DNA Panel
Additional Information
We recently had a DNA panel run on Doc by Etalon Diagnostics. The following exerts are from a blog on their website.
Curiosity/Vigilance
"Good temperament in my horses means the world to me. In order to develop a strong partnership with a horse that I am riding, the horse needs to be both willing and curious. Up until recently, these traits were something that I had to discover on my own over time when a new horse came in for training.
EtalonDx is taking the guesswork out of these traits. While temperament is a complex trait influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors, Etalon has found that predisposition to traits like curiosity (an interest in novel objects and a willingness to approach them) and vigilance (the tendency of a horse to examine its surroundings carefully and from a safer distance) can be seen within the genetic makeup of each horse.
After Etalon Diagnostics did this testing, we now know that Doc is homozygous for the G allele, and horses homozygous for the G allele (G/G) have been found to display both higher curiosity and lower vigilance scores.
Gait Gene DRMT3
Horses display a wide variation in locomotion, with “gaited” breeds displaying a range of unique footfall patterns at intermediate speeds. Even amongst the "non-gaited" breeds, some individuals are capable of unique lateral movements. Also, while most horses will shift into the three beat canter at higher speeds, some horses are able to remain in their intermediate gaits (for example, harness racing breeds) without breaking into a canter. DMRT3 is a transcription factor located within the spinal cord, and therefore, a neurologically active genetic variant.
The exact phenotype of the DMRT3 mutation is, to date, somewhat controversial. Currently published research has identified this mutation as the causal variation responsible for the ability to perform intermediate lateral gaits and has been subsequently called "the gait gene" by some.
Doc is homozygous for DRMT3.
Doc's Foals
