Genomic tools now enable selection for welfare-relevant traits in horse breeding programs, reducing inherited disease burden and improving structural soundness across breeds.
Equine genomics offers unprecedented tools to reduce preventable inherited disease and welfare-compromising conformation in domestic horses. The tragedy of preventable conditions like WFFS — foals born with fragile, easily damaged tissue who suffer and die within days — is that carrier identification before breeding can eliminate the disease entirely from populations. The broader application of genomic selection to conformation traits addresses one of equestrian sport's most persistent welfare challenges: the breeding of horses with structural predispositions to tendon injury, joint disease, and respiratory compromise. Genomic tools make welfare-conscious breeding selection more precise and accessible than ever before.