Classification in exhibitions of Mangalarga horses: Genetic parameters and correlations with dynamic component traits

• Grant number: 22/14327-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Genetics and Improvement of Domestic Animals
• Principal Investigator: Josineudson Augusto Ii de Vasconcelos Silva
• Grantee: Gustavo Henrique Alberto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Mangalarga (ML) horse breed is one of the main horse breeds in Brazil, with a herd distributedthroughout the national territory. Horses of aesthetic beauty, with comfortable gait and trotted gait,of medium size, intended for saddle, suitable for sports, field work and leisure. Classified asstraight, mediolinear and eumetric, they are horses with desirable qualities for a saddle horse, alsoshowing docility, rusticity, versatility and resistance. The objective of the study is to analyze thegenetic parameters of the morphological and dynamic characteristics of the ML horse breed,including their correlations with the results obtained in the awards at National Mangalarga HorseExhibitions, in order to support the association, breeders, owners, trainers and technicians, in thedesign of genetic improvement programs. The data used in the study belong to and were providedby the Brazilian Association of Mangalarga Horse Breeders (ABCCRM). The pedigree filepresents 215,442 animals, 42.0% males and the rest females, born between 1925 and 2022. Thecharacteristics that will be evaluated to obtain the genetic parameters are included in themorphology (classifications of body regions, height withers, thoracic and shin perimeters) anddynamics (grades assigned in the final record, for displacement, dynamic postures, canter andcomfort) of the ML horses, and the record grade file contains evaluations of 1,346,049 grades(classifications) , belonging to 45,688 horses. Initially, the pedigree database will be elaborated,defining the characteristics to be evaluated and data consistency. The estimates of the variancecomponents will be obtained under Bayesian inference, using a multi-trait animal model and thesystematic effects of studs, year of birth, sex and age, and the random effects of animal, permanentenvironment of the animal and residue will be included. The effects considered in the model willbe verified after least squares analysis (p<0.01) and subject to changes in the variables. The resultswill make it possible to identify the variability of the characteristics and provide importantinformation for those directly or indirectly involved with animals of the Mangalarga breed.