Equine Genetics Course Offered

A twelve-week online course on equine genetics is being offered by Equine Guelph, the horse division of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

The course runs from September 9 to December 1 and will provide students the opportunity to understand the importance of genetics and how it can influence a horse’s ability to perform as well as the risk of developing certain diseases, unsoundness, or genetic disorders.

Course content will include the biological basis of genetics (how basic traits can be passed from parents to offspring) and Mendelian genetics (how traits controlled by only one or two genes are inherited). Lectures will address single-gene equine genetic disorders including hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) and hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) in Quarter Horses and severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in Arabians. Multigenic determination of coat color, examination of gene action pertaining to performance traits, nature (genetic) vs. nurture (environment) aspects of performance traits, and selection of animals when breeding for performance will also be covered.

For more information on the course, e-mail info@OpenEd.uoguelph.ca or call 519-767-5000.