Genetic character of intra-breed types of purebred Arabian horses in Russia

Abstract

The Arabian horse is the world's oldest cultural breed of hot-blooded horses. Traditionally, the Arabian horse has been bred “pure” for centuries, without using the blood of other breeds. Nowadays purebred Arabian horses are very popular in many countries. Arabian horses are bred for shows, equestrian sports, flat races and endurance races. In spite of the common origin of all purebred Arabian horses, the breed is subdivided into different types as historically selection criteria for breeding in some regions can vary significantly.  The modern population of purebred Arabian horses in Russia has been developed as a result of the breeding use of a limited number of animals imported in the 20th century, mainly from France, England and Poland. The Russian horse breeders distinguish 4 intra-breed types of purebred Arabian horses that differ in morphological and physiological characteristics: “Siglavi”, “Koheilan”, “Koheilan-Siglavi”, “Hadban”. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic variability in 4 intra-breed types of purebred Arabian horses of the Russian population using DNA markers. A total number of 263 adult horses were genotyped by using 17 microsatellite markers: AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, HTG10, LEX3, VHL20. A total of 100 alleles were identified across all estimated loci. The highest level of genetic diversity was found in the group of “Hadbans”. The lowest level of genetic diversity was detected in the group of “Koheilan-Siglavies”