Dataset Information

Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition.

ABSTRACT: Functional longevity is essential for the well-being of horses and the satisfaction of riders. Conventional selection using longevity breeding values calculated from competition results is not efficient because it takes too long to obtain reliable information. Therefore, the objective was to identify early criteria for selection. We assessed two types of early criteria: gait traits of young horses and QTLs. Thus, our aim was to estimate the genetic correlation between gait traits and longevity and to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for longevity. Measurements of gaits by accelerometry were recorded on 1,477 show jumping horses that were 4 to 5 years old. Gait analysis provided 9 principal components describing trot, canter, and walk. Longevity estimated breeding values (EBVs) for stallions were calculated using a survival analysis of more than 900,000 years of performances by 179,448 show jumping horses born from 1981 onwards. Longevity was measured as the number of years spent in competition. Model included region and month of birth, age at first competition, year, and performance level. Longevity EBVs were deregressed to obtain weighted pseudo-performances for 1,968 stallions. Genomic data were available for 3,658 jumping horses. Seventy-eight percent of the horses measured for gaits and twenty-five percent of those measured for longevity were genotyped. A GWAS of longevity revealed no significant QTLs. Genetic parameters between each of the 9 principal components of the gait variables and longevity were evaluated with a bi-trait animal linear mixed model using single-step GBLUP analysis with the relationship matrix constructed from genomic data and genealogy (24,448 ancestors over four generations). The heritability of the gait traits varied from 0.11 to 0.44. The third principal component for trot (high lateral activity) and the first principal component for canter (high dorsoventral activity and low stride frequency) were moderately genetically correlated with higher longevity: r_g = 0.38 (0.15) and 0.28 (0.13), respectively. Our study revealed that functional longevity is a polygenic trait with no major genes. We found new correlations between longevity and gait traits. Before using gait characteristics in a selection plan, these correlations need to be understood better at the biomechanical level.

SUBMITTER: Dugue M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7879571 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition.

Dugué Manon M Dumont Saint Priest Bernard B Crichan Harmony H Danvy Sophie S Ricard Anne A

Frontiers in genetics 20210129

Functional longevity is essential for the well-being of horses and the satisfaction of riders. Conventional selection using longevity breeding values calculated from competition results is not efficient because it takes too long to obtain reliable information. Therefore, the objective was to identify early criteria for selection. We assessed two types of early criteria: gait traits of young horses and QTLs. Thus, our aim was to estimate the genetic correlation between gait traits and longevity a ...[more]

PMID: 33584826

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Project description:The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic component of the locomotor jumping ability, via a wearable accelerometer sensor, and to estimate the genetic correlation with performance in competition, to introduce such criteria in selection schema. A sample of 1,056 young 3-year-old horses were equipped with a 3-dimensional accelerometer during a free jumping test, in regular breeding shows from 2015 to 2017. Seven variables were extracted from the dorso-ventral acceleration curve for the last three jumps over a double bar obstacle of 1.15 m for the front pole and 1.20 m for the back pole with a 1.20 m spread. Variables were the peaks of forelimbs, hindlimbs, and landing acceleration, the duration between peaks at take-off, the peak of forelimb acceleration and start of jump, jump duration and duration between the beginning of the impact of forelimbs and the peak at landing. During breeding shows, judges scored balance, strength, style, and reactivity for free jumping and jumping tests under saddle. Jumping competition results were recorded by logarithm of the sum of points earned in each competition. All horses in official competitions were included, i.e., 160,257 horses born in 1997 with a total of 649,491 annual performances. An animal mixed model with complete pedigree over four generations (353,236 horses) were used with fixed effects of jumping test location and date, morning/afternoon, gender, month of birth, rank of jump for accelerometric data, effect of year of competition, combined with age and gender for competition results. As a result, jump duration was the most heritable and repeatable for jump variables: h 2 = 0.16 (0.06), r = 0.52 (0.02), while accelerations were moderately heritable (h 2 = 0.05-0.09, r = 0.39-0.51). Judgement scores were heritable: 0.21 (0.07)-0.33 (0.09) and were highly correlated. Scores during free jumping were genetically correlated to jump duration: 0.71 (0.15)-0.88 (0.16). Both jump duration and judgement scores were genetically correlated to competition performance: 0.59 (0.13) for jump duration, from 0.60 (0.11) to 0.77 (0.12) for scores. Jump duration and judgement scores can be used as early selection criteria. The advantage of the accelerometric measurement is its objectivity and the ease of recording.

Project description:One of the goals of the neuromotor control system is to minimize the cost of locomotion by reducing mechanical energy losses. Collisional mechanics, which studies the redirection of the downwards motion of the center of mass (COM) by ground reaction forces (GRF) generated by the limbs, represents an important source of energy loss. The primary objective of this study was to compare collisional mechanics and the associated mechanical energy losses in horses performing diagonally-synchronized gaits over a range of speeds. It is to be expected that collisional energy losses will be high when the COM velocity vector is closely aligned with the GRF vector. This condition is achieved in piaffe, an artificial gait performed in dressage competitions that has a diagonal limb coordination pattern similar to trot but performed with little or no forward velocity. Therefore, we hypothesized that collisional energy losses would be higher in piaffe than in trot. Synchronized kinematic and GRF data were collected from three highly-trained horses performing piaffe, passage and trot at a range of speeds. Derived variables were vertical excursion and velocity of the trunk COM, fore and hind limb compression expressed as percentage reduction of standing limb lengths, range of limb pro-retraction, GRF vector magnitude and vector angle, collision angle (Φ), and mechanical cost of motion (CoMotmech). Linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between CoMotmech and speed for each gait. Partial correlation was used to seek relationships between COM excursion and limb mechanics for each gait. Piaffe, passage and trot were clearly separated on the basis of speed. In all gaits the trunk was high at contact and lift off and descended to its lowest point in midstance following the pattern typical of spring mass mechanics. Mechanical cost was significantly (p < .05) and inversely related to speed in trot and piaffe with the value increasing steeply as speed approached zero due to a near vertical orientation of both the COM velocity vector and the GRF vector. Limb compression during stance was significantly (p < .05) linked to trunk COM vertical excursion in all gaits, with a stronger relationship in the forelimb. Hindlimb compression was, however, large in piaffe where the force magnitudes are notably smaller. The study illustrates the potential value of studying artificial gaits to provide data encompassing the entire range of locomotor capabilities. The results supported the experimental hypothesis by showing a threefold increase in collisional energy losses in piaffe compared with trot. In all gaits, dissociation between diagonal limb contacts and lift offs was thought to be an important strategy in reducing in collisional losses. Piaffe, the most costly gait, has similar characteristics to hopping on the spot. It appears that greater hindlimb compliance and a lower step frequency are important energy conservation strategies for piaffe.

Project description:BackgroundFor centuries, morphology has been the most commonly selected trait in horses. A 3D video recording enabled us to obtain the coordinates of 43 anatomical landmarks of 2089 jumping horses. Generalized Procrustes analysis provided centered and scaled coordinates that were independent of volume, i.e., centroid size. Genetic analysis of these coordinates (mixed model; 17,994 horses in the pedigree) allowed us to estimate a variance-covariance matrix. New phenotypes were then defined: the "summarized shapes". They were obtained by linear combinations of Procrustes coordinates with, as coefficients, the eigenvectors of the genetic variance-covariance matrix. These new phenotypes were used in genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) and multitrait genetic analysis that included judges' scores and competition results of the horses.ResultsWe defined ten shapes that represented 86% of the variance, with heritabilities ranging from 0.14 to 0.42. Only one of the shapes was found to be genetically correlated with competition success (rg = - 0.12, standard error = 0.07). Positive and negative genetic correlations between judges' scores and shapes were found. This means that the breeding objective defined by judges involves improvement of anatomical parts of the body that are negatively correlated with each other. Known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes 1 and 3 for height at withers were significant for centroid size but not for any of the shapes. As these SNPs were not associated with the shape that distinguished rectangular horses from square horses (with height at withers greater than body length), we hypothesize that these SNPs play a role in the overall development of horses, i.e. in height, width, and length but not in height at withers when standardized to unit centroid size. Several other SNPs were found significant for other shapes.ConclusionsThe main application of 3D morphometric analysis is the ability to define the estimated breeding value (EBV) of a sire based on the shape of its potential progeny, which is easier for breeders to visualize in a single synthetic image than a full description based on linear profiling. However, the acceptance of these new phenotypes by breeders and the complex nature of summarized shapes may be challenging. Due to the low genetic correlations of the summarized shapes with jumping performance, the methodology did not allow indirect performance selection criteria to be defined.

Project description:This study aimed to identify factors that can influence show-jumping performance during top level competitions in the Western European League (2017/2018, CSI5*). The performance data of 144 riders and 222 horses were obtained from video records (FEI TV/ website). Riders with horses achieved a total of 9114 jumping-efforts over 320 obstacles including oxers (n = 142), oxers with water (n = 15), triple bars (n = 6), verticals (n = 136), verticals with water (n = 14) and walls (n = 7). Obstacles in the first round (FR) or in jump off (JO) were standing either as single (n = 6290) or as a combination of two or three fences in a row (n = 2824). The overall fault rate (dropping the pole or refusal/run-out to jump) was 7.85%. The probability of a fault increased with the rank of the fence in the course of FR (F (1, 7649) = 5.29, P < 0.0001, GzLMM; PROC GLIMMIX, SAS). The highest probability of a fault (F (5, 7649) = 2.51, P < 0.03) in FR was found on the vertical obstacle with water (0.125 ± 0.021, LSMEAN ± standard error) while the lowest was on the triple bar (0.037 ± 0.015) and wall (0.048 ± 0.020). Riders who completed more starts in previous competitions achieved a lower fault rate (F (1, 7649) = 6.17, P < 0.02) in FR as well as in JO (F (1, 931) = 7.05, P < 0.01). The probability of faults in JO decreased with a higher speed (F (1, 931) = 6.66, P < 0.01) but there was no significant correlation between the speed in JO and FR in individual horses (r = 0.26, P < 0.01). More faults were found on the fences within combinations in both rounds (FR, JO). The highest probability of faults was found on the first fence (FR 0.095 ± 0.016; JO 0.043 ± 0.008) or second fence (JO 0.055 ± 0.020) of the double combination compared to the least probability of faults on single obstacles (FR 0.057 ± 0.007, F (5, 7649) = 5.29, P < 0.0001; JO 0.100 ± 0.027, F (1, 931) = 3.39, P < 0.04). Other tested factors did not affect show-jumping performance. Some faults are still more likely and not random in a show-jumping course, therefore, the appropriate training focus can improve performance and safety in competitions.

Dataset Information

Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition.

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Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition.

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