Update from the board, regarding DNA typing for some imported horses

Problem: The board was informed that some younger imported horses from Ireland are no longer having the MSAT satellite markers used by the lab at the University of Kentucky for parentage testing done. The IDHSNA has been using the University of Kentucky lab for processing DNA since the beginning of the society, and it is the repository for all DNA results belonging to the IDHSNA. HSI now appears to be doing SNP only. Progeny of these individuals cannot be parentage tested until either the society switches to SNP technology or the MSAT markers are provided for each horse.

Investigation to resolve the problem: Dr. Graves of the University of Kentucky was asked by the registrar if and/or when the lab might start using this technology. The answer was that trial runs of the affordable testing platform (which the lab had been ready to invest in) failed to meet the required accuracy rate. Dr. Graves mentioned that other labs may choose to use this lower cost option, but it may not be reliable for parentage testing, and it may not be trustworthy for disease and color mutations, either. At this time, she can only recommend outsourcing SNP testing. The only lab providing the test with the accuracy required is Neogen in Scotland. At least one breed society is doing this. Neogen/Geneseek in this country can provide the 70k SNP array as raw data, but will not pull out the results for the 197 SNPs KFPS (Dutch Friesian) and KWPN (Dutch Warmblood) use for parentage. KWPN runs the software program that does the SNP parentage in horses. Neither of these are workable solutions for the IDHSNA for the handful of horses this currently effects.

Resolution: The IDHSNA board of directors voted to allow horses with SNP parentage testing only to be registered in the usual way. However, before or at inspections, a hair sample for DNA testing would need to be sent to the University of Kentucky for parentage testing for any offspring. Offspring of these horses would not be able to be registered until that DNA sample was on file in Kentucky. Because the hair being pulled would not be parentage tested for the horse itself, a veterinarian will be required to make a formal identification of the horse, using the recorded microchip and marking chart, and to pull and submit the hair sample. The owner will need to pay for the DNA test. This is very similar to what was done when the society switched from blood testing to DNA testing about 25 years ago. The society would allow the pulling of the hair at inspection sites by the onsite veterinarian to help facilitate this process.

Conclusion: The resolution provided by the board to ensure that offspring from these imported horses are registerable will likely be a short-term resolution to the problem. As SNP technology evolves, prices and accuracy will likely improve. The University of Kentucky will likely provide this technology when the affordability and accuracy make it feasible.