The Purpose Of DNA Testing For Horses

By Stella Gay


For sure anyone will agree how beneficial and helpful horses are for human. They have been great companions since the past times either in the farm or in sports like equestrian festivals and racing. These animals are really athletic and they have the stealth, the speed, and the strength.

Certainly, you are already oriented with DNA technology. You have seen this on news and the benefits it has. This is good for investigations and forensics, specifically in identifying human bodies. DNA testing for horses is also very popular these days. This is required before the foals can be registered.

The parentage is verified through a sample of genetic cells taken from the hair of the animal. But it is not just the hair but the follicles most importantly as it contains all the genetic sequences needed for the test. This method is deemed accurate and reliable by the international sectors. And is standardized for all kinds of breed.

The first thing the scientists do is to take samples. For horses, the usual and easiest way to obtain samples is through their hair. The hair follicles contain cells that contain all the chromosomes and gene sequences needed for the examination. They then isolate these for the testing. This method is proven to have at least ninety nine point ninety nine percent of accuracy.

No animal owner can get away with this requirement by the International Society of Animal Genetics. They are mandating this in order to avoid genetic defects in the future breeds of the equines. Once the test is done, the foals can now be registered and they can now be legally transported from one place to another even in different countries.

At times, the results are unexpected. Some foals do not match with either of the dime nor sire. This happens usually when they are exchanged with another in the paddock. Other stallions will breed with other mares that they are not supposed to breed. These are basically why there is a dire need to identify parentage among these creatures.

But through DNA testing, this can be avoided and the parentage can still be traced. It is amazing that the real parents of the offspring can still be identified. However, without the gene samples of all the breeds in the database, there is a huge possibility that the horse will not get registered.

Hence, it is really important to take the DNA samples of all breed types. Identification of the foals will be easier if the genetic identities of the dam and sire have already been stored in the database. There could be delays or errors if the information in the database is lacking or limited.

In the future, this scientific advantage can be even more accurate that it actually already is. The professionals are already finding new ways to conduct the testing. Hence, the future of these methods is very bright and promising.




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