Genetic Testing and the Future of Equine Genomics

Genetic tests are now available for most coat color traits and many simple Mendelian diseases in the horse. The horse genome sequence was completed in 2006, with sequence available online to researchers in June of that year. This wealth of new data has already been exploited to provide some very powerful tools that can be used to define more simply inherited diseases in horses at the molecular level, as well as potentially more complex diseases. With the continued availability of genetic testing in horses, veterinarians, and particularly reproduction experts, need to have a good basic understanding of these tests to assist their clients in making informed breeding decisions.