Equine Breeds Research Articles

Equine breeds in crisis

Tom Beeston, chief executive officer, Rare Breeds Survival Trust, describes the battle to protect some of our best loved native breeds

Reference values of two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiographic measurements as a function of body size in various equine breeds and in ponies

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to establish echocardiographic reference values for the equine species using allometric regression equations based on body weight (BW) and thoracic circumference (TC). AnimalsA total of 239 horses or ponies were studied, including 65 warmbloods, 33 Standardbreds, 41 Thoroughbreds, 32 Arabian horses, 28 draft horses, and 40 ponies aged from 1 day to 30 years, weighing from 18 to 890 kg, with no evidence of cardiac disease. MethodsFor each horse or pony, a two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography was performed. Within each breed, the relationships between BW or TC and echocardiographic dimensions were examined using power regression equations. Predictions and their 95% prediction intervals were calculated for the echocardiographic measurements. ResultsWithin each breed, all echocardiographic measurements showed a significant and positive relationship with a high coefficient of determination for the estimation of the regression equations using BW and TC as the main explanatory variables. Breed-specific power regression equations as well as the 95% prediction intervals were calculated for each echocardiographic measurement as a function of BW and TC. ConclusionsIn the future, the body size-corrected and breed-specific echocardiographic reference values calculated in the present study could be used to discriminate between normal and abnormal values in a given animal.

Species Identification, Strain Differentiation, and Antifungal Susceptibility of Dermatophyte Species Isolated From Clinically Infected Arabian Horses

Arabian horses, the eldest equine breeds, have great economic and social significance for its long, unique, and storied history. Molecular characterization of dermatophyte species affecting Arabian horses is a crucial necessity for epidemiologic and therapeutic purposes. The objective of this study was to identify and differentiate isolates of dermatophytes isolated from naturally infected Arabian horses at species and strains levels using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and DNA sequencing. Additionally, antifungal susceptibility testing using broth microdilution method was performed for the isolated dermatophyte species against six antifungal agents. Dermatophytes isolates (n = 20) representing four different species including Microsporum (M) canis, M. equinum, Trichophyton (T) mentagrophytes, and T. verrucosum were subjected for molecular characterization. The isolated dermatophytes were identified based on PCR of the ribosomal region spanning internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2), the 5.8S rDNA and subsequent restriction analysis using MvaI and sequence analysis. Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. verrucosum were differentiated by PCR-RFLP; meanwhile, the restriction profile of M. canis was identical to that of Arthroderma otae (telomorphic state) and M. equinum. Internal transcribed spacer sequencing technique affirmed the RFLP findings and differentiated the closely related taxon. Itraconazole is effective against M. canis and M. equinum, while terbinafine and griseofulvin are more effective against T. mentagrophytes and T. verrucosum. In conclusion, PCR-RFLP technique is a reliable tool for the identification of dermatophyte species from Arabian horses. Internal transcribed spacer sequencing provides a precise and useful technique for the identification and differentiation of closely related dermatophyte species. Terbinafine, griseofulvin, and itraconazole are effective antifungals in the treatment of Arabian horse ringworm.

Biomechanical and Biochemical Differences Between Extensor and Flexor Distal Limb Tendons and Between Equine Breeds Selected For Racing and Sport

Biomechanical and Biochemical Differences Between Extensor and Flexor Distal Limb Tendons and Between Equine Breeds Selected For Racing and Sport

MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EQUINE BARBE BREED IN NORTHWEST OF ALGERIA

The Barbe horse occupies a prominent place in the history, culture and traditions of Algeria; it is at the base of the evolution of the main equine breeds in Maghreb. Nineteen (19) measurements were made on 58 pure and presumed Barbe horses (uncertain origins), all aged three years and over. From these, six body indices were calculated and live weight estimated. The cephalic profile survey was also performed. Statistical analyzes were carried out on these different measurements by software R 2.15.2 and XLSTAT2016. The statistical tests used were of the descriptive and analytical type including among others, the calculation of means, standard deviation, and principal componentanalysis (PCA) and ascending hierarchical classification (CAH). We also estimated genetic diversity by Shannon and Weaver index. They find that the Algerian Barbe horse is a eumetric, mediolinear horse with a body index of 0.955, (squared horse), with a median size of (152.5) cm, a chest of (175.5) cm and a posterior(19.8) cm and anterior (20.6) cm canon. It has a slightly hooked convex cephalic profile and a predominantly chestnut robe. Its characteristics make the horse Barbe of Algeria conform to the standard as defined by the world organization of the horse Barbe.

Morphometric differences of multiple equine breed types

Morphometric differences of multiple equine breed types

Responses of Domestic Horses and Ponies to Single, Combined and Conflicting Visual and Auditory Cues

Domestic horses and ponies communicate using visual and auditory signals. It has been reported that equines can respond to visual cues in object-choice tests, but utilization of auditory cues, alone or associated with visual cues, has not be investigated. Effect of equine breed type in object-choice selection is unknown. Using object-choice tests, we investigated the hypotheses that breed types (1) can use both visual and auditory human-given cues; (2) that performance is enhanced when both visual and auditory cues are presented together to signal a baited bucket, compared with when a cue is presented singly; (3) that latency to make a choice increases and choice is random, when auditory and visual cues conflict; and (4) that ponies outperform horses. Irrespective of breed type, subjects were equally successful at using single visual, auditory, and combined cues (proportion of correct choices: visual 0.63 ± 0.047 [P = .004], auditory 0.61 ± 0.045 [P = .013], combined 0.64 ± 0.054 [P = .007]). In contrast to our hypothesis, combining cues did not significantly improve the likelihood of correct choice. Ponies outperformed horses using visual cues (P = .044). In conflicting cue tests, 70% of subjects responded randomly; the remainder preferentially responded to visual cues. Our study showed that horses and ponies can respond with equal proficiency to both visual and auditory cues, alone and combined; however, ponies outperformed horses using visual cues. Our results may be used to improve relationships between humans and equines, as we demonstrated the importance of engaging both visual and auditory modalities.

Effect of increased adiposity on insulin sensitivity and adipokine concentrations in different equine breeds adapted to cereal-rich or fat-rich meals

The relationships between diet, obesity and insulin dysregulation in equids require further investigation due to their association with laminitis. This study examined the effect of dietary glycaemic load and increased adiposity on insulin sensitivity and adipokine concentrations in different equine breeds. Equal numbers of Standardbred horses, mixed-breed ponies and Andalusian horses were provided with ad libitum hay plus either cereal-rich (CHO; n = 12), fat-rich (FAT; n = 12) or control (CON; n = 9) meals over 20 weeks. The isocaloric CHO and FAT diets were fed to induce obesity by gradually increasing the supplementary feeds to provide 200% of daily digestible energy requirements by Week 20. The CON group were fed a basal ration only and maintained moderate body condition.At Week 20, the CHO and FAT groups demonstrated significantly increased body condition score, bodyweight, total body fat mass and plasma leptin concentrations compared with the CON group (P < 0.001). The CHO group had lower insulin sensitivity (SI; P < 0.001) and higher acute insulin response to glucose (P = 0.002) than the CON group. In contrast, the FAT group was no different to the control group. Ponies and Andalusians had lower SI values compared with Standardbreds, regardless of diet group (P = 0.001). Adiponectin concentrations were similar between the FAT and CON groups, but were significantly lower in the CHO group (P = 0.010). The provision of cereal-rich meals appeared to be a more important determinant of insulin sensitivity than the induction of obesity per se. Whether hypoadiponectinaemia is a cause or consequence of insulin dysregulation warrants further investigation.

“Dear International Guests and Friends of the Icelandic Horse”: Experience, Meaning and Belonging at a Niche Sporting Event

ABSTRACTLandsmót hestamanna is the national championships for the Icelandic horse and a major festival for the special interest group addressed by the event organisers as “Friends of the Icelandic horse”. As the designated country of origin for this particular equine breed, Iceland has a special place in the discursive practices of the communities involved with the Icelandic horse worldwide, while the Icelandic horse plays an important role in the tourism marketing of Iceland as a destination. Participant observation was conducted at the 2012 Landsmót in Reykjavík by two independent observers; one was an international visitor while the other was a native of Iceland. The data collected raise interesting questions about belonging to a niche market and attending associated events, the social construction of event experiences, about being an insider and an outsider, and how these positions are contingent and changeable across spatial and temporal boundaries within the flow of an event.

Skeletal Muscle Fiber Composition of Untrained Mangalarga Marchador Fillies

Mangalarga Marchador (MM) is the most important and numerous equine breed in Brazil. So far, no studies have been carried out on the breed's skeletal muscle composition, which is important to develop specific physical conditioning programs. To characterize the skeletal muscle fiber composition of young MM females, gluteus medius muscle biopsies were obtained from 13 fillies between 2.5- and 3-year-old using a biopsy needle at 60-mm depth. Types I, IIA, and IIX fibers were determined by the metachromatic staining method of ATPase activity in myofibers using preincubation followed by incubation in alkaline medium. Relative frequency (%F), average cross-sectional area (CSA), and relative cross-sectional area (%CSA) of each muscle fiber type were determined. Considering %F, 29.5 ± 5.4% were type I, 40.3 ± 5.5% were type IIA, and 30.2 ± 5.9% were type IIX fibers. CSA of type I fibers was 2,633 ± 798 μm2, of type IIA was 3,407 ± 492 μm2, and of type IIX was 5,856 ± 1,237 μm2. %CSA was composed of 19.7 ± 4.9% of type I fibers, 35.4 ± 4.7% of type IIA, and 44.9 ± 7.4% of type IIX. The gluteus medius muscle of untrained MM fillies was predominantly composed of type IIA fibers, but the highest total relative area was occupied by type IIX fibers, suggesting moderate aptitude to the oxidative and glycolytic metabolisms.

Assessing the risk status of livestock breeds: a multi-indicator method applied to 178 French local breeds belonging to ten species

SummaryBreed risk status assessment methods are key components of country-based early warning and response systems. In this study, a multi-indicator method was developed to assess the risk status of livestock populations. Six indicators were used: (i) the current number of breeding females; (ii) the change in the number of breeding females over the last 5 years or generations (depending on the species); (iii) percentage of cross-breeding; (iv) effective population size; (v) breeders organization and technical support; and (vi) socio-economic context. To make these indicators comparable, observed values were converted into scores on a six-point scale (from 0 = no threat to 5 = maximum threat); a specific conversion method was used for each indicator. For each breed, the different scores were analysed graphically and an overall score was calculated by averaging the six separate indicator scores. This approach was applied to 178 French local breeds, belonging to ten different species: horse, donkey, goat, pig, chicken, turkey, goose and Pekin duck. A large percentage of local breeds were found to be at risk to be lost for farming, although the results were species dependent. All local equine and pig breeds, as well as almost all local poultry breeds appeared to be endangered. About 80 percent of local goat and cattle breeds, and half local sheep breeds were also found to be at risk. The usefulness of this method with regards to conservation strategies and public policy is discussed.

Postprandial glucose, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 responses of different equine breeds adapted to meals containing micronized maize.

The enteroinsular axis is a complex system that includes the release of incretin hormones from the gut to promote the absorption and utilization of glucose after a meal. The insulinogenic effect of incretin hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) remains poorly characterized in the horse. The aim of this study was to compare postprandial glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 responses of different equine breeds adapted to twice-daily meals containing micronized maize. Four Standardbred horses, 4 mixed-breed ponies, and 4 Andalusian cross horses in moderate BCS (5.5 ± 0.2 out of 9) were fed meals at 0800 and 1600 h each day. The meals contained micronized maize (mixed with soaked soybean hulls and lucerne chaff), with the amount of maize gradually increased over 12 wk to reach a final quantity of 1.7 g/kg BW (1.1 g/kg BW starch) in each meal. Animals had ad libitum access to the same hay throughout. After 12 wk of acclimation, serial blood samples were collected from all animals over a 14-h period to measure concentrations of glucose, insulin, and GLP-1, with meals fed immediately after the 0 and 8 h samples. Glucose area under the curve (AUC) values were similar between breed groups (P = 0.41); however, ponies and Andalusian horses exhibited significantly higher insulin AUC values after both meals compared with Standardbred horses (both P < 0.005). Postprandial GLP-1 AUC values were also significantly higher in ponies and Andalusian horses compared with Standardbred horses (breed × time interaction; P < 0.001). Correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive association between concentrations of insulin and GLP-1 over time (rs = 0.752; P < 0.001). The increased insulin concentrations in ponies and Andalusian horses may partly reflect lower insulin sensitivity but could also be attributed to increased GLP-1 release. Given that hyperinsulinemia is a recognized risk factor for the development of laminitis in domestic equids, this study provides evidence that the enteroinsular axis warrants further investigation.

Morphological and genetic characterization of an emerging Azorean horse breed: the Terceira Pony

The Terceira Pony is a horse indigenous to Terceira Island in the Azores. These horses were very important during the colonization of the island. Due to their very balanced proportions and correct gaits, and with an average withers height of 1.28 m, the Terceira Pony is often confused with a miniature pure-bred Lusitano. This population was officially recognized as the fourth Portuguese equine breed by the national authorities in January, 2014. The aim of this study was to analyze the morphology and the genetic diversity by means of microsatellite markers of this emerging horse breed. The biometric data consisted of 28 body measurements and nine angles from 30 animals (11 sires, 19 dams). The Terceira Pony is now a recognized horse breed and is gaining in popularity amongst breeders and the younger riding classes. The information obtained from this study will be very useful for conservation and management purposes, including maximizing the breed’s genetic diversity, and solidifying the desirable phenotypic traits.

HEpD: A database describing epigenetic differences between Thoroughbred and Jeju horses

With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology, genome-wide maps of DNA methylation are now available. The Thoroughbred horse is bred for racing, while the Jeju horse is a traditional Korean horse bred for racing or food. The methylation profiles of equine organs may provide genomic clues underlying their athletic traits. We have developed a database to elucidate genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of the cerebrum, lung, heart, and skeletal muscle from Thoroughbred and Jeju horses. Using MeDIP-Seq, our database provides information regarding significantly enriched methylated regions beyond a threshold, methylation density of a specific region, and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) for tissues from two equine breeds. It provided methylation patterns at 784 gene regions in the equine genome. This database can potentially help researchers identify DMRs in the tissues of these horse species and investigate the differences between the Thoroughbred and Jeju horse breeds.

151 REPRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS OF MINI-HORSE MARES

The Mini-horse is a new equine breed that is on the rise in Brazil. These are animals with a maximum adult height of 98 cm for females and 93 cm for males, with a well-proportioned body. Those animals are easily handled by children and require small spaces with low maintenance costs. The Mini-horse is under constant genetic selection that is aimed mainly at decreasing its height. For this reason, mares of low stature are required, justifying their use in assisted reproduction programs. Reproductive data of these animals are not available in the literature. Only data of full-size mares are referenced, not taking into account the particularities of this breed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe one technique of embryo transfer (ET) for Mini-horse mares. Reproductive rates obtained during the 2012/2013 Brazilian breeding season are presented. Thirteen Mini-horse donor mares were monitored daily by transrectal ultrasonography and ovulation induction was performed with injection of deslorelin acetate or hCG, along with natural breeding using the same stallion for all mares. Eight days after detection of ovulation, flushing for embryo collection was performed. The recipient mares were also monitored daily to detect ovulation and those selected ovulated in the range of up to four days after the donor mare. In order to prevent cervical injuries, the large catheter traditionally employed in uterine washing of large mares was replaced by a Foley catheter (24 Fr in diameter). A range of 50 to 250 mL of Ringer's lactate solution was used to fill the uterus up to 5 times or until the embryo was observed in the collector filter. After the embryo collection, the donor mare received a dose of luteinizing drug (sodic cloprostenol – Sincrocio®, Ouro Fino, Brazil). The recipient mare was examined for a corpus luteum, absence of uterine fluid or endometrial oedema, and good cervical and uterine tone. Recipients were also selected by height (similar to donors) so that the newborn foal could reach the recipient mare's udder to nurse. For non-surgical transfer, the embryos were aspirated by an artificial insemination pipette with ~0.5 mL of holding medium interspersed with small columns of air and then inserted into the uterine body of the recipient mares. Daily follicular growth was 2.2 ± 1.0 mm and the size of follicles at ovulation induction was 31.6 ± 2.8 mm. In 57 embryo collections performed, 46 embryos were obtained and transferred into the uteri of recipient mares, resulting in 35 pregnancies. The embryo recovery and pregnancy rate were 80.7% and 76.1% respectively. The relationship between pregnancy and number of embryo flushes performed was 61.4%. The time between two consecutive flushes was 20 ± 4.5 days. The rate of embryonic loss between 20 and 60 days was 20%. The easy handling of the animals and the high rates of ET program success were promising. However, information regarding full-size mares should be used with caution, respecting the specific characteristics of this breed.

The Legend of the Canadian Horse: Genetic Diversity and Breed Origin

The Canadian breed of horse invokes a fascinating chapter of North American history and as such it is now a heritage breed and the national horse of Canada. The aims of this study were to determine the level of genetic diversity in the Canadian, investigate the possible foundation breeds and the role it had in the development of the US horse breeds, such as Morgan Horse. We tested a total of 981 horses by using 15 microsatellite markers. We found that Canadian horses have high values of genetic diversity indices and show no evidence of a serious loss of genetic diversity and the inbreeding coefficient was not significantly different from zero. Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales Pony, unlike the light French horses, may have common ancestries with the Canadian and could be important founders. However, the Shire and Clydesdale influenced the Canadian to a lesser extent than French and Belgian draft breeds. Furthermore, our finding indicated that there was no evidence of a clear relationship between Canadian and Oriental or Iberian breeds. Also, the Canadian likely contributed to the early development of the Morgan. Finally, these findings support the ancient legends of the Canadian Horse as North America’s first equine breed and the foundation bloodstock to many American breeds and may help in the management and breeding program of this outstanding breed in North America.

Geometric morphometrics for the study of hemicoxae sexual dimorphism in a local domestic equine breed

Abstract Introduction and material and methods. Twenty-height skeletonised hemicoxae from young animals (yearlings, 13 males and 15 females) belonging to the “CavallPirinencCatalà” horse (Catalan Pyrenean Horse) breed were studied by means of geometric morphometric (GM) methods. Morphometric analysis was based on coordinates of 16 landmarks of the ilium and ischiopubic regions that were digitised on 2D photographic images. Sexes did not appear separated either by size or shape, the latter being independent of the former.K-means clustering of shape variables were used in order to classify individuals by sex and an average accuracy of 57.1% was achieved. Results. Males were misclassified more frequently than females. For the iliac landmarks, which contributed to the total variance of shape with the higher degree, the value obtained increased to 60.7% for k-means. The ischiopubic complex contributed less to sex differentiation according to shape. Conclusion. It is concluded that the use of GM and multivariate statistics is not a reliable method to quantify pelvic shape and size differences between the sexes for equine yearlings. This is the irst known study to apply GM to the hip of an equine breed.

Setting up equine embryo gender determination by preimplantation genetic diagnosis in a commercial embryo transfer program

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows identifying genetic traits in early embryos. Because in some equine breeds, like Polo Argentino, females are preferred to males for competition, PGD can be used to determine the gender of the embryo before transfer and thus allow the production of only female pregnancies. This procedure could have a great impact on commercial embryo production programs. The present study was conducted to adapt gender selection by PGD to a large-scale equine embryo transfer program. To achieve this, we studied (i) the effect on pregnancy rates of holding biopsied embryos for 7 to 10 hours in holding medium at 32 °C before transfer, (ii) the effect on pregnancy rates of using embryos of different sizes for biopsy, and (iii) the efficiency of amplification by heating biopsies before polymerase chain reaction. Equine embryos were classified by size (≤300, 300–1000, and >1000 μm), biopsied, and transferred 1 to 2 or 7 to 10 hours after flushing. Some of the biopsy samples obtained were incubated for 10 minutes at 95 °C and the rest remained untreated. Pregnancy rates were recorded at 25 days of gestation; fetal gender was determined using ultrasonography and compared with PGD results. Holding biopsied embryos for 7 to 10 hours before transfer produced pregnancy rates similar to those for biopsied embryos transferred within 2 hours (63% and 57%, respectively). These results did not differ from pregnancy rates of nonbiopsied embryos undergoing the same holding times (50% for 7–10 hours and 63% for 1–2 hours). Pregnancy rates for biopsied and nonbiopsied embryos did not differ between size groups or between biopsied and nonbiopsied embryos within the same size group (P > 0.05). Incubating biopsy samples for 10 minutes at 95 °C before polymerase chain reaction significantly increased the diagnosis rate (78.5% vs. 45.5% for treated and nontreated biopsy samples respectively). Gender determination using incubated biopsy samples matched the results obtained using ultrasonography in all pregnancies assessed (11/11, 100%); untreated biopsy samples were correctly diagnosed in 36 of 41 assessed pregnancies (87.8%), although the difference between treated and untreated biopsy samples was not significant. Our results demonstrated that biopsied embryos can remain in holding medium before being transferred, until gender diagnosis by PGD is complete (7–10 hours), without affecting pregnancy rates. This simplifies the management of an embryo transfer program willing to incorporate PGD for gender selection, by transferring only embryos of the desired sex. Embryo biopsy can be performed in a clinical setting on embryos of different sizes, without affecting their viability. Additionally, we showed that pretreating biopsy samples with a short incubation at 95 °C improved the overall efficiency of embryo sex determination.

Phenotypic analyses support investigations of phylogeny in the Skyrian pony and other breeds

Although genetic analyses suggest that the Skyrian pony is unrelated to other breeds, it shares some physical features with Exmoor ponies, thought to originate in the primitive pony referred to as Pony Type 1, and the Caspian horse, thought to be descended from Horse Type 4. To test the hypothesis that the Skyrian shares the Exmoor’s origin in Pony Type 1, comparisons were made of defined physical characters and morphometric measurements amongst Skyrian ponies, Exmoor ponies and Caspian horses. The average mean character differences were 0.56 ± 0.12 between the Skyrians and Exmoors, 0.43 ± 0.15 between the Skyrians and Caspians and 0.83 ± 0.06 between the Caspians and Exmoors. This approximates to reports comparing other horse breeds and breeds in other species, confirming that the Skyrian is a distinct breed. Using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Friedman’s ANOVA and post hoc tests, no significant differences were found between Skyrians and Caspians in the eye, neck, body and limb shape (P = 1.000) nor shoulder angle (P = 0.222) nor in the ratios of body length:elbow height, neck length:neck circumference and heart girth: height to withers. However, there were significant differences ( P < 0.001) between Skyrians and Exmoors for these physical characters and ratios. While significant differences existed between Skyrians and Caspians in cephalic profile, parietal crest and tail placement (P < 0.001) and there were similarities between Skyrians and Exmoors in these physical characters (P = 1.000 or 0.098), overall the Skyrians appeared phenotypically closer to the Caspian, but unrelated to either breed. This investigation enabled the evaluation of a methodology comprising systematic, comprehensive investigations of phenotype, with data reduced and analysed by appropriate statistical methods, to clarify equine breed ancestry and phylogeny. The studies confirmed that the analysis of phenotype has utility and potential for investigations of phylogeny in species where there may be a paucity of information from the genetic base. Moreover, this approach has been shown to support and augment knowledge derived from studies based on genetic testing and provide a cost-effective and easily performed method of determining relatedness amongst equine breeds.

Geometric Morphometrics for the Study of Hemicoxae Sexual Dimorphism in a Local Domestic Equine Breed

Twenty-eight skeletonized hemicoxae from young animals (yearlings, 13 males and 15 females) belonging to the “Cavall Pirinenc Catala” horse (Catalan Pyrenean Horse) breed were studied by means of geometric morphometric (GM) methods.Morphometric analysis was based on coordinates of 16 landmarks of the ilium and ischiopubic regions that were digitized on 2D photographic images. Sexes did not appear separated either by size or shape, the latter being independent of the former. K-means clustering of shape variables were used in order to classify individuals by sex and an average accuracy of 57.1% was achieved. Males were misclassified more frequently than females. For the iliac landmarks, which contributed to the total variance of shape with the higher degree, the value obtained increased to 60.7% for k-means. The ischiopubic complex contributed less to sex differentiation according to shape. It is concluded that the use of GM and multivariate statistics is not a reliable method to quantify pelvic shape and size differences between the sexes for equine yearlings. This is the first known study to apply GM to the hip of an equine breed.