logo

Contact: Marnie Somers, Chair
Membership & Communications
Box 1122, Carberry, MB R0K 0H0
Telephone: (204) 834-2479
Fax: (204) 834-3999
marnie@horsescoops.com

www.cqha.ca

The following is being provided to our members as a CQHA courtesy communication. 


AQHA banner image

 

 AQHA News Bits  

 

 

Genetic Testing for American Quarter Horses

The AQHA five-panel genetic tests helps breeders make better breeding decisions.

Thanks to decades of research, we now know that defects in inheritable genes are responsible for some of the diseases that afflict some American Quarter Horses. The effects of these diseases are wide-ranging, from mild and manageable to severe and terminal. Passing these diseases on to successive generations often causes unnecessary suffering and also leads to financial losses for breeders.

 

Fortunately, genetic tests have been developed to help breeders identify affected horses, allowing them to make better decisions and avoid perpetuating these traits. AQHA offers a panel test for five genetic diseases - glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia and polysaccharide storage myopathy.

 

Beginning with the 2014 breeding season, all stallions breeding 25 or more mares are required to have the five-panel disease test results on file, per Rule REG108.5 in the 2014 AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations. In 2015, all breeding stallions must be tested.

 

When a horse owner orders an AQHA panel test, AQHA will send a DNA kit, and the owner will mail it to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California-Davis for testing. Once the tests are complete, AQHA will notify the owner with the results.

 

The tests cost $85 for members and $125 for nonmembers. For the panel test in conjunction with the DNA test required for most breeding stock, the cost is $105 for members. The kit asks for mane hair, but tail hair works, too. Most important, however, is for the roots to be attached to the hair. AQHA offers a genetic test for equine coat color. The coat color panel test cost begins at $85. You can order a kit by calling customer service at 806-376-4811 or at www.aqha.com/genetictesting.  


Photo and text provided by AQHA

- 30 -


Founded in 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association is the largest equine breed organization in the world. With headquarters in Amarillo, Texas, AQHA has a membership of more than 270,000 people in 86 countries and has registered more than five million horses in 95 countries.

To view all CQHA-circulated media releases, please visit the  CQHA news archives on our website.

 

The mandate of the CQHA, a national affiliate of the AQHA, is to address issues of concern to Canadian owners of American Quarter Horses; to be a communications vehicle for and with Canadian owners of American Quarter Horses; and to promote and market, both globally and within Canada, Canadian-bred
and/or Canadian-owned American Quarter Horses.     

The Canadian Quarter Horse Association is an Affiliate of the AQHA. Annual membership is FREE to current AQHA members. For more information, or to enroll as a member on-line, visit the  CQHA website      

MBNA Canada logo image---supporting grassroots AQHA programs in Canada!

Through AQHA Affiliate Grants, MBNA Canada supports grassroots programs in Canada that directly benefit AQHA members. Each year, AQHA Affiliates receive funding to enhance or develop services for shows, races, youth activities, educational programs, public policy and recreational riding. Financial support from MBNA Canada benefits virtually every member program offered by AQHA.

Through MBNA Canada, AQHA members have the opportunity to apply for the  AQHA MasterCard credit cardFor more information on MBNA Canada or their services, call 1-877-428-6060