Facts:
Time period of the project: January 2019 - December 2021
Financial support: The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council - FORMAS (Research and development projects for future research leaders; ID: 2018-00859)
The main aim of the project is to identify genomic regions associated with psychological phenotypes critical for competition success and ability to handle stress in sport and harness race horses.
The project has the potential to provide significant scientific results regarding the genetic contribution to cognitive ability and stress resilience. Emerging research on the genetic basis of behavioural and physiological stress indicator traits might provide additional, valuable elements to determine ‘advantageous’ polygenic profiles in the development of coping strategies during stressful challenges, hence, increasing horse health and welfare.
Experts in genetics, behaviour, welfare, clinical veterinary medicine and exercise physiology will analyse the genome of different sport and harness racehorse (trotter) breeds.
This is a collaborative study between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Karolinska Institutet (KI), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Norway, the Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven in Belgium and the University of Sydney in Australia.
Fill in the survey to contribute to the ongoing research to identify genes that have an effect on behavior and that are of relevance for the performance of horses and their ability to cope with stress.
Time period of the project: January 2019 - December 2021
Financial support: The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council - FORMAS (Research and development projects for future research leaders; ID: 2018-00859)
Maria Wilbe, Researcher, Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Division of Molecular Genetics, SLU
Telephone: +46(0)73-6551989
E-mail: maria.wilbe@slu.se
Postal address: Inst för Husdjursgenetik, Box 7023, 75007 Uppsala
Visiting address: Ulls väg 26, Uppsala