INTERSTALLION
INTERSTALLION. Steven Janssens (secretary) Jan Philipsson (chairmen). INTERSTALLION. Working group of the EAAP established in 1998 Improve accessibility, understanding and comparability of foreign breeding information across countries. Is this a problem….?.
INTERSTALLION
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Presentation Transcript
INTERSTALLION Steven Janssens (secretary) Jan Philipsson (chairmen)
INTERSTALLION • Working group of the EAAP established in 1998 Improve accessibility, understanding and comparability of foreign breeding information across countries. • Is this a problem….?
Sport horse breeding = international • >60 studbooks/ org.WBFSH 61 members from 29 countries • >130,000 foals/year • concentrated in Europe (7 countries 50% foals) Germany 30,000 Belgium 4,000 Ireland 4,000 France 15,000 Sweden 3,500 The Netherlands 12,000 Denmark 2,500
% matings by foreign stallions country perc. origin Netherlands 31% Germany, France France 6% Germany Denmark 74% Germany, The Netherlands Sweden 62% Germany, The Netherlands
How to use foreign information? • How should we compare test results? • How should we compare breeding values?
Same stallion: different values? G. Ramiro Z Netherlands 122 (97%) France +12 (88%) Belgium 98.5 (95%) Ireland 98 (10%)
Correct interpretation requires information on: • How are breeding objectives defined? • How are horses tested? • How are breeding values calculated?
INTERSTALLION initial research initiatives: • Survey breeding objectives • Survey on testing systems and breeding value estimation
Three types of performance tests competition test capacity field station accuracy
Competition tests • many observations • large variation in traits (earnings, placings, scores, highest level) • problems with pre-selection • large environmental variation • low heritabilities (h2 = 0.10 - 0.20) • can only be measured late in life (5-12 years) MANY OBSERVATIONS BUT LOW VALUE
Field performance tests • early age (3 - 4 years of age) • uniform conditions • reasonable costs • reasonable heritabilities (h2 = 0.20 - 0.30) • reasonable predictive value for later sport performance (rg > 0.50) REASONABLE GOOD INFORMATION AT REASONABLE COSTS
Station performance tests • early age (3 - 4 years of age) • long testing period (up to 100 days) • very uniform conditions • high heritabilities (h2 = 0.20 - 0.60) • high predictive value for later sport performance (rg > 0.80) • high costs VERY GOOD INFORMATION AT HIGH COSTS
Dairy cattle: Interbull 1. exchange information on national genetic evaluations 2. improvement and harmonisation of methods 3. international genetic evaluation using information from multiple countries
INTERSTALLION further research initiatives: • Information exchange • harmonisation • Is across country evaluation possible?
1. Exchange information • http://www.interstallion.org • standardised information on: • breeding population • breeding objective • testing methods • genetic evaluation systems
3. Is across country evaluation possible? • Genetic connectedness • Genetic correlations start of pilot projects
Pilot projects (I & II) • Investigate the genetic connectedness between countries/associations • Estimate genetic correlations between performances in different countries • 2 Phd studiesEmma Thorén Hellsten (SLU)Catherine Ruhlmann (INRA)extended committee (EAAP, ICAR, WBFSH) • Support by SLU, INRA , WBFSH
Id numbers !! Ramiro, G. Ramiro Z Germany, Holstein ramiro 210389565 Belgium, sBs ramiro z X-188 Belgium, BWP ramiro z 1317Netherlands, KWPN g.ramiro z 294 France ramiro 59041861
Pilot project I • Test results of horses • Station or field test • Young horses • DWBKWPNSWBHANHOL
Results gen. correlation • Only between DWB and SWB • Very high gen. Correlations between similar traits dressage, jumping
Pilot project II • Competition data(jumping) • Breeding valuestallions • DWBKWPNSWBHANHOLISHBWP, sBsCSF
The historic role of INTERSTALLION • IS research has pointed out variation in breeding programmes for sport horsesmade this info available + proposed some guidelines for improvement • IS research indicates that across country evaluation is technically possibleare (all) studbooks willing to continue
.. role in the future... • Return to status of working group • Focuss on research on emerging traits (defects, longevity, temperament, ..) • Information dissemination (website)
acknowledgements • Interstallion members • Swedish Agricultural University • KULeuven with support from Vlaams Fokkerij Centrum and Vlaams Varkens stamboek