Are Warmblood and Iberian breeders at a similar point (with DSLD/ESPA) that QH breeders were at one time (with HYPP)?
It seems that DSLD/ESPA is becoming a more open topic of discussion. It also seems that it might very well be a heritable trait. Currently, AFAIK, a nuchal ligament biopsy is the only available tool for diagnosis or verification.
Breeders, particularly SOs, seem to be less than open about which breeding lines may contribute to the systemic disease. Clearly, without an identified genetic marker, it is not easy to say how or if a stallion or mare, or combination thereof, may pass on the defect.
Is there a place in horse breeding for health clearances?
Reasoning:
In my dog breed (Rottweilers), the parent Breed Club has requirements and recommendations about tests that must be done prior to breeding animals. Some of these include evaluation and normal or passing results for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, dentition, eye problems, and several other factors. The parent breed club requires breeding animals to have tests and results available in a database (CHIC/OFA), whether results are ideal, or less than ideal. This allows open access to test results. It allows a potential breeder to consider some specific health factors that are a concern in Rottweilers, as one aspect in planning a breeding. The database is also set up so that siblings and offspring of listed animals can be found, and their results considered.
NOT every animal is listed, only those who have had health clearances done. However, any breeding animal is required, by the parent breed club’s mandatory practices, to be listed with results. Breeders with good, healthy stock over generations, have no issues making all results public. Some breeders will require puppy owners, as part of a purchase contract, to have the required tests done, whether the pup will be used for breeding or not. Other owners may have incomplete results on an animal, if a test comes back as not passing. But in general, the health test results are a very useful tool when considering breeding pairs. The database does not identify specific genetic markers for a given health issue, just the test results/grading. And certainly there are many more factors to consider in planning a breeding, such as temperament, what a breeder may be trying to improve, and aspiring to the “ideal” breed standard. ((NOT all breeders are members of the parent breed club, and therefore are not held to these requirements and mandatory practices for breeding stock.))
Similarly, one of the things I wish that Rottweiler breeders will track and disclose is longevity and age/cause of death (if known) of the animals they produce. This could easily be added to the current database. Using such a tool may be one way to decrease the incidence of certain cancers that are of concern in the breed. This information, even age of death, does not seem to be readily available.
TL;DR— will horse breeders, or parent breed organizations, eventually require and disclose health testing for known issues? With the recent discussions of ESPA, breeding animals that may carry that trait, and the availability of a test (nuchal lig biopsy) to identify affected animals, will this encourage more open sharing of such information?
What other traits are, or are likely to be, heritable?
What information, in an ideal world, would a breeder like to know when considering pairings?
Would such information BE useful?
Will SOs and MOs eventually be required to disclose issues of concern?
Is healthy longevity a factor when considering breeding pairs?
Or will breeders choose NOT to disclose these/any health concerns present in a breeding animal?
What might be the best venue to have this conversation?
Or is this simply too “hot” a topic?
Please discuss. And feel free to PM any comments, if you prefer.
