Genetic correlations between field test results of Swedish Warmblood Riding Horses as 4-year-olds and lifetime performance results in dressage and show jumping

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to estimate genetic correlations between traits of young sport horses (4 years old) evaluated in the Swedish Riding Horse Quality Test (RHQT) and later competition results in dressage and show jumping. The data comprised 3708 Warmblood horses born between 1968 and 1982 that had participated in the RHQT as 4-year-olds and 25 605 horses born between 1953 and 1995 with competition records. According to the criteria between 1206 and 1879 horses were common to this two files and were available for the estimations of the genetic correlations. Competition performance traits were cumulative points and cumulative placings received during a horse’s lifetime, and a log 10 transformation was used to achieve a more normal distribution of the data. Genetic correlations between gait traits scored in the RHQT and competition results in dressage were favourable, in the range 0.63–0.75, and between jumping traits scored in the RHQT and results in show jumping 0.83–0.93. Estimated heritabilities for gait and jumping traits scored in the RHQT were in the range 0.09–0.27 and 0.10–0.18, respectively. Estimated heritabilities for the cumulative points and cumulative placings in dressage and show jumping were 0.17/0.16 and 0.23/0.27, respectively. Thus, the results from the RHQT have proved to be useful for early genetic evaluation and selection of both mares and stallions for sport performance traits.