Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T06:02:05.506Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic parameters for traits evaluated at field tests of 3- and 4-year-old Swedish Warmblood horses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2008

Å. Viklund ,
E. Thorén Hellsten ,
A. Näsholm ,
E. Strandberg  and
J. Philipsson
Å. Viklund*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
E. Thorén Hellsten
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
A. Näsholm
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
E. Strandberg
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
J. Philipsson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
*
E-mail: Asa.Viklund@hgen.slu.se
Get access

Abstract

There are two types of 1-day field tests available for young Swedish Warmblood sport horses; one test for 3-year olds and one more advanced test for 4-year olds. Conformation, gaits and jumping ability are evaluated at both tests. Studies on various genetic parameters were based on about 20 000 tested horses. The data for 4-year olds consisted of 30 years of testing. The aims of the study were to estimate genetic parameters for results from different time periods, and to estimate heritabilities for, and genetic correlations between, traits scored in the two tests. The judgement of traits was shown to have been changed during the 30 years of testing, resulting in changes in higher heritabilities in, and stronger genetic correlations between, later time periods. In the first time period, records showed higher residual and lower genetic variances than in the subsequent time periods. Genetic correlations between traits recorded in the first and last time period deviated considerably from unity. Further studies are needed to investigate how to treat data from the early period in genetic evaluations. Heritabilities were moderate to high for conformation traits (0.24 to 0.58) at both types of tests, except for correctness of legs (0.08). The heritabilities for gait traits were also moderate to high (0.37 to 0.53). For jumping traits, the heritabilities ranged between 0.17 and 0.33. The highly positive genetic correlations (0.82 to 0.99) between corresponding traits tested at the simpler test for 3-year olds and at the ridden test of 4-year olds implied that it would be desirable to include the test results of 3-year olds into the genetic evaluation as breeding values for Swedish Warmbloods for many years has only been based on results from 4-year olds.

Keywords

riding horsesperformance testanimal modelheritabilitygenetic correlation
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 2 , Issue 12 , December 2008 , pp. 1832 - 1841
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Árnason, T 1987. Contribution of various factors to genetic evaluation of stallions. Livestock Production Science 16, 407–419.Google Scholar
Árnason T, Sigurdsson Á and Lorange JB 2006. Global genetic evaluations of the Icelandic horse and genetic connectedness between countries. Proceedings of the 8th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, 13–18 August 2006, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, paper 24–16.Google Scholar
Brockmann A 1998. Entwicklung einer Eigenleistungsprüfung im Feld für Hengste unter Berücksichtigung der Turniersportprüfung. PhD, Göttingen University, Germany.Google Scholar
Bösch, M, Reinecke, S, Röhe, R, Kalm, E 2000. Genetische Analyse von Merkmalen in der Reitpferdezucht – Varianzkomponenten für Merkmale der Fohlenbeurteilung, Stutbuchaufnahme (Exterieurbeurteilung) und Zuchtstutenprüfung. Züchtungskunde 72, 161–171.Google Scholar
Christmann L 1996. Zuchtwertschätzung für Merkmale der Stutbuchaufnahme und der Stutenleistungsprüfung im Zuchtgebiet Hannover. PhD, Göttingen University, Germany.Google Scholar
Darenius, A, Philipsson, J, Fredricson, I, Thafvelin, B, Bergsten, G, Rådberg, L, Elowson-Anda, E 1982. Kvalitetsbedömning av unga ridhästars hälsotillstånd, exteriör och ridegenskaper [Quality event for evaluation of health, conformation and riding characteristics of young riding horses]. Svensk Veterinärtidning 35 (suppl. 3), 42–48.Google Scholar
Dietl, G, Hoffmann, S, Albrecht, S 2004. Parameter und Trends de Stutenbuchaufnahme des Mecklenburger Warmblut Pferdes. Archiv für Tierzucht 47, 107–117.Google Scholar
Dietl, G, Hoffmann, S, Reinsch, N 2005. Impact of trainer and judges in the mare performance test of Warmblood Horses. Archiv für Tierzucht 48, 113–120.Google Scholar
Ducro, BJ, Koenen, EPC, van Tartwijk, JMFM, Bovenhuis, H 2007. Genetic relations of movement and free-jumping traits with dressage and show-jumping performance in competition of Dutch Warmblood horses. Livestock Science 107, 227–234.Google Scholar
Gerber Olsson, E, Árnason, T, Näsholm, A, Philipsson, J 2000. Genetic parameters for traits at performance test of stallions and correlations with traits at progeny tests in Swedish Warmblood horses. Livestock Production Science 65, 81–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmström, M, Philipsson, J 1993. Relationships between conformation, performance and health in 4-year-old Swedish Warmblood riding horses. Livestock Production Science 33, 293–312.Google Scholar
Huizinga, HA, Boukamp, M, Smolders, G 1990. Estimated parameters of field performance testing of mares from the Dutch Warmblood riding horse population. Livestock Production Science 26, 291–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, J, Madsen, D 1994. DMU: A package for the analysis of multitrait mixed models. Proceedings from the 5th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Guelph, Canada. Computing Strategies and Software 22, 45–46.Google Scholar
Jensen, J, Mäntysaari, EA, Madsen, P, Thompson, R 1997. Residual maximum likelihood estimation of (co)variance components in multivariate mixed linear models using average information. Journal of the Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics 49, 215–236.Google Scholar
Koenen, EPC, Aldridge, LI, Philipsson, J 2004. An overview of breeding objectives for Warmblood sport horses. Livestock Production Science 88, 77–84.Google Scholar
Langlois, B, Froidevaux, J, Lamarche, L, Legault, C, Legault, P, Tassencourt, LO, Theret, H 1978. Analyse des liaisons entre la morphologie et l’aptitude au galop au trot au saut d’obstacles chez le cheval. Annales de Génétique et de Sélection Animale 10, 443–474.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lührs-Behnke, H, Röhe, R, Kalm, E 2006. Genetische Parameter für Zuchtstutenprüfungsmerkmale der verschiedenen deutschen Warmblutzucht-verbände. Züchtungskunde 78, 271–280.Google Scholar
Madsen D and Jensen J 2000. A User’s guide to DMU – a package for analyzing multivariate mixed models. Danish Institute of Agricultural Science, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Research Centre Foulum, Tjele, Denmark, 18pp.Google Scholar
Ricard, A, Bruns, E, Cunningham, EP 2000. Genetics of performance traits. In The genetics of the horse (ed. AT Bowling and A Ruvinsky), pp. 411–438. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Schade W 1996. Entwicklung eines Besamungszuchtprogramms für die Hannoversche Warmblutzucht. PhD, Göttingen University, Germany.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute 2007. SAS OnlineDoc® 9.1.3. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. Retrieved June 29, 2007, from http://support.sas.com/onlinedoc/913/.Google Scholar
Stock, KF, Distl, O 2006. Genetic correlations between conformation traits and radiographic findings in the limbs of German Warmblood riding horses. Genetics Selection Evolution 38, 657–671.Google Scholar
Stock, KF, Distl, O 2007. Genetic correlations between performance traits and radiographic findings in the limbs of German Warmblood riding horses. Journal of Animal Science 85, 31–41.Google Scholar
Thorén Hellsten, E, Viklund, Å, Koenen, EPC, Ricard, A, Bruns, E, Philipsson, J 2006. Review of genetic parameters estimated at stallion and young horse performance tests and their correlations with later results in dressage and show-jumping competition. Livestock Science 103, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viklund Å, Philipsson J, Wikström Å, Árnason Th, Thorén E, Näsholm A, Strandberg E and Fredricson I 2005. Testing young Swedish riding horses for sport and for genetic evaluations. Conference at the 56th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, 5–8 June 2005, Uppsala, Sweden, 10pp.Google Scholar
Wallin, L, Strandberg, E, Philipsson, J 2001. Phenotypic relationship between test results of Swedish Warmblood horses as 4-year-olds and longevity. Livestock Production Science 68, 97–105.Google Scholar
Wallin, L, Strandberg, E, Philipsson, J 2003. Genetic correlations between field test results of Swedish Warmblood riding horses as 4-year-olds and lifetime performance results in dressage and show jumping. Livestock Production Science 82, 61–71.Google Scholar