg.gov.sk.ca) A horse in moderate physical condition is described as “Back level. Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes. Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.” (Henneke et al., 1981)
With over nine million types of horses in the United States, the need for quality health care for the horses has never been stronger. It’s certain that more equine veterinarians than ever before will be needed in the years to come to provide the care that owners want for their horses. According to the American Association of equine practitioners (AAEP), nearly half of the equine veterinarians are involved with performance horses(44.8%). The AVMA’S most recent employment survey of 2016 indicated that there were about 3,874 veterinarians in exclusively equine practice, with and additional 4,177 involved in mixed practices.
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The Kentucky Derby has over 160,000 people come from around the world to attend the Kentucky Derby annually, and tens of millions watch on television. The Kentucky Derby is our state’s signature event, filled with traditions, legends, and celebrities. On May 2nd, of every year, is the Kentucky Derby and my birthday. The Kentucky Derby is an athletic event, because you get to understand the roles of the jockey and thoroughbred as athletes, as well as the scientific basis for their performance, it helps provide insights and comparisons into human training, nutrition, and health. “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” was hailed as a triumph and brought rabid attention to Scanlan’s. (McKeen 149) The Kentucky Derby is a horse race that
The American horse racing industry has been admired by generations upon generations. Although it is a very cherished sport, like any other sport, there are many issues involved. The major issue that I find is that many owners make the decision to breed when there are other solutions. The Jockey Club, also known as the head council for the American Horse Racing Industry, should be addressing the major issue of overbreeding in the American horse racing industry.
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more than half the variation was found to be due to heredity. Among these traits were
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Quantitative genetics consists of constantly changing characters. From the name of quantitative genetics, it pursues to ‘quantify’ changes in the frequency distribution of traits that cannot simply be located in discrete phenotypic classes (Falconer, D.S. 1996). Upon analysis of the future of quantitative genetics being relevant in this age of rapid advancement in molecular genetics, it has been useful to evolutionary biology which quantitative genetics has been allocated a major boost from the extensive effort/work of Lande-which portrays how the actual equations of quantitative genetics can be extended and used to solve situations beyond livestock and the improvements of crops. In the activities of quantitative genetics in this age, there seems to be a risk in quantitative genetics falling on rough times, having being known as the ‘old’ way of molecular genetics or ‘The out-moded’ as opposed to the comparison of the new types/areas of molecular genetics of today’s age and era. The intention is to bring awareness of the importance of the use of quantitative genetics and placing it in proper perspective. As well as to target the amazing successes, especially central questions of evolutionary biology that can only be statistically answered fully via the requirement of a quantitative genetic perspective. Although through the quantitative genetics theory, the ability and availability to take into consideration the inheritance of quantitative traits such as fertility, the body size, etc is of high importance. Quantitative genetics is also an important contribution to the understanding of inbreeding depression which is the reduced productiveness of the offspring of closely related individuals. The counter-intuitive outcome of quantita...