Open AccessPhenotypic diversity of horse breeds used in sports activities, employing multivariate analysis
Author(s) -
Marcos Paulo Gonçalves de Rezende,
Júlio César de Souza,
Carlos Henrıque Mendes Malhado,
Paulo L. S. Carneiro,
Johnny Iglesias Mendes Araújo,
Leonardo G Sitorski,
Rıccardo Moretti,
Rıccardo Bozzi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
spanish journal of agricultural research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2171-9292
pISSN - 1695-971X
DOI - 10.5424/sjar/2021191-16576
Subject(s) - breed , principal component analysis , multivariate analysis of variance , multivariate statistics , statistics , mathematics , multivariate analysis , canonical analysis , biometrics , veterinary medicine , biology , computer science , zoology , artificial intelligence , medicine
Aim of study: Sports involving horses have notable financial importance. Breeds are evaluated to find the best-suited ones for a specific sport category. Phenotypic diversity using biometric markers was evaluated for Quarter Horse (QH), Arabic (AR), English Thoroughbred (ET), and Brazilian Equestrian (BE) horse breeds.Area of study: Mato Grosso do Sul-Brazil.Material and methods: Lengths, widths, and circumference measures of 268 horses were collected. These measures were used to estimate conformation indexes. The size-free canonical discriminant analysis was used to remove the size effect on the animal's shape. The similarity among breeds (by sex) was evaluated employing multivariate analysis (canonical analysis, MANOVA, principal components, Euclidean distances, and grouping through complete linkage), considering all linear measures and conformation indexes (included in the analysis of principal components).Main results: Four canonical variables (CANs), each one representing an equation to interpret the morpho-functionality of breeds “sustentation”, “structure”, “frame”, and “equilibrium”, were retained. The breeds presented differences when the CANs were simultaneously considered. Differences mainly were the size and the thickness of the body as well as the ability of the animal to move. ET, QH, and BE demonstrate a well-defined biometric profile. These three breeds clustered separately from AR breed.Research highlights: Canonical variables allow to verify the functional aptitudes since the responses were close to conformation indices commonly used as horse skill estimators. The implementation of these variables as selection criteria in horse breeding programs require further studies in larger populations of horses for a confirmation of the present results.