Conservation Genetics of Endangered Horse Breeds

Authors: Edited by Imre Bodó, Lawrence Alderson and Bertrand Langlois
This book is particularly interesting for both horse breeders and molecular geneticists. Equids (horses and asses) have a particular place in the human culture and history. There are strong arguments for conservation of rare, endangered horse breeds and populations, however the maintenance of native breeds does not result in profitable business.Some populations and namely rare horse breeds need to be re-evaluated yet, others need to be saved from extinction very urgently.

EAAP Scientific Series no. 116

Enlisting the aid of modern science gives us many tools for reaching decisions to realize the preservation of different rare populations and not to use solely pedigrees, conformation and historical data. The molecular genetic approach and the phenotypic estimation of the values of different breeds is more and more useful.

Hence, it was the right time for Horse Commission of EAAP together with Rare Breeds International (RBI) to perform a session devoted to the topic of progress in molecular genetics of horses. This book summarizes the papers on molecular genetic description of horse breeds and some aspects of evolution of horse species.

Availability: In Print
Publication date: 2005
Binding: Paperback
Dimensions: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Extent:188 pp
ISBN: (10 Digit)90-76998-79-5 (13 Digit) 978-90-76998-79-4

Book Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Molecular methods and equine genetic diversity
The use of markers for characterising genetic resources
A review on the methods of parentage and inbreeding analysis with molecular markers
Genetic distance as a tool in the conservation of rare horse breeds
Variation of mitochondrial DNA in Lipizzan horses
Analysis of inbreeding in the genetic resource of the „Old Kladrub horse“ in the period from 1993 to 2003
The numerical and genetic status of native horse and pony breeds in Britain
Characterisation of several Connemara Pony populations
Genetic characterisation of the Croatian autochthonous horse breeds based on polymorphic blood proteins and mtDNA data
Estimation of genetic distance between traditional horse breeds in Hungary
Genetic diversity of the Akhal-Teke horse breed in Turkmenistan based on microsatellite analysis
Rare horse breeds in Northern Europe
Use of probabilities of gene origin to describe genetic varation in two endangered Norwegian horse breeds
Bardigiano horse selection: a genetic global index for linear type traits
The Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed: origin, breeding program, efficiency of the selection scheme and inbreeding
Genetic characterization of Pentro young horses by microsatellite markers
The Retuertas horse: the “missing link” in the Iberoamerican horse breeds origin?
Genetic diversity of the Zemaitukai Horse
Keyword index
Author index