1. Meunarodni simpozij o konjikoj industriji i 3. Hrvatski simpozij o lipicanskoj pasmini, Slavonski Brod, 12. prosinca 2009.

godine
Zbornik radova / Godina 2009./ Broj 3. / ISSN 1847-4608

BLUP Breeding values and Conservation breeding programs a contradiction?

Dr. Thomas Druml
Pckau 41, A-9601 Arnoldstein, Austria,
mail: Thomas.druml@gmx.at
Phone : 004369910693488

Conformation scoring in livestock is a well accepted procedure based either on a

biological background of a morphological trait, i.e. shoulder: short long, or on a ranking
scale, i.e. shoulder: bad good. Ranking from good to bad performance and
conformation is used usually for horses, while in other livestock as dairy cattle scoring at
a biological scale is preferred.
Several versions of market focused breeding programs and breeding goals have been
established and scientifically documented. These publications are focusing on the
estimation of genetic parameters for conformation traits, performance traits and their
genetic correlations. Some studies use linear scoring systems, where large numbers of
traits are chosen in order to score traits individually rather than in combination. In Europe
most breeding organisations are using ranking scales. For problems caused by these
subjective scoring systems, see Preisinger et al., 1991 and Butler-Wemken, 1987; ButlerWemken et al., 1992. Locomotion and Conformation are the traits on which most horse
breeding programs are based. The methods of subjective trait scoring used in breeding
programs as well as in sportive dressage competitions do not offer an objective
evaluation in term of the phenotype.
To evaluate the breeding program in the Austrian Noriker draught horse population,
which is mostly based on conformation, 31 body measurements from 497 horses in seven
breeding areas of Austria were recorded. In addition, the data of 2376 horses (the current
breeding population of the year 2004) from the studbook, containing 10 scored
conformation traits and 4 body measurements per individual, were analysed. We assumed
breeding areas, coat colour and breeding classes assigned according to conformation
evaluation to be the main factors in phenotypic diversity of this Austrian draft horse
breed. Significant differences and distances were found for all of these factors. Whereas
differences between breeding areas mostly are due to housing conditions and feeding
strategies, the breeding classes provide a very distinct picture of the current trends in
Noriker breeding. Breeding organisations favour a long, deep and high Noriker draught
horse, a tendency that is the same for all departments. Heritability estimates for
morphological traits vary from 0 to 0.67, and from 0.10 to 0.29 for linear type traits.
Furtheron in 2008 the first run of a BLUP breeding value estimation was performed in
order to test if it is possible to etablish such an evauation scheme and to verify the results
given by the BLUP methodology. In this presentation the advantages and disadvantages
of BLUP applied in an endangered horse breed are being discussed.