Summary of Genetic Predictions of Racing Performance in Quarter Horses

Summary of Genetic Predictions of Racing Performance in Quarter Horses
By: R. L. Willham and D. E. Wilson

The purpose of this article is to find what genetic traits can be used to predict what quarter horses will be best race horses. This information is then given to the breeders in order to produce the top notch race horses for competition. The researchers behind this data were from Iowa State University and Texas Tech University. These researchers were supported by the American Quarter Horse Association(AQHA). The idea of this research was to understand the genetics of breeding these quarter horses in order to select the ultimate horses to be selected to breed for the breed program. These researchers started out by selecting and studying horses that had won previous halter showing awards at the national level. Although halter showing is different from racing, these researchers claimed to have gain knowledge about racing from studying these halter showing winners. In 1985, these researchers started concentrating more deeply on racing performance.

Over one million racing records were studied and there was found to be a linear correlation between the horses race times and distance. Sex, age, and weight were some factors that were taking into consideration when analyzing these records. Stallions, mares, geldings, and nonparent horses were evaluated at three distances. The information gathered was compounded of these horse’s breeding values and race effects to determine the horse’s phenotypes, genotypes, and environmental trends. From this information genetic trend in these horses decrease race times were found through the years of 1976- 1979.

The next analysis done on genetic racing predictions included a number of stallions, mares, and their progeny. The horses were listed in breeding value order according to the fastest horses, to the slowest. Information that was recorded about each horse was they name, registration number, birth year, number of races run, their progeny, and number of progeny races, horse value, and the breeding value. The results from this analysis were not really that surprising. This means that the system of ranking the stallions what efficient enough to get correct results. The offspring is what these researchers found interesting, because they could then predict which quarter horse would be the best racing horse and these were the horses that were the future of the racing industry.

Today breeding the ultimate race horse has become somewhat of an art form. The association produced the data from all the horses that race and display this information to all the quarter horse breeders. This knowledge of breeding the ultimate race horses and the factors that go into the best race horses have enhanced the sport of horse racing tremendously. Genetic predictions of horse sped is just one aspect of many that has been researched about these race horses.
The importance of this article is that horse racing is a national sport that people spend millions, maybe even billions of dollars each year, to keep the excitement, and competitiveness of this sport going. This genetic research has only enhanced these races and amped up the competition. The breeders bred the fastest horses with the other fastest horses. There are many factors that go into calculating the superior racing horse, but that’s what this research is all about.

Hannah Shumaker
01/30/12