A new study by the University of Kentucky and three other universities has produced what UK researchers call the most comprehensive genetic database of North American Thoroughbreds in history. Ted Kalbfleisch is one of the UK professors who produced the report. He said they studied two groups of horses, born roughly twenty years apart.
“What we endeavored to do was quantify the levels of inbreeding found in those two populations, you know. So there had been articles that had been published recently that had suggested that inbreeding was now increasing at a dangerous rate.”
The study found no evidence of genetic causes for concerns about declining health and ability. Kalbfleisch said new technology will allow researchers to measure inbreeding rates for the entire Thoroughbred population.
“If this is a question that the Thoroughbred industry is interested in addressing, we now have the technology where we can unequivocally measure what the rate of inbreeding is going forward over the entire population, as opposed to just a sampling of it.”
UK lead researcher Ernest Bailey wrote that the trends identified in the study will give breeders the data they need to make informed choices about Thoroughbred health and performance.
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