Hoof Care Practitioners - important research.

intouch

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"American researchers are significantly closer to identifying the genes responsible for Hoof Wall Separation Syndrome (HWSS) in Connemara ponies.

Recent findings are an important step toward ultimately developing a genetic test capable of identifying carriers, and potentially eliminating the debilitating condition from the breed in the long term.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, performed a genome-wide association study to find out more about the condition, in which the dorsal hoof wall splits from underlying structures.

Their research proves there is a genetic basis to the condition – a view that has been questioned until now by some in the Connemara Pony breeding world.

Dr Carrie Finno, Carly Stevens, and Dr Danika Bannasch found a strong association between the disease status and polymorphisms – a genetic variant that appears in at least 1 per cent of a population – in two-megabase regions of the genome.

Sequencing of candidate genes within this region is under way to find those responsible for the syndrome.

The syndrome is an inherited condition and typified by the dorsal hoof wall splitting away from underlying structures.

The defect develops in foals between one and six months of age. It results in afflicted ponies having to support weight on the sole of the hoof instead of the dorsal hoof wall."

Check out horsetalk.co.nz for more details - important for more than just Connemaras.
 
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