Abstract
Our aim was to ascertain inbreeding depression in the Spanish Purebred horses for eight body measurements. A total of 16,472 individuals were measured for height at withers, height at chest, leg length, body length, width of chest, heart girth circumference, knee perimeter and cannon bone circumference. Three different multivariate animal models including, respectively, no measure of inbreeding, individual inbreeding coefficients ( F i ) or individual increase in inbreeding coefficients (Δ F i ) as linear covariates were used. Significant inbreeding depression was assessed. Even though the models including measures of inbreeding fitted better with data, no effect on estimates of genetic parameters was assessed. However, the inclusion of inbreeding measures affected the ranking order according to the Expected Breeding Values (EBV). Due to the better fit with data and nice properties (the adjustment of individual inbreeding coefficients with the pedigree depth and linear behaviour) the use of Δ F i in the evaluation models can be recommended for morphological traits in horses.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.