Orthopedic Diseases in the Pura Raza Española Horse: The Prevalence and Genetic Parameters of Angular Hoof Deviations

Abstract

Abnormalities in hoof shape are usually connected with limb conformation defects. The role of angular hoof deviations is important for longevity in sports competitions and is increasingly recognized as a factor associated with lameness in performance horses. In this paper, we measured the prevalence of four defects related to the angulation of the hoof in the Pura Raza Española horse (PRE): splay-footed forelimb (SFF), pigeon-toed forelimb (PTF), splay-footed rear limb (SFR), and pigeon-toed rear limb (PTR). A total of 51,134 animals were studied, of which only 15.75% did not have any of the four angular hoof defects investigated, while 26.61%, 23.76%, 79.53%, and 3.86% presented SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR, respectively. Angular defects were evaluated using two different models; model A was a linear scale composed of three categories, where 0 corresponded to the absence of defects, 1 to a minor presence of the defect and 2 to the highest degree of the defect. Model B was composed of two categories, where 0 corresponded to the absence of defects and 1 to the presence of defects, joining classes 1 and 2. We measured the factors influencing the appearance of these defects: age, inbreeding coefficient, sex, and birth stud size. The heritability of each defect was also estimated using a multivariate animal model, using the Gibbsf90+ software from the BLUPF90 family, resulting in heritability estimates of 0.18 (s.d. = 0.009), 0.20 (s.d. = 0.010), 0.11 (s.d. = 0.009), and 0.31 (s.d. = 0.010) for SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR defects, respectively, for model A, and 0.17 (s.d. = 0.008), 0.19 (s.d. = 0.009), 0.11 (s.d. = 0.009), and 0.29 (s.d. = 0.009) for SFF, PTF, SFR, and PTR defects, respectively, for model B. Finally, the genetic correlation between the diameter of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and the proportionality index (PI) in relation to the higher or lower prevalence of the defects was analyzed. We concluded that diameter of SDFT development is strongly correlated with inward toe conditions (PTF, PTR; P_≠0 ≥ 0.95), while PI is associated with outward toe defects (SFF, SFR; P_≠0 ≥ 0.95).

Keywords: equine; forelimbs; genetic parameters; heritability; pigeon-toed forelimb; pigeon-toed rear limb; splay-footed forelimb; splay-footed rear limb.

Figure 1

Conformational hoof defects (angular hoof deviations) in Pura Raza Española horses.

Figure 2

Percentage of affected animals for each of the angular hoof deviations in Pura Raza Española horse. SFF: splay-footed forelimb, PTF: pigeon-toed forelimb, SFR: splay-footed rear limb, and PTR: pigeon-toed rear limb.

Figure 3

Evolution of the last 20 years of hoof defects in Pura Raza Española horses based on the year of birth (a) and incidence based on the level of consanguinity (b). SFF: splay-footed forelimb, PTF: pigeon-toed forelimb, SFR: splay-footed rear limb, and PTR: pigeon-toed rear limb.