Preliminary Analysis of the Development of the Breeding Program of Peruvian Paso Horse under Field Conditions

Abstract

Genetic parameters of overreach, term and acuteness in Peruvian Paso horses (PPH) have not been determined to date. It is important to estimate these parameters for application in PPH breeding, therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the heritability, repeatability, and genetic correlations under field conditions of overreach, term, and acuteness of PPHs. The study included records of up to 137 stallions and mares. All measurements were recorded in MP4 video format with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 megapixels and at 60 frames per second. All traits were measured three times (once per stride), and each trait was analyzed. KINOVEA software version 0.9.5 was used to analyze the measurements. A multivariate repeated measures animal model with sex effect was used to estimate the variance components for each trait using WOMBAT software. The results showed heritability of 0.411, 0.476 and 0.405, for the traits of overreach, term, and acuteness, respectively. Repeatability was high in all traits (> 0.78). Genetic additive correlations ranged from -0.30 to 0.49. It can be concluded that overreach and term have high heritability values, which allows these traits to respond better in a selection process, unlike acuteness which has a moderate heritability value.