Geen diatitel

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
France
The Netherlands
30,000 Belgium
Ireland
15,000 Sweden
12,000 Denmark
4,000
4,000
3,500
2,500
% matings by foreign
stallions
country
Netherlands
France
perc. origin
31%
6%
Germany, France
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
France
Belgium
Ireland
122
+12
98.5
98
(97%)
(88%)
(95%)
(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
Survey breeding objectives…
Performance testing
test capacity
Three types of performance tests
competition
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
How to improve transparency
and comparability?
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
2. Harmonise
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 studies
Emma 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
Belgium, sBs
ramiro z
Belgium, BWP
ramiro z
Netherlands, KWPN g.ramiro z
France
ramiro
210389565
X-188
1317
294
59041861
Pilot
project I
• Test results of
horses
• Station or field test
• Young horses
• DWB
KWPN
SWB
HAN
HOL
Results phase 1….
Results gen. correlation
• Only between DWB and SWB
• Very high gen. Correlations between similar
traits
dressage, jumping
• Competition data
(jumping)
• Breeding value
stallions
• DWB
KWPN
SWB
HAN
HOL
ISH
BWP, sBs
CSF
Pilot
project II
Connectedness
Genetic correlations
Bel.
Bel.
Den.
Fra.
Ire.
Swe.
Den.
Fra.
Ire.
Swe.
0.74 (0.22) 0.88 (0.06)
0.86 (0.08)
0.70 (0.16)
0.86 (0.07)
0.73 (0.16)
0.88 (0.05)
0.91 (0.14)
The historic role of
INTERSTALLION
• IS research has pointed out variation in breeding
programmes for sport horses
made this info available + proposed some
guidelines for improvement
• IS research indicates that across country
evaluation is technically possible
are (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