The origin of ambling horses
نویسندگان
چکیده
Horseback riding is the most fundamental use of domestic horses and has had a huge influence on the development of human societies for millennia. Over time, riding techniques and the style of riding improved. Therefore, horses with the ability to perform comfortable gaits (e.g. ambling or pacing), so-called 'gaited' horses, have been highly valued by humans, especially for long distance travel. Recently, the causative mutation for gaitedness in horses has been linked to a substitution causing a premature stop codon in the DMRT3 gene (DMRT3_Ser301STOP) [1]. In mice, Dmrt3 is expressed in spinal cord interneurons and plays an important role in the development of limb movement coordination [1]. Genotyping the position in 4396 modern horses from 141 breeds revealed that nowadays the mutated allele is distributed worldwide with an especially high frequency in gaited horses and breeds used for harness racing [2]. Here, we examine historic horse remains for the DMRT3 SNP, tracking the origin of gaitedness to Medieval England between 850 and 900 AD. The presence of the corresponding allele in Icelandic horses (9(th)-11(th) century) strongly suggests that ambling horses were brought from the British Isles to Iceland by Norse people. Considering the high frequency of the ambling allele in early Icelandic horses, we believe that Norse settlers selected for this comfortable mode of horse riding soon after arrival. The absence of the allele in samples from continental Europe (including Scandinavia) at this time implies that ambling horses may have spread from Iceland and maybe also the British Isles across the continent at a later date.
منابع مشابه
Adaptive value of ambling gaits in primates and other mammals.
At speeds between the walk and the gallop, most mammals trot. Primates almost never trot, and it has been claimed that they transition directly from a walk to a gallop without any distinctive mid-speed running gait. If true, this would be another characteristic difference between the locomotion of primates and that of most other quadrupedal mammals. Presently, however, few data exist concerning...
متن کاملThe responses of horses to predator stimuli
It is not known whether the instincts of wild horses have remained strong during their centuries of domestication. Knowledge of this matter would give riders the opportunity to know more about the behavior of horses and consequently about safety for both horses and riders. In this current research, we studied the behavior of fifteen Caspian miniature horses of different ages and sexes using sti...
متن کاملWorldwide frequency distribution of the 'Gait keeper' mutation in the DMRT3 gene.
For centuries, domestic horses have represented an important means of transport and served as working and companion animals. Although their role in transportation is less important today, many horse breeds are still subject to intense selection based on their pattern of locomotion. A striking example of such a selected trait is the ability of a horse to perform additional gaits other than the c...
متن کاملStudy of the prevalence and type of ophthalmic diseases among different breeds of horses in Tehran riding clubs
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and type of ophthalmic diseases among horse populations in the suburbian riding clubs of Tehran. Ophthalmologic examinations were performed in 901 horses and ocular lesions were diagnosed in 40 (4.4%) animals. In the 54 eyes of these horses that had ocular defects, 103 ocular abnormalities were detected. Of those horses affected, 65% showed ...
متن کاملFrequency of Limb Injuries Between Thoroughbred and Arabian Horses
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between race horse breed and the frequency of limb injuries through the time of training and racing. The study population consisted of 4042 Thoroughbred and 2553 Arabian horses raced at Warsaw race Track, from 2000 to 2008. Among these horses, 94 Thoroughbreds and 32 Arabians had different limb injuries. Based on the achieved results, it is possi...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Current Biology
دوره 26 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2016