The Ability to Pace in Horses' Is Written in DNA

Swedish scientists have recently discovered a single gene, DMRT3,  in horses which determines weather or not they are able to trot.  Liam Andersson led the research group at the Upsala University which is 535 years old.  This could have a huge impact on horse training and racing.  Horses have three naturally occurring gaits: walking, trotting or galloping.  Horses which trot are trained to not break this trot and go into a gallop at higher speeds, because this will lead to disqualification.   Andersson and his team began researching in January 2011 with Icelandic horses. These horses have a gait called tolt, a gait so calm for the rider that it is “like sitting on a sofa,”. But only some horses can pace, and they wanted to find out why. They found that a single gene differentiated pacers and nonpacers.  They found this genetic mutation in other gaited horses, like the Paso Fino in South America and the Tennessee walking horse. Its genesis must have happened more than 1,000 years ago, Andersson said. The horses with this gene would have had a smoother ride and thus been kept and bred.  They then moved their focus to  trotters in Sweden. The researchers found the genetic mutation at a high frequency, which told them that its presence must inhibit a horse’s transition from trot to gallop at high speeds.



This is much more than just an interesting fact, it can actually save horse trainers a lot of time and money knowing this genetic detail.  For instance, in June 2011, Andersson and his team went to Agerup’s Uppsala stable to conduct a blind test on his 61 horses.  One trainer told the scientists that a few horses had trouble keeping their trot despite several years of training. They were not informed of the exact number (it was two) or the identities of the horses. The researchers collected hair samples, ran a DNA test, and in a few days selected the two horses in question.