Genetic analysis of the Croatian Trakehner and Posavina horse breeds

Genetic marker analysis was performed on 98 Posavina horse and 16 Trakehner horse blood samples from Croatian populations. All samples were tested for genetic types at seven red blood cell alloantigen (blood group) loci and ten biochemical genetic loci. The results were analyzed to determine genetic variability levels within the breeds and to examine genetic relationships of the horse breeds from Croatia with other breeds of domestic horses. Genetic variability within the Trakehner horse was relatively low compared to the mean for domestic horses. Mean unbiased expected heterozygosity for 87 populations of domestic breeds was 0.442 (STD = 0.045) compared to 0.398 for the Trakehner horse form Croatia. In contrast, genetic variation in the Posavina horse was relatively high with an unbiassed expected heterozygosity of 0.495. Comparisons of observed and expected heterozygosity within both breeds showed no evidence of inbreeding. Here we reported on gene marker frequencies for the Posavina horse and Trakehner horse from Croatia and genetic resemblance of these horse breeds to other domestic breeds as estimated by restricted maximum likelihood techniques.