EAAP Horse Commission Report - WBFSH€¦ · IT-Solutions for Animal Production EAAP Horse Commission Report - report from EAAP 2019, activities and plans Kathrin F. Stock1, Ana Sofia

IT-Solutions for

Animal Production

EAAP Horse Commission Report - report from EAAP 2019, activities and plans

Kathrin F. Stock 1, Ana Sofia Santos 2

1 IT Solutions for Animal Production (vit), Verden, Germany 2 University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

WBFSH Annual Meeting on October 16th to 20th, 2019, in Saumur / Le Lion d'Angers, France

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Outline

EAAP Horse Commission

EAAP annual meeting 2019 news from research and beyond

− major topics at the conference

− hot topics for sport horse breeding

activities, plans, perspectives of the EAAP Horse Commission − specific support of studbooks

− development and use of the network

implications and prospects for horse breeding

18 Oct 2019 WBFSH General Assembly in Saumur, France: EAAP HC report (K.F. STOCK)

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EAAP Horse Commission

board Ana Sofia Santos, Portugal - president (2017-2020) Rhys Evans, Norway - vice-president (2017-2020) Klemen Potočnik, Slovenia - vice-president (2019-2022) Kathrin F. Stock, Germany - vice-president (2018-2021) Isabel Cervantes, Spain - secretary (2018-2021) Pasquale De Palo, Italy - secretary (2018-2021) Melissa Cox, Germany - industry representative (2019-2022)

working groups (WG) of the EAAP HC − Socio-economy WG

− Interstallion WG (chair: Steven Janssens, Belgium; secretary: Kathrin F. Stock, Germany; 6-8 members)

− European Workshop for Equine Nutrition (EWEN) WG


BREEDING TOPICS

EAAP 2019: 2 open positions (1 VP, 1 IR) 2 reelections

EAAP 2020: 2 open positions (P, 1 VP), no reelections possible

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Ghent, Belgium (26-30 Aug 2019)

EAAP Annual Meeting I

70th anniversary of the EAAP annual meetings

size and overall strength of the conference − almost 1,400 participants

− worldwide interest

− 73 scientific sessions with 1145 presentations (692 oral presentations, 453 posters)


official website: https://eaap2019.org/

EAAP 2019: Ghent

https://eaap2019.org/

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conference theme and major topics

− challenges of livestock production systems and of animal science related to climate change and new or changed societal demands ( EAAP 2018: animal production in a changing world)

− chances and challenges of digitalization, technological and methodological development

− hot topics for sport horse breeding: new approaches new tools



EAAP Annual Meeting II

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'competition' between study commissions advantages of joint sessions

benefits of the flexible conference structure

− theme, discovery, challenge sessions

− free communications sessions

− project sessions (!)

Session type Session contents

Theme Sessions (T) on key topics in animal science

Industry sessions (I) led and supported by industry

Free communications / Bottom-Up (BU) created from submitted abstracts and titles

Discovery Sessions (D) on hot / emerging topics

Challenge Sessions (C) to debate important issues

Early-career scientist’s Sessions (EC) competitions or topics for early-career scientists

Project session (P) project-based to share its results

Working Group sessions (WG) results of an EAAP working group



EAAP Annual Meeting III

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Horse Commission: 1 shared session, 4 full sessions S 03. Precision Livestock Farming possibilities for sheep, goats, poultry and horses (T) 2 (of 15) papers

S 21. Horse performance and welfare (D) 10 papers

S 42. Equine production and products (T) 18 papers

S 52. Horse as agents of European culture from the past to the future / The co-evolution of humans and horses (C) 1 invited speaker

S 63. Equine breeding systems (D) 12 papers

less successful conference for the EAAP HC

decrease of submissions (43 accepted abstracts; -19%)

relatively few studies presented on breeding, equine genetics and genomics (-54%)


Goals of the HC:

• overall interest in EAAP HC • attractiveness for scientists

(scientific reputation) • attractiveness of session titles

(strengthening of T, D, I sessions)


EAAP Annual Meeting IV

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EAAP 2019 Scientific program


8 18 Oct 2019 WBFSH General Assembly in Saumur, France: EAAP HC report (K.F. STOCK)



Goals of the HC:

• overall interest in EAAP HC • attractiveness for scientists

(scientific reputation) • attractiveness of session titles

(strengthening of T, D, I sessions)


J. Porcher et al., France

The role of the voice in the first education of the young horse

standardized step-wise education of the young horse (Chevaleduc project) as framework for in-depth study of initial vocational training of the young horse

understanding the development of trust and interspecies communication


J. Auclair-Ronzaud et al., France

Using a microchip to detect temperature variations before parturition in mares

large variation of gestation length in the mare (320 to 360 days) use of body temperature as (additional) indicator

for onset of parturition in different species

repeated measurements (temperature profiles) can be used for prediction of foaling, but: individual temperature profiles of mares need to be linked with other indicators to be reliable

RFID thermochip (13 mm) 12 measurements per day, i.e. every 2 h (start at least 5 days before parturition)


R. Clarke & A. Hemmings, UK

Equine blink rate, reactivity and learning: Can one predict the other?

linking of neurophysiological measurements with assessment of reactivity and learning ability - blink rate (dopamine release) - novel object test (3 different objects) - reversal discrimination task (round vs. triangle black-on-white 2D shapes)

reasonable correlations (plausible links) between dopamine release ─ reactivity ─ learning: high reactivity interfering with learning

possible use for: optimization of management design of tailored training programs breeding for behavior and learning ability (?)

reversal discrimination task mistakes

novel objects heart rate response

blink rates blink rate counts (10 min)


D.I. Perdomo-Gonzalez et al., Spain

Influence of intrinsic effects on effort and recovery stress assessed with infrared thermography

eye temperature as indicator of acute stress standardized test protocol and IR thermographic

measurements in a heterogeneous group of horses - Spanish Sport Horse (different lines: L1-L5) - age ≤ 4-13 years; 332 ♂, 163 ♀

analysis of eye temperature development (stress level) significant effects of breeding line, sex, age on the

physiological measures of acute stress relevant role of genetic effects (h²RP > h²EP) with indication of shared genes affecting effort and recovery

stress (rg EP-RP 0.2)

possible use of stress indicators for: considering behavior aspects in breeding


A. Ricard et al., France

Genetic of the 3D morphology of jumping horses using geometric morphometrics I

measurements of morphology and gaits in jumping horses as objective phenotypic basis for refined genomic analyses

(SoGen project) study part on genetics of morphology and links to jumping

- calibration structure (4 cameras, 30 m recording areas) to derive coordinates of anatomical landmarks; video recording in walk



Genetic of the 3D morphology of jumping horses using geometric morphometrics II




2,092 Selle Français horses (age 4-5 years) - competition data (jumping): sum of points

data processing for analyses (!)

reference images

manual tracking of landmarks synthetic 3D image (1 image per horse providing 43 points with 3 coordinates)

Procrustes analysis = shape analysis



Genetic of the 3D morphology of jumping horses using geometric morphometrics III




2,092 Selle Français horses (age 4-5 years) - competition data (jumping): sum of points

data processing for analyses (!) genetic analyses of shapes indicating

- genetic background of components (h² = 0.06-0.25) - genetic independence with jumping performance

possible use of morphometric data for: definition of new traits develop new approaches and tools for breeding


K. Smits, Belgium

State of the art in equine assisted reproductive technology

applications of embryo transfer (ET), oocyte recovery (ovum pick up, OPU), oocyte transfer (OT), intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI), embryo cryoconservation, ...

importance of keeping update regarding: development of assisted reproductive technologies (efficiencies clinical applications) effects of prenatal environment (prenatal programming, epigenetics) necessary long-term considerations (e.g. appropriate selection of recipient mares for ET)

Comparative reproductive efficiency, measured as

having at least one D45 pregnancy per attempt [%].

Source: Cuervo-Arango et al. (2019)


K. Smits, Belgium

State of the art in equine assisted reproductive technology

applications of embryo transfer (ET), oocyte recovery (ovum pick up, OPU), oocyte transfer (OT), intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI), embryo cryoconservation, ...

importance of keeping update regarding: development of assisted reproductive technologies (efficiencies clinical applications) effects of prenatal environment (prenatal programming, epigenetics) necessary long-term considerations (e.g. appropriate selection of recipient mares for ET)

M.J. Fradinho et al., Portugal

Influence of mare body conformation on growth and development of Lusitano foals until weaning

embryo transfer study indicating significant correlation between dam size (body shape, uterine capacity) and growth and development of foals

Comparative reproductive efficiency, measured as

having at least one D45 pregnancy per attempt [%].

Source: Cuervo-Arango et al. (2019)


M. Wobbe et al., Germany

Importance of high quality data base systems in the study of genetic characteristics in horse I

contribution to fact-based rather than emotional discussions, support of studbooks and breeders, preparing for the future

improved access of genomic data - better understanding of the role of genes or genomic regions - recognition of positive (or neutral) and negative causal mutations genetic characteristics extending the toolbox of breeders



Importance of high quality data base systems in the study of genetic characteristics in horse II



Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) as an example - lack of knowledge about the overall role: WFFS related losses WFFS mutation (test results) data and reproduction data

Statistical analyses of equine reproduction data covering data from 10 German horse breeding associations: N = 426,568 coverings of 10 years (2008-2017) N = 177,582 coverings from stallions with known WFFS status foal born vs. foal not born or died (0-48h) expectation (following HWE, 9.5-15.0% carrier frequency): 2.4-3.7% more foal losses among carriers than free sires

Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS): hereditary connective tissue disorder in Thoroughbred and Warmblood breeds

© eurodressage.com

Monthoux et. al, 2015

© Laboklin

© Laboklin



Importance of high quality data base systems in the study of genetic characteristics in horse III



Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) as an example - lack of knowledge about the overall role: WFFS related losses WFFS mutation (test results) data and reproduction data - tracking the potential entry of and spread in riding horses pedigree analyses

WFFS distribution patterns cases in several breeding populations (USA, SWE, CH, DK, GER) old mutation first occurrence in an early founder / ancestor English Thoroughbred used in many different breeds data analyses: WFFS tested horses (N = 3576) and their ancestry horses in the pedigrees of all known carriers: Dark Ronald xx (*1905) and his father Bay Ronald xx (*1893)

www.horsemagazine.com

www.campus-halensis.de



Importance of high quality data base systems in the study of genetic characteristics in horse IV



Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS) as an example - lack of knowledge about the overall role: WFFS related losses WFFS mutation (test results) data and reproduction data - tracking the potential entry of and spread in riding horses pedigree analyses

use of recent experiences for increasing awareness of: crucial role of comprehensive data base systems (phenotypes, ancestral and genotype information)

high value of strong network science ─ practice need to become familiar with new tools for breeding

Data base systems, genetic / genomic testing and genetic characteristics

discovery and understanding - informative and enough data - stored and managed centrally

monitoring and control essential for a responsible handling

by the breeding organizations

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Linear data basis in the Oldenburg studbooks (OL, OS) from 2012-2018 20,655 linear profiles of 19,651 horses conformation and performance (movement, jumping) same linear scheme and 7-point numeric linear scale (-3 to +3)

for all horses, i.e. across age groups


K.F. Stock et al., Germany

Validation of breeding applications for sport horses based on linear profiling across age groups I

extension of breeding applications based on linear profiling potentially powerful tool for breeders quality control (validation) of the genetic evaluation system

- development of genetic profiles over time - predictive value: linear genetics of stallions vs. linear phenotypes of their progeny

Routine genetic evaluation for linear traits in the Oldenburg studbooks (OL, OS) since 2017, annually in October / November conformation and performance (46 traits)

Information density in genetic evaluation (GE 2018): 957 horses linearly described as foals and adults 366 sires (15 %) with ≥ 10 linearly described progeny

https://oldenburger-pferde.net/front_content.php?idart=940



Validation of breeding applications for sport horses based on linear profiling across age groups II



transparent in-depth analyses of estimated breeding values following approved protocols

GE routine run (linear data 2012-2018, N=20,655 linear profiles) and GE test run with truncated data resembling GE 2015 (linear data 2012-2015, N=9,656 linear profiles) comparison of GE test run results ('early prediction' / GE 2015) with regular GE results (full data 2012-2018 / GE 2018) approved protocol for EBV trend validation: Interbull method III reliability and overall stability of the system, no obvious systematic change (no indication of bias)



Validation of breeding applications for sport horses based on linear profiling across age groups I



transparent in-depth analyses of estimated breeding values following approved protocols

use of validation results for: strengthening the trust in the genetic evaluation system

- reliable 'filtering out' of genetic dispositions (better than phenotype-based progeny statistics) - earlier, more objective and more helpful information for breeders

supporting use and further development of breeding tools (genetic and genomic applications)


actions to extend visibility and reach of the EAAP Horse Commission − strengthening of the network: involvement of the practice, linking of science and practice, careful consideration and maintenance of industry contacts

− interaction and help: targeted support of studbooks (information, contacts, ...), broad support of the equine sector (representation on European level)

use of the opportunities of the 'EAAP family': EAAP HC commission website

organization of workshops (platform for exchange and knowledge transfer)

support of young scientists, engagement in EU projects, ...

EAAP HC activities & perspectives

TAKE HOME close collaboration and valuable links

between WBFSH SC-CIGA and EAAP HC Interstallion WG

Conference material etc.: https://www.equinephenotypes.org

IT-Solutions for

Animal Production

Contact: PD Dr. habil. Kathrin F. Stock (E-mail [email protected]; phone +49-176-60931357)

Thank you!

SAVE THE DATE 6th International Workshop on Linear Profiling in the Warmblood Horse

on 24-26 March 2020 in France with focus on collection and use of linear data on foals (practical and theoretical part)

TAKE HOME close collaboration and valuable links

between WBFSH SC-CIGA and EAAP HC Interstallion WG

EAAP 2020 on 31 Aug - 4 Sep 2020

in Porto, Portugal

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EAAP Conference 2020 ff


Documents

EAAP Horse Commission Report - WBFSH€¦ · IT-Solutions for Animal Production EAAP Horse Commission Report - report from EAAP 2019, activities and plans Kathrin F. Stock1, Ana Sofia