Dna testing for horses!!!!!!!!!!

B

berry

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 January 2006
Messages
858
Location
surrey
Visit site
Where can i get this done??.
I am really thinking about breeding from my mare next year but would love to know what breed she is as she was rescued and have'nt got a clue. Think she may have welshie in her whet else I dont know!.
Also if i put her in foal to a cremello stallion what colour would the foal most likley turn out?? She is a very bright coppery bay.
 
Didnt think a dna test will tell you what breed she is, you usually need to know one of her parents and dna will confirm if thats right
 
You need to have an idea who the sire and dam are and use the test to confirm that.
You cant just randomly test with no idea I'm afraid.
 
I had to have my TB dna tested when I applied for his Weatherbys passport as he came with an pleasure horse passport but after researching him we found him to be Weatherbys. Even though his microchip number matched that on the Weatherbys records there was still doubt over his colour as he was grey. Weatherbys sent me a kit out and I had to get my vet to take blood and send it off to the Weatherbys labs. I think they charged about £85 for this, but now he has a Weatherbys passport !
 
There would be no point doing a DNA test, as it won't tell you anything about breeding.
DNA tests are only useful when compared to other horses' DNA results - a match indicates a relationship.
I believe you can test for some colour genes though - but you'd be better posting in the Breeding sub-section here, as that's where the colour genetics gurus hide.
S
grin.gif
 
There is no point in DNA testing a horse if the sire or dam has not been DNA tested. DNA companies like Gene Control in Germany who have been testing foals for parentage testing for a number of years can run a horse profile through their database and say if the foal is by a stallion on the database. The cost for this are quite nominal possibly £30. Problems can arise over the copyright of the profile and the attitude of the studbook who paid for it. In the Uk DNA testing of all foals by hair or blood is possibly only done by Weatherbys and Hanoverians. Some societies do their stallions on grading.
 
All connemaras bred in the UK are DNA tested at registration, not sure about Welsh ponies but the website for the Breed Society does talk about the need to DNA test late registration foals. The Anglo European Studbook also hold DNA for some registered horses.

However, as others have said, this DNA testing is to prove parentage when sire and dam are known rather than to trawl through a sample CSI Miami style to see if a match is found. Just as a guideline the Anglo European DNA test is £115.

May be worth contacting the WCPS to see if they can help but I think it is unlikely.
 
All Welsh stallions have to have a hair sample submitted for DNA analysis when you apply for a stallion licence. However I'm not sure when they started doing this so DNA profiles may not be available for stallions registered some time ago.

DNA testing will only help you if you have a fair idea who your mare's parents might be - it will be useless if you are not even sure what breed she is. It works by comparing the DNA 'fingerprint' of your horse to that of the suspected sire and dam, to decide if they are related or not. Won't help you with a shot in the dark I'm afraid.
 
We routinely DNA profile our KC registered dogs but I haven't looked into this for horses. Do they DNA profile now or just parentage test? If so who is the best lab to go to in the UK for profiling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top