Genealogical and morphological analysis of Lusitano Purebred horses participating at international Dressage competitions

Abstract

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) ranks horses participating in dressage tests resulting in a prestigious list where equestrians would like to see their horses ranked. The main objective of this study was to analyze morphological and genealogical differences between Lusitano horses (LPB) participating at international events and those ranked by FEI, considering pedigree information. For this study, 324 LPB participating in dressage competitions were analyzed. Thirty-two were ranked at FEI. The pedigree was reconstructed up to 1148 animals. For analyses, the complete pedigree (CP) and 2 subpopulations were used: PARTIC for animals participating in FEI competitions and RANK for animals ranked by FEI. Ten morphological parameters, obtained during the breeding process, were analyzed. A multivariable analysis was developed, with sex, age and sex*age interaction as factors and morphological parameters as the outcome variables. For variables showing statistically significant differences, Least Square Means and Tukey post-hoc tests were performed. Furthermore, the 10 most influential founders were calculated for each population studied and their morphological parameters were compared with the rest of the pedigree's, using a T-Test for independent samples. In general, the CP showed the highest mean values for all morphological parameters, except for "Back", "Croup" and "Height", suggesting an evolution in the morphological selection. Regarding the factors studied, a sexual dimorphism was found, with oldest males scored the highest for most morphological parameters. Finally, different founder lines were found in the RANK population, suggesting different selection trends. Thus, LPB breed standards should reconcile with performance parameters to improve genetic progress.

Keywords: Dressage; Equine; FEI; Founder; Morphology.