Emerging Trends In Equine DNA
- March 25, 2017
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- Maria Tibbetts
Posted in: Featured, Horse Care, Uncategorized
Appraising a horse by physical appearance alone is a thing of the past in the world of equine breeding and selling. Thanks to rapidly changing advancements in equine DNA technology, horse owners, breeders and enthusiasts can learn more about their horses now than ever before.
Tests evaluating an animal’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), can identify the individual markers of a horse and unveil the genetic code that determines both the horse’s health and physical appearance.
“The most widely available DNA tests in horses look for single gene diseases,” said Molly McCue, DVM, MS, PhD, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine diplomate and University of Minnesota (UM) College of Veterinary Medicine associate professor. “With the increase in emerging genetic tools, I see DNA testing expanding rapidly. We used to be able to test for seven genetic mutations in horses, and now we can identify nearly 20. This information allows owners to make more informed breeding and management decisions.”
DNA testing requirements are very breed specific. For example, European breed associations…
Click here to read the rest of the story at Tri-State Livestock News. Published in 2017 Black Hills Stock Show® Horse Sale Catalog and Stallion Row Showcase
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Posted in: Featured, Horse Care, Uncategorized
About Maria Tibbetts
I grew up on a ranch in the panhandle of Nebraska. Both of my grandfathers raised Quarter horses and before they knew they would be related someday, broke horses at Fort Robinson for the Army. I showed horses in 4-H and AQHA growing up. I'm...