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Project

Genome-based sport horse breeding

Horses have been raised by man as multi-purpose companion animals for centuries. The sector of sport horses is economically important in Flanders and a large number of top quality horses are bred and trained every year. Genetic improvement of horses differs from other livestock mainly because of a long generation interval (typically 10 years) and because many “traits” of interest are difficult to measure, e.g. scores given by assessors or results in competition. Selection can be improved by integrating genomic information in the breeding evaluation of horses. This provides for a more accurate and an earlier evaluation of breeding stock. In this PhD-research, genomic selection will be developed for performance and conformation traits in Belgian breeds of Warmbloods. This includes determining the required size of the reference animal population, quantifying effects of crossbreeding, assessing the importance of marker density and the amount of animals phenotyped annually. Models will be used to assess the benefits of genomic selection in terms of accuracy and selection response. Results will help the studbooks and breeders to make optimal decisions for integrating genomic information into the breeding value procedure.

Date:7 Oct 2020 →  Today
Keywords:Genomics, Animal genetics, Quantitative genetics
Disciplines:Genomics, Animal genetics, Quantitative genetics
Project type:PhD project