Astonishing Breakthroughs in Pony Research Rocks the Equestrian World

The equestrian world consists of a wide range of horses of different breeds, different structures, and different calibers. There is always one or the other research going on regarding several breeds of horses. One of the breeds that is considered a special one is the Connemara pony. It is a pony that originally belonged to the Connemara region of Cp. Galway, Ireland.

They are appreciated for their hardiness, agility, stupendous jumping capacity, and temperament. These attributes make them stand apart from the other breeds. The researchers mostly study the genetics of this pony. Recently, research has been ongoing about it, and it has pointed out some very integral points that have not been noticed before. Here is a wider view of the same.

The equestrian research on the Connemara Pony 

Genetic research is going on about the Connemara pony and the evidence has been found about greater inbreeding in recent years. The main motive of the researchers of the journal Genetics Selection Evolution is to warn the breeders about the requirements to maintain overall breed health and preserve genetic variation.

They have found out that proactive changes in management breeding processes can assist in all the maintenance required. This Irish breed has the ability to produce both a traditionally tough pony to an active athlete. According to Horse Talk, in this research along with the Connemara, other well-studied warm-blooded horses are also kept under study for comparing both through molecular-based methods. These warm-blooded horses are also selectively bred for athletic performance, but it has a greater range of population.

The study reflected the genomic variation, inbreeding, and the population flowchart of every breed. Around 94 UK Warmbloods and 22 European Warmbloods were the main subject of the research. In the Connemara category, 36 animals from the UK and 3 from the US were taken into consideration. The analysts found a lot of information about inbreeding that was not discussed widely in the equestrian world up until today.

Findings of the Genetics Selection Evolution research on horse breeds

This research was initiated by Victoria Lindsay-McGee and her fellow analysts. After making the analysis, they found out that the Irish breed was less inbred as compared to the warmbloods. All the authentications are directed towards a greater degree of recent inbreeding. The analysts also mentioned that the non-registered horses were subject to less inbreeding.

Another point was also observed that both the registered and unregistered Connemara breeds are more likely to have a position of popular sire choice than the warmbloods. The researchers stated, “It is possible that, with modern breeding practices including the international travel of mares and shipping of semen, location is less linked to specific Warmblood line than in the past.” They further added, “Location does not accurately correlate with population structure.”

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Apart from this, bifurcation in this Irish breed and a source of genetic diversity in non-Irish populations was also observed. After a lot of observation, it was found that increment in inbreeding is a big concern. Even previous studies between 1980 to 2000 showed the same concerning situation.

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