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The Anglo-Arabian horse breed (AA) is the result of crossing between Thoroughbred and Arabian horses renowned for versatility in show-jumping and racing. Southwest France and Sardinia in Italy are considered the historical nucleus of European AA breeding. Since little is known on genetic variability in the AA breed, especially those bred in the Sardinia region, this study investigates: i) inbreeding levels via pedigree and SNP genotyping; ii) runs of homozygosity (ROH) and selection signatures; iii) effective population size; and iv) distinctiveness of AA compared to Arabian and Thoroughbred horses. The ROH revealed an excessive amount of homozygosity, with a high kurtosis value observed in several chromosomes and an average inbreeding based on ROH of 21.1%. This latter value is higher compared to what was found based on pedigree data, highlighting the importance of complete pedigree records when estimating inbreeding based on genealogical data. The genomic inbreeding in AA horses was higher compared to other Italian horse breeds but lower than what was found in pure Thoroughbred and Arabian horses. This result suggests that the selection process for AA horses, may have prioritised racing ability over breed preservation which is the main goal in most local Italian breeds. The reduction in effective population size found in the latest 20 generations corroborates the potential presence of genetic diversity reduction due to selection in the AA breed. Remarkably, a large ROH island was identified on ECA17, which overlapped with two QTLs associated with racing performance. HIGHLIGHTS: Genetic analysis reveals moderate inbreeding (FROH = 21.1%) in Anglo-Arabian horses, impacting their genetic diversity compared to other Italian breeds. Identification of ROH islands linked to selection for height and racing performance highlights breeding priorities in the Anglo-Arabian breed. Effective population size decline (Ne = 59) over generations signifies a genetic bottleneck in Anglo-Arabian horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The shift of the horse breeding sector from agricultural to leisure and sports purposes led to a decrease in local breeds’ population size due to the loss of their original breeding purposes. Most of the Italian breeds must adapt to modern market demands, and gait traits are suitable phenotypes to help this process. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology can be used to objectively assess them. This work aims to investigate on IMU recorded data (i) the influence of environmental factors and biometric measurements, (ii) their repeatability, (iii) the correlation with judge evaluations, and (iv) their predictive value. Material and methods: The Equisense Motion S® was used to collect phenotypes on 135 horses, Bardigiano (101) and Murgese (34) and the data analysis was conducted using R (v.4.1.2). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to assess the effects of biometric measurements and environmental and animal factors on the traits. Results and discussion: Variations in several traits depending on the breed were identified, highlighting different abilities among Bardigiano and Murgese horses. Repeatability of horse performance was assessed on a subset of horses, with regularity and elevation at walk being the traits with the highest repeatability (0.63 and 0.72). The positive correlation between judge evaluations and sensor data indicates judges’ ability to evaluate overall gait quality. Three different algorithms were employed to predict the judges score from the IMU measurements: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN). A high variability was observed in the accuracy of the SVM model, ranging from 55 to 100% while the other two models showed higher consistency, with accuracy ranging from 74 to 100% for the GBM and from 64 to 88% for the KNN. Overall, the GBM model exhibits the highest accuracy and the lowest error. In conclusion, integrating IMU technology into horse performance evaluation offers valuable insights, with implications for breeding and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpacas represent an exotic species for Italy, introduced no more than 20–30 years ago. Nevertheless, they are currently the most widespread camelid species reared in this country, highlighting the growing interest in breeding this species. So, it is useful to assess parameters on their growth in relation to the new environment. Thus, body weight and body measures were recorded on 49 healthy alpacas of Huacaya type (27 females, 22 males), along a period of 27 months. Overall, 111 individual observations were made. Data were analysed by ANOVA, as growth curves were estimated by applying the Gompertz's model. Multiple regression was finally used to estimate body weight from body measures. Body weight and linear measures, except for the distance between iliac crest and the length of the rump, were influenced by the category (calves, yearlings, adults) and by the age class within category (p < 0.05), while gender and interaction between gender and category were never significant (p > 0.05). Asymptotic weigh of males was 8.25% higher than females (p < 0.05). Moreover, males at maturity had higher withers (+0.96%), longer body (+2.70%) and chest measurements (+3.18%) than females. Asymptotic rump width (both at the ilium and at the ischium) was higher in females (respectively + 6.19%; +12.90%). According to our work, the best equation for the estimate of body weight from body measures was the following: 5.691 + 0.00005624 * chest circumference3 + 0.00002298 * trunk length3 − 1.155 * rump width between ischial tuberosities + 0.00001545 * height at rump3 (R2=0.957; SE of estimate = 4.36 kg), that is important for a better management of the species. Alpacas are the most widespread camelid species in Italy. Rump dimensions develop earlier than other body measures. It is possible to improve the management and welfare of animals by estimating the live weight starting from somatic measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to propose equations to estimate body weight (BW) from body measures (BMs) in the Cornigliese sheep, an endangered breed reared in Italy for meat purpose. BW and BMs were submitted to correlation and multiple regression analyses. Two datasets were used: (i) 303 animals (178 females, 125 males, BW 4.00–117.80 kg), on which BW, height at withers (HW), chest circumference (ChC) and body length (BL) were measured; (ii) 156 animals (109 females, 47 males, BW 5.15–117.80 kg) out of 303 on which croup height (HCr), chest width (ChW), chest depth (ChD) and croup width (CrW) were also considered. On each dataset, two regression models were applied, one containing all variables (models 1 and 3, respectively, for datasets 1 and 2) and the other one comprising groups of variables, selected by means of the stepwise procedure (models 2 and 4, respectively, for datasets 1 and 2). BW resulted correlated with all BMs (from 0.852 for ChW to 0.950 for ChC; p <.001). Models 1 and 3 fitted the data better than models 2 and 4, both for all animals and for females and males separately. We concluded that BW could be predicted from BMs also in Cornigliese sheep breed. The best fits were obtained when the highest number of measures was included in the model (models 1 and 3). Nevertheless, models 2 and 4 could be used more easily in extensive sheep breeding than models 1 and 3, since they require less parameters. The estimation of body weight is important in a meat type sheep breed for choosing the optimal slaughter time. A reduction of work for farmer is positive, mainly in field conditions of extensive rearing, where scales are not easily available. Body weight could be predicted from body measures in Cornigliese sheep breed with good precision and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horses are nowadays mainly used for sport and leisure purposes, and several local breeds, traditionally used in agriculture, are exposed to the risk of extinction. The long‐term survival of local horse breeds depends on strategies to both monitor their genetic diversity and to find their sustainable role in the equine market. Thus, several local horse breeds need to adapt their breeding objective to allow a modernization process. The Bardigiano is an example of such horse breeds; we, therefore, studied the existing evaluation protocol from a genetic standpoint to assess the protocol's suitability to convert the Bardigiano from an agricultural to a riding horse. To this end, we estimated genetic parameters for four conformation measurements, ten grading traits and 23 linear traits. For conformation measurements, the heritabilities ranged from 0.31 for cannon bone circumference to 0.63 for height at withers. For conformation and attitude grading traits, the highest heritability (0.34) was estimated for development and the lowest (0.09) for gaits. The heritabilities for linear traits ranged from 0.05 for the leg straightness to 0.32 for the coat colour. Genetic correlations between linear traits and corresponding grading traits varied considerably, ranging from −0.42 to 0.98. This study showed that the current evaluation protocol in the Bardigiano horse is appropriate for genetic evaluation. Genetic parameters estimation can, in turn, be used to develop novel breeding values to help this conversion. Our study paves the way to optimize the Bardigiano horse breeding programme, and it may help several other local horse breeds experiencing similar issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We evaluated whether chabazite/phillipsite dietary supplementation might affect the faecal microbiota, oxidant and antioxidant status of working dogs at rest undergone to a trial test. Forty English Setter dogs were involved in two replicate trials. At each replicate, dogs were divided into two homogeneous groups (10 dogs/group). During a period of 28 days, diet was supplemented (Z group) or not supplemented (C group) with chabazite/phillipsite at the dose of 5 g/head/day. On day 29, dogs were subjected to a trial test. Faecal characteristics were assessed at 0 and 29 days (within two hours from the end of the trial test). Faecal consistency was not affected by dietary supplementation (p > .05). On day 29,Lactobacillusspp. andEnterococcusspp. counts were higher andEnterobacteriaceaewere lower in Z than in C group (p < .05). At day 0 and at day 29, immediately before and within one hour from the end of the trial test, blood samples were recorded to evaluate the oxidant and antioxidant status. A reduction of 40% in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels was observed in Z compared to the C group (p < .05). Differences in nitric oxide and antioxidant enzymatic system levels were not significant (p > .05). Our results suggest that chabazite/phillipsite dietary supplementation, improves the intestinal microbiota ecosystem and may counteract the oxidative damage caused by physical stress in hunting dogs at the beginning of the working season. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]