Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T22:43:40.133Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Retrospective and statistical analysis of breeding management on the Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2013

R. Mantovani ,
C. Sartori  and
G. Pigozzi
R. Mantovani*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Agripolis, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
C. Sartori
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Agripolis, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
G. Pigozzi
Affiliation:
Italian Heavy Draught Horse Breeders Association, 37068 Vigasio (VR), Italy
*
†E-mail: roberto.mantovani@unipd.it
Get access

Abstract

This study investigated some aspects of breeding management in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed, aiming at improving its efficiency at stud farm level. A first aim was to evaluate the risk of unsuccessful reproduction in mares after an early (3 years) or normal (4 years) age at first foaling, in interaction with different stud rearing systems. A second objective was the examination of the mean time length in which young 2-year-old stallions maintain a genetic superiority on older proven stallions, identifying a ‘genetic lifespan’ in which young stallions can be safely used for reducing the cost of services. Reproductive performance at first and second foaling of 1513 mares were used. Mares had a normal first foal at 3 (n = 745) or 4 years of age (n = 768) in stud farms on the basis of stable (n = 488), feral (n = 345) or semi-feral (n = 680) rearing systems. Logistic regression analysis was performed by modeling the risk of unsuccessful reproduction in the subsequent season (i.e., results at second foaling), as affected by the interaction of age at first foaling × rearing system (six classes). Genetic lifespan of young stallions was estimated by regressing the least square means from a mixed model analysis for repeated measures of individual differences in ‘total merit’ estimated breeding values (EBVs) between young stallions (mean no. of 45/year) and the mean EBV of all proven stallions in a given year of genetic evaluation (mean no. of 483/year). Young stallions born between 1999 and 2005 were used, following each generation (i.e., birth year) from 2 to 7 subsequent yearly genetic evaluations. In comparison with the best reproductive success of second foaling at 4 years in stable systems, the greatest risk of unsuccessful reproduction was at 3 years in feral (+167%) and 3 years in semi-feral conditions (+91%). Young stallions showed a 0.50 s.d. greater EBV at the first evaluation than proven stallions, with a mean annual decrease in EBV of 0.07 s.d./year on proven stallions. Optimal breeding management could be obtained in stud farms by limiting foaling at 3 years, particularly in feral and semi-feral rearing systems, and using young stallions for 3 to 4 years to maintain a perceptible selection differential with older proven stallions and to reduce cost of services. Later, the selection differential with proven stallions become less consistent and genetic improvement could be slowed down.

Keywords

horsesbreeding managementreproductiongenetic selection
Type
Breeding and genetics
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 7 , July 2013 , pp. 1053 - 1059
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2013 

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

Abdallah, JM, McDaniel, BT 2000. Genetic change in milk, fat, days open, and body weight after calving based on three methods of sire selection. Journal of Dairy Science 83, 1359–1363.Google Scholar
Abdallah, JM, McDaniel, BT 2002. Proven and young Holstein bulls compared for daughter yields, productive life, somatic cell score, and inbreeding. Journal of Dairy Science 85, 665–669.Google Scholar
Aiken, GE, Potter, GD, Conrad, BE, Evans, JW 1989. Growth performance of yearling horses grazing bermudagrass pastures at different grazing pressures. Journal of Animal Science 67, 2692–2697.Google Scholar
Akaike, H 1974. A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 19, 716–723.Google Scholar
Bargo, FL, Muller, D, Delahoy, JE, Cassidy, TW 2002. Performance of high producing dairy cows with three different feeding systems combining pasture and total mixed rations. Journal of Dairy Science 85, 2948–2963.Google Scholar
Camfield, PK, Brown, AH Jr, Johnson, ZB, Brown, CJ, Lewis, PK, Rakes, LY 1999. Effects of growth type on carcass traits of pasture- or feedlot-developed steers. Journal of Animal Science 77, 2437–2443.Google Scholar
Camillo, F, Galli, C, Palmer, E 2006. The new biotechnologies of reproduction in horses: recent progress and applications. In Nutrition and feeding of the broodmare (ed. N Miraglia and F Martin-Rosset), pp. 389–402. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, NL.Google Scholar
Camillo, F, Vannozzi, I, Rota, A, Panzani, D, Illuzy, A, Guillaume, D 2002. Age at puberty, cyclicity, clinical response to PGF2alpha, hCG and GnRH and embryo recovery rate in yearling mares. Theriogenology 58, 627–630.Google Scholar
Davies Morel, MCG 2008. Equine reproductive physiology breeding and stud management, 3rd edition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Davis Rincker, LE, Weber Nielsen, MS, Chapin, LT, Liesman, JS, Daniels, KM, Akers, RM, VandeHaar, MJ 2008. Effects of feeding prepubertal heifers a high energy diet for three, six, or twelve weeks on mammary growth and composition. Journal of Dairy Science 91, 1926–1935.Google Scholar
Dubois, C, Ricard, A 2007. Efficiency of past selection of the French Sport Horse: Selle Français breed and suggestions for the future. Livestock Science 112, 161–171.Google Scholar
Ellis, AD, Boekhoff, M, Bailoni, L, Mantovani, R 2006. Nutrition and equine fertility. In Nutrition and feeding of the broodmare (ed. N Miraglia and F Martin-Rosset), pp, 341–366. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, NL.Google Scholar
Gabriel, KR 1962. Ante-dependence analysis of an ordered set of variables. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics 33, 201–212.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
Ginther, OJ 1992. Reproductive biology of the mare: basic and applied aspects, 2nd edition. Cross Plains, University of Wisconsin, Equiservices, Madison, USA.Google Scholar
Gordon, I 1997. Controlled reproduction in horses, deer and camelids. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Guillaume, D, Salazar-Ortiz, J, Martin-Rosset, W 2006a. Effects of nutrition level in mares’ ovarian activity and in equines’ puberty. In Nutrition and feeding of the broodmare (ed. N Miraglia and F Martin-Rosset), pp. 315–339. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, NL.Google Scholar
Guillaume, D, Schneider, J, Fleurance, G, Donabédian, D, Robert, C, Arnaud, G, Leveau, M, Chesneau, D, Martin-Rosset, W 2006b. Effect of nutrition on the occurrence of horses’ puberty. Paper presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, 17–20 September 2006, Antalya, Turkey.Google Scholar
Hendricks, BL 1995. International encyclopedia of horse breeds. Norman University of Oklahoma Press, Stillwater, USA.Google Scholar
Heinrichs, AJ, Hargrove, GL 1987. Standards of weight and height for Holstein heifers. Journal of Dairy Science 70, 653–660.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, PC 1997. Optimum body size of Holstein replacement heifers. Journal of Animal Science 75, 836–845.Google Scholar
Hugason, K, Arnason, Th, Norell, L 1987. Efficiency of three-stage selection of stallions. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 104, 350–363.Google Scholar
Koenen, EPC, Aldridge, LI, Philipsson, J 2004. An overview of breeding objectives for Warmblood sport horses. Livestock Production Science 88, 77–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langlois, B, Blouin, C 2004. Statistical analysis of some factors affecting the number of horse births in France. Reproduction Nutrition Development 44, 583–595.Google Scholar
Littell, RC, Henry, PR, Ammerman, CB 1998. Statistical analysis of repeated measures data using SAS procedures. Journal of Animal Science 76, 1216–1231.Google Scholar
McDaniel, BT, Bell, WE 1992. Experimental comparison of systems of selecting Holstein bulls. Journal of Dairy Science 75 (Suppl.1), 150 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Mantovani, R, Bailoni, L 2011. Energy and protein allowances and requirements in stallions during the breeding season, comparing different nutritional systems. Journal of Animal Science 89, 2113–2122.Google Scholar
Mantovani, R, Pigozzi, G, Bittante, G 2005. The Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed: origin, breeding program, efficiency of the selection scheme and inbreeding. In Conservation genetics of endangered horse breeds (ed. I Bodo, IL Alderson and B Langlois), pp. 155–162. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, NL.Google Scholar
Mantovani, R, Sartori, C, Pigozzi, G 2010. Genetics of temperament and productive traits in the Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed. Paper presented at the 9th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, 1–6 August 2010, Leipzig, Germany.Google Scholar
Mantovani, R, Contiero, B, Sartori, A, Stoppa, C, Pigozzi, G 2007. Phenotypic study on longevity in Italian Heavy Draught mares. Paper presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, 26–29 August 2007, Dublin, Ireland.Google Scholar
Meinert, TR, Pearson, RE, Hoyt, RS 1992. Estimates of genetic trend in an artificial insemination progeny test program and their association with herd characteristics. Journal of Dairy Science 75, 2254–2264.Google Scholar
Palmer, E, Driancourt, MA 1983. Some interactions of season of foaling, photoperiod and ovarian activity in the equine. Livestock Production Science 10, 197–210.Google Scholar
Phillipsson, J, Arnason, Th, Bergsten, K 1990. Alternative selection strategies for performance of the Swedish Warmblood Horse. Livestock Production Science 24, 273–285.Google Scholar
SAS Institute 2009. SAS/STAT 9.2, User's guide, 2nd edition. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Salazar-Ortiz, J, Camous, S, Briant, C, Lardic, L, Chesneau, D, Guillaume, D 2011. Effects of nutritional cues on the duration of the winter anovulatory phase and on associated hormone levels in adult female Welsh pony horses (Equus caballus). Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 9, 130–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waldo, DR, Tyrrell, HF, Capuco, AV, Rexroad, CE Jr 1997. Components of growth in Holstein heifers fed either alfalfa or corn silage diets to produce two daily gains. Journal of Dairy Science 80, 1674–1684.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weigel, DJ, Cassell, BG, Pearson, RE 1995. Relative genetic merit and effectiveness of selection of young sires for artificial insemination. Journal of Dairy Science 78, 2481–2485.Google Scholar