Shape and joint angle data for seven European horse breeds and their repeatability

Area of Science:

• Equine science
• Animal morphology
• Biometrics

Background:

• Conformation traits are crucial for horse breed selection and distinction.
• Current subjective evaluations limit inter-breed comparisons and objective analysis.
• A need exists for standardized, objective methods to quantify equine shape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an objective horse shape space model for quantitative conformation analysis.
• To provide a comprehensive dataset of landmarks for multiple horse breeds.
• To facilitate objective, inter-breed comparisons of horse morphology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a horse shape space model with 253 landmarks and semi-landmarks.
• Photographed 1241 horses from seven breeds from a standardized side view.
• Developed an R code file for extracting joint angles and transforming raw data into analyzable CSV files.

Main Results:

• The horse shape space model provides objective, quantifiable data on equine conformation.
• The dataset includes 253 landmarks for 1241 horses across seven breeds.
• Repeatability of joint angles was assessed and reported for future genetic studies.

Conclusions:

• The horse shape space model enables objective and comparable analysis of conformation traits across breeds.
• The provided dataset and R code facilitate advanced analyses like heritability and genome-wide association studies.
• This objective approach advances equine science by standardizing conformation assessment.