Morphometric Characterization and Preliminary Heritability Estimates of Body Measurements in the Polish Konik...

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the morphometric diversity of 172 Polish Koniks from the largest Polish breeding centers and to assess their genetic diversity by estimating the effective population size (N_e) and heritabilities (h²) of the studied traits. The animals were bred under a stable housing system. Horses of both sexes aged 3 to 24 years were analyzed. Each horse was characterized with 40 metric traits. Multifactorial analyses (PCA, DA) and the REML method were applied to reveal the exterior differentiation and the development of distinct morphometric types. The findings established that the metric traits with high discriminant power include sections constituting segments of limbs. The elongation of segments, especially the pelvic limb-which serves a driving function-may be associated with deliberate breeding efforts aimed at improving the motor abilities of these horses. Estimates of heritability were high for eight traits, including sternal height (h² = 0.81) and withers height (h² = 0.75), while the effective population size was N_e = 651. Although estimated with large standard errors due to the limited number of individuals studied, these results indicate the possibility of effectively conducting the genetic part of the conservation program for this breed. Koniks are a conservative breed, which creates an obligation for a comprehensive assessment of their current suitability for various forms of saddle and light draft use. Research using the methodology presented in this paper is worth repeating regularly to provide particularly valuable insights from a long-term perspective.