Breeding value estimation in the Hungarian Sport Horse population

The aims of this study were to estimate phenotypic and genetic parameters for a range of traits in Hungarian Sport Horses, and to compare several methods of estimating breeding value (BV) in this breed. The analyses were based on the Hungarian Sport Horse Studbook, results of self-performance tests (SPTs) and show-jumping competition results. An SPT comprises subjective judgement of conformation traits, movement analysis traits and free-jumping performance, assessed via ordinal scores. Genetic parameters of SPTs were estimated with an animal model. Different measurements of the competition performance were compared using the same repeatability model. Estimates of BV for sport were made with random regression models using a first-order Legendre polynomial. Heritability was found to increase and permanent environmental variance to decrease continuously with age. BVs can be estimated at different ages and from these a composite BV index can be computed. It is possible to weight BVs for the specific age of a horse. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.